Hilary Hahn: chinrests and shoulder rests

[Yahairo]

COME TO COSTA RICA PLEASE!!!

[violinstupid]

Here's some good advice. Don't use one.

[mikakrstic]

Also, it ALWAYS sounds better when you have small chin rest vs the one that goes over the tailpiece.

[mikakrstic]

No one is talking about the changes in sound quality when considering a shoulder rest type and brand. Who gives a damn about being comfortable when you loose sustain and resonance of the instrument. I came to a conclusion which one makes violin sound the best : )

[dblivezalwayz]

Thanks for the advice!

[roughout]

What a great contribution you have made to the art of violin playing and performance. Thanks for your experience, wisdom, personality and beauty. I hope you don't mind if we love you! 

[jcfbell3001]

just get an NS Balanced Shoulder Rest (Acoustic) and quit struggling with it....

[Piyaphob]

Very useful, thank you. I think I'm now having a neck problem, cuz my shoulder rest is not high enough.

[gatomjp]

Very interesting. I had no idea there was so much to finding the proper chin rest!

[ConBrioLady]

Please can anyone translate her comments to German?????

Thanks!!

[metalheadlass]

Best posture/chinrest advices!! She actually KNOWS what violinists go through.

[Quendra11]

Great advice!

[jazgeo]

Very well said. I have spent my entire life as a professional violinist. And during that time I have had my own trials with shoulder rests and chin rests. I have had the issues where my jaw would bleed from playing 8 and 10 hrs a day. But in the past few years I seem to have solved my problem. And believe-it-or-not, I did it by learning a different way to approach the placement of the instrument. I actually came up with this from my study of Aikido. And it works for my students as well.

[MrLuwico]

if you have a chinrest mark, you are holding the violin to tightly to your chin.

[xDwepee]

i call the "Bruise" a violin hickey haha

[xilent234]

These comments are mostly about how beautiful you are

[MilkshakeMusings]

I decided to bring my violin out of hibernation, and one of the first things I did was adjust my shoulder rest to keep my shoulders straight like you suggested in the video.

OMG millions better! Thanks, now I just need to fix the chinrest..

[RuFreeknKdn]

unclejuniorsoprano: you are clearly stupid....Heifetz had a wedge underneath his jacket. BTW...Friedman used a shoulder rest, .....I saw it, I studied with him.....and we talked about JH... So....shut up! You don't know what you're talking about.

[NRob84]

@RuFreeknKdn I studied with Friedman for 3 years and he didn't use a shoulder rest. Do I know you? He would sometimes put a sponge under the violin when wearing a slippery jacket. I agree with the school of thought that believes in using no shoulder rest, they dampen the instruments vibrations. One of my best friends who played in the NY Phil who has a long neck and is 6'4" switched to using no shoulder rest and will attest to the better positioning and tone he gets now.

[NRob84]

@RuFreeknKdn Friedman even told me, 'You don't need a shoulder rest to play the violin.'

[unclejuniorsoprano]

If God wanted violinists to use shoulder rests, Antonio Stradivari would have made violins with shoulder rests. What Hilary Hahn is saying is complete nonsense! Heifetz never allowed them & would give his students 1 week to get rid of them. None of the great violinists of the past used crutches under their violins. Imagine David Oistrakh using a crutch! Look at Erick Friedman; he had a neck like a swan & he never used a shoulder rest. Good grief!

[futuroid]

@unclejuniorsoprano chill out bro

[foxheadspeed]

@unclejuniorsoprano o give it a fucking rest you pretentious douche bag.

[panchamkauns]

Wow, even in a video about classical music the top rated comments are about her looks.

[Lemon77UG]

My head is spinning, my eyes are watering and I can't stop smiling. She reminds me very much of a girl I loved.

[CoolnSerious]

Marry me Hilary!!!!!!!!!

[bashfullashley]

The sheets of foam she is referring to are called moleskin. A great tip for this topic.

[bashfullashley]

@bashfullashley I've also toyed with the idea of a chin rest that has a gel foam insert for comfort, make it replaceable with different sizes and for wear.

[roperezposada]

thaaksss HIlary!!!! it`s great!!!

