Category: Misnomer

Violin "Chinrests"

10/20/2018

I have received some emails asking about what chinrest I use in my YouTube videos so I wanted to share that answer here in a quick blog post.

The Music for Young Violinists YouTube Channel

I always told my students if I could go back in time I would change the term "chinrest" to the term "jawrest" since it's a misnomer. In reality, the chin is not involved in violin placement, and it is the jaw that contacts the face of the violin. This terminology has befuddled more than one student in my career, and they tried defeatedly to place their chin there.

That's why I love center mounted chinrests. I find them much more ergonomic. Here is a LINK to one that is similar to what you see me use on my YouTube videos.

While we are on the subject of violin gear, you may enjoy this informal study we did here at Music for Young Violinists about what were teacher's favorite shoulder pads.

You may be surprised at what came in first place, click HERE to see.

Have a suggestion on some helpful chinrests or shoulder pads or anything related to the subject of setting up an instrument?
Please let us know in the comments below.

0 Comments

The Chinrest is Really a Jawrest

11/13/2015

2 Comments

The "chinrest" is really a "jawrest."
This terminology can confuse young violinists and their parents in the beginning. It is useful to point out this discrepancy so that the violin posture is not inadvertently misinterpreted during home practice.

2 Comments

Taking the Confusion Out of "Up" and "Down" for New Violin Players

11/3/2015

4 Comments

For a young violinist having difficulty integrating the words "down" and "up" into their playing consider substituting with the words "open" for down bows and "close" for up bows. Since the bow moves in lateral directions left and right the actual words "up" and "down" do not correlate with the motions and can be confusing to a young violinist and their parents during home practice.

4 Comments

Describing a Location vs. "High" and "Low" for New Violin Players

10/31/2015

4 Comments

Words like "high" and "low" can be confusing to a young student while they are in the process of playing the violin. Consider altering your instruction to be a description location like "closer to the bridge (or nose)" and "closer to the scroll" instead for more efficient results in the initial stages of learning these distinctions.

Tips for learning how to play the violin

4 Comments

Violin "Chinrests"

The Chinrest is Really a Jawrest

Taking the Confusion Out of "Up" and "Down" for New Violin Players

Describing a Location vs. "High" and "Low" for New Violin Players

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