What do these violinists have in commun ?
Nathan Milstein
Jascha Heifetz
Igor Oistrakh
Henryk Szerying
Yehudi Menuhin
Itzhak Perlman
They are indeed some of the greatest violinists ever…
They were all born before 1950…
They all had an amazing sense of tone production…
So much that one could easily recognize their sound…
and...
They all played without
a shoulder rest!
Of course, they were not the only ones as other great violinists of the 20th century such as Ruggiero Ricci, Leonid Kogan, Aaron Rosand, Michael Rabin, Zino Francescatti and Arthur Grumiaux also played without a shoulder rest, just as does today’s superstar Augustin Hadelich.
Playing with a shoulder rest is in fact a fairly new trend as it appeared in the second half of the 20th century, becoming a standard accessory in learning how to play the violin from the late 1960s. While a sponge or something similar was sometimes used early on, the famous “Kun” was introduced in 1968 and there are now many different models, in all kinds of materials, ranging from plastic to carbon and with prices going all the way to several hundreds of dollars.
It is thus most probable that many of the violinists born after 1960 and reading this have been playing with a shoulder rest for their entire life. Does that mean that the shoulder rest is necessary to play the violin? Clearly, no. The great violinists of the 20th century reached some of the best playing ever without it. If it was first designed to help make things “easier”, the shoulder rest has become an accessory that has led many violinists and violists to hold their instrument in a less connected way, some will say in a less “correct” way, making it a vital crutch to many, a tool that can not be taken away without seriously disrupting their playing.
It is also clear that there are also many great violinists who play with a shoulder rest, even if, again, the list will comprise mostly violinists born after 1960. I am therefore not here to compare the level of mastery between two kinds of techniques or two kinds of school, old vs new, but rather to share the journey I went through in my now almost 40 years of career, as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher.
After many years of personal research in that field, I am now proposing to share my understanding of the technique that allows all violinists and violists to play without a shoulder rest, with the instrument resting effortlessly on the collarbone and sustained by the left hand. While this technique has already been well described by such greats as Lord Yehudi Menuhin and Aaron Rosand as well as by recognized pedagogues, a renewed approach on the matter as well as direct hands-on directions and instructions will allow any performer, student or teacher, to understand, experiment, master and eventually appreciate and enjoy playing without a shoulder rest.
Oddly enough, while playing with a shoulder rest became very common in the end of the 20th century, it is also around that time that historical performance practice has gained more recognition. In our modern days, as we prepare to enter the second quarter of the 21st century, most violinists and violists will have to play some baroque music in a more or less historical way and may therefore very well have to play on historical instruments at some point, of course without a shoulder rest (nor a chin rest, for that matter).
This is where “old school” playing meets “historical performance practice”, as learning how to become comfortable without a shoulder rest is soon to become a must for today’s and tomorrow’s professional violinists and violists.
While you may think this may not matter in your life as a violinist or violist, I am convinced that it will in fact change your entire perspective on playing once you make the big jump…
It may not make you the next Heifetz or Perlman, but it will certainly open your horizon in an unexpected way.
The first thing I was asked to do the day I started playing the violin at the age of 7, was to put my little violin on my shoulder and my chin on the chin rest in order to “squeeze” the instrument and hold it without my hands. I was prompt and proud to be able to do so right away!
In the following years, I progressed rapidly, entering the famous Paris Conservatoire only 4 years later, albeit in the prep division, before being admitted in the “supérieur” division the following year. I continued to proudly be able to hold my violin squeezed between my shoulder and my chin for all the following years of study, also in the US and at The Juilliard School after I had graduated from Paris. Winning some international prizes seemed in order and came in different places, including the Paganini International competition and the Long-Thibaud in Paris.
Only once through all these years did one person, a very good amateur violinist, mentioned to me that I didn’t need to use a shoulder rest and “squeeze” the violin in order to play. As I was young and quite sure of myself at the time, I dismissed his suggestion gracefully, but the thought of it actually never left my mind. Like many, I went through a number of various shoulder rest models through the years, even if the choice when I was a young violinist was much more limited than today. Designing and selling shoulder-rests has become a highly competitive business, and there are now very “luxurious” shoulder-rests selling for hundreds of dollars…! Although I never went through such expenses, I did spend some time and money, always looking for a “better” model.
It is however only later, after several years of reflecting on the well being of playing the violin, working on Alexander Technique, observing people play (students as well as colleagues), reading some insightful books on the topic (such as Dominique Hoppenot’s “Le Violon Intérieur”), that I concluded that it must be worth making the jump…. That is, to remove the should rest. It opened a new chapter in my violin playing, where physical freedom, tone quality and musical expression became renewed focuses in my playing. Needless to say that I will never go back to playing with a shoulder rest in the future.
Discovering how wonderful it could be to play without one -and especially after having played at a high level WITH one for many years- has led me to become an advocate of playing freely, without a shoulder rest. Unlike the great Yascha Heifetz who would ask anyone playing with a shoulder rest to leave the room where he was teaching and who also stated that anyone needing a shoulder rest should rather consider taking up the cello instead (!), I have never imposed removing the shoulder rest to any of my students over my many years of teaching, but of course, have always helped students realize how they could all accomplish the task of playing without one, leading to a new approach and appreciation of the instrument.
I am now offering some workshops from 1-4 days to help violinists understand and acquire the technique of playing without a shoulder-rest. Of course, like anything in music, such a workshop does not intend to bring mastery in this technique in such a short time, but rather to give the necessary tools for each violinist to keep working (practicing!), enjoy the process and eventually fully appreciate and enjoy this way of playing. In that sense, a repeat session of the workshop a few weeks later is also highly recommended in order to follow up on the progress of this technique. In our days where many of us will be playing baroque music in a more or less historical way and possibly perform on baroque instruments, this has become a much needed topic that will help many acquire the basics in baroque violin “hold”.
More globally, while it will not erase all technical difficulties, holding the violin without a shoulder rest combined with the appropriate left hand technique will allow violinists and violists to acquire:
-A better connection with the instrument
-A position without tension in the left shoulder, and symmetrically in the right shoulder
-A physical well-being that will prevent long-term issues (shoulder, back, etc.)
-Increased intonation accuracy
-A better “sense” of sound
-Greater freedom and variety of vibrato
-A preparation to playing on historical instruments