[Fixnitup]

Most people have NO idea just how physically taxing playing the violin or viola really is. I admire her open and honest approach .... what works for me may not work for you .... how true !! It's taken me years to find a fairly comfortable set up ... and how she puts the focus on avoiding injury .... the bio-mechanics .... she is a master of her craft and is happy to share and help. Hillary ... I thank you !!!

[banjotramp1]

After ~30 years of playing (folk, not classical) I was shown how to hold the instrument by Yaula Hertz. That took her about 30 seconds. No shoulder rest, just a make-up sponge for friction.

That one small change opened up whole new worlds for me.

But the thing you said about keeping a natural alignment is really the key, no matter how you manage to get there. Keeping relaxed even while trying to tame this impossible instrument and not injuring yourself in the process is critical. Thanks

[TheAnonyy]

Ezra I think she mean the foam people use on their toes and corns but buy the ones on a single sheet to cut to size

[ezrabach]

I'm not a native English speaker, so I couldn't understand what she said she used to buy at the pharmacy. she said this at 4:08. Can someone help me? Thanks in advance!

[moreco2pls]

Thank you Hilary! Among world's top tier musicians, you're the only one posting tutorials on youtube.

[xephyr417]

her eyes... they stare into my soul...

[logansGT]

@xephyr417 - Wait a minute.....I saw her first. Her eyes stare into my soul, too.

Hilary makes my liver quiver!

[utopiandesign]

Thank you Hilary! In my Meadowmount days, my dear Australian friend, Dean Olding had to give up the violin due to his neck infection that would not go away, even with surgery. To have personal knowledge of your tremendous experience w/o charging $150 an hour is wonderfully unselfish of you. You are also to be commended for your contribution to create the next level of artistry on the violin, and with the skills to carry it out. Your hands are blessed of heaven, and I am so grateful to listen.

[omdcestpauline]

i'd like to buy one of her shoulder rests!

[omdcestpauline]

i'd love to get one of her chinrests! she said she's in the progress of making them right and she'll sell them? yeah i'd buy that and try

[bagler101]

Wow, thanks for taking the time to post this helpful, thorough advice! My niece will likely find this useful.

[whatstwelveohnine]

you should do videos on skincare how to's haha you have beautiful skin

[justwarren]

Ms. Hahn is one of the few famous people who is just impossible not to like!  She is, in addition to being an exquisite violinist, a very bright, genuine, thoughtful and helpful person. This is a wonderful video, packed with useful information! Thanks Hilary!

[thestringdreams]

FYI: We have begun to use Arnica cream for my daughter's neck and it has helped, almost to the point of clearing completely!! Also divided practice into mini sessions in between homeschool classes.

[TheFrancescaViolin]

Wonderful video.

[gowdii]

Dear Mrs Hahn,

thank you for sharing your opinion to the masses and for being so open to the public. I was wondering whether you sometimes use earplugs or a mute when practicing, to protect your ears from the strong sounds (I can't say noise!) and prevent hear loss, and if you would advice this in general.

All the best,

[thestringdreams]

I wish you would hurry up and develop this alternative to the "neck cherries". My daughter is age 8 and has about three hours of study each day and this ugly dry spot has begun to appear. Yuck! I've tried wrapping the edge of the chinrest with all kinds of bandages, pads, moleskins ect. and no relief! Also, my daughter is super sensitive so it causes her to make more adjustments. She is built very much like you. We volunteer as a testers!

Thanks very much for discussing this important subject!

[charliep3]

Encouraging young players, good. How about performing and commentinig on some of the traditional beginner-beginner peices. When I was learning guitar I found some virtuoso recordings of beginner guitar peices, which demonstrated they could be beautiful music as well as good training, which persuaded me they were worth working on and perfecting.

[violinmusicfan]

good advice :)

[MyBrainInc]

Exactly the advice I was looking for! Thank you Miss Hahn! I might be able to play more pain free now

[Piano194]

Do you have any advice on LH pizzicato?

[interpersonnal]

@Piano194 Good advise. I agree. Would like some music and possilbly some of what you think are important pointers in learning or playing your music...I love the way you explain thinks...very very clear and personalable. Please be my messager.

Your fan, ...from Miami.

[Piano194]

I noticed you using a towel between your chin and chinrest.

The violin is quite an awkward instrument, but it has a distinct sound :-)

[laurienelise]

Thanks so much for posting this! I have been struggling for years trying to find the right shoulder rest for my long neck. I've even considered quitting because I still cannot find anything but, it's nice to know that I'm not the only person with this sort of problem. Thank you for the video. It made me feel a lot better about my situation.

[keeblerchick6]

how extraordinary for a world class violinist to share her knowledge with us, it's not often that i can hear advice from a famous, accomplished violinist! thank you for sharing advice with us hilary, you are truly an inspiration!

[TECstudio]

Whether we are growing children or adults our bodies are always changing. Finding the right adoptions for a chin rest or shoulder rest is often a work in progress through out ones musical life. It would be great if more people would share their secrets. You might be saving another musician some grief or frustration. Luthiers are so much more concerned with the aesthetics of the instrument that little time goes into better hard ware technology.

[TECstudio]

Much Thanks for your brave, transparent and genuin revelation on this controvercial issue among string players. My students will appreciate knowing that they are not the only ones using Dr. Scholls pads on their chinrests. As a Suzuki teacher I have used everything from craft foam to rubber shelf liner to address the short comings of violin hardware.

[hiasnhias]

Yeah! Word.

[hsviolinplayer]

Thank you so much, Ms. Hahn! My dad also noticed a mark on my skin from my chinrest, but luckily I haven't had to do anything to reshape the wood, and have been able to avoid infection. Thanks again!

(Oh, and by the way, on the plus side, a "practicing mark" does give one bragging rights among fellow music geeks!)

[jackhalo58]

Great advice! Thanks for sharing!

[SUPERSARAH]

Wow, Hilary you'd be an incredible violin teacher.

[payasarraf]

@SUPERSARAH I couldn't agree more...it seems she's happy to help people and not ask anything in return.

[liam1neely]

Excellent!! Thank you so so much for taking time to share these things.

[melpost]

Excellent video Hilary! I get this question a lot myself, and people without good teachers have no expert source like you to seek an advice from. Keep up the good work :-) your videos are helpful!

[amnuaymannn]

Get some sleep Hil,

[purplekitteh]

Excellent video Hilary! I'd just like to say that I am so appreciative that someone as renowned as yourself takes the time to impart invaluable knowledge with fans and aspiring musicians, it is a rare and wonderful thing to see :)

[pacman7654]

1000 stars! This information is not easy to come by for most people. The only part I question is ever holding the violin with only the head, even in high positions. Watching videos of the old masters on Youtube convinces me that allowing the left hand to balance and support, even in shifts and in high positions is better; even though I have a quite long neck, I am more comfortable rest-less. Rests make the violin easier by lowering the balance necessary but this makes it sound less natural.

[boomer4666]

hey Hilary i was watching this vid of you "Hilary Hahn, Grave, Violin Sonata No. 2 - Michael Lawrence Films Bach Project "

just wondering if your planning on writing any of your own music?

[mykeeviolin]

love love love love.

[visualvirtue]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE speak up or get closer to the microphone.

[bamparin]

You Are Grand! Thank you!

[xaav]

Really interesting.

A long time ago ,i was looking for the best equipment. never stopping to change the height and the location of the shouldere rest  ,molding chinrest myself... ect ....finally i decides to remove all except eventually a thin chinrest that i place on the left to avoid any sliding of the violin to the right..Believe it or not, but for me, at this day it is the most comfortable position I've ever known.

[TheEcki123]

Interesting Video - thank you! What do you think about balancing the violin with the left hand and the shoulder like many violinists do - without any equipment like shoulder rests?

[OCUBOX]

@TheEcki123 Its a lot easier, trust me, more so than with a shoulder rest, maybe when I started I must have been doing something wrong, because after 30mins of so with the shoulder rest I got huge neck pains(turning to the right was very painful) and the sound was not as good (with PP you can hear a great difference :). You have to find which pos is right for YOU, one pos. will not fit all. And when you are holding the violin right, you'll KNOW, because EVERYTHING becomes easy. . . Well yeah : )

[TheEcki123]

@OCUBOX you are right!