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- Ceramics [17]
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- Chin Rests and Violin Players
- Ergonomic Musical Instruments
- Fog and Smoke
- Guitar Strings Cause Dermatitis
- Hand and Upper Limb Problems in Children
- Medical Problems of Musicians
- Musicians Can Be Victims of Peculiar Skin Problems
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- 3. General Safety and Health
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- Glossary of Terms
Chin Rests and Violin Players
Improving the 'fit' between the performer and the instrument, in the context of musical composition, may prove beneficial in the prevention of injury in musicians. The violin poses particular problems because it requires total support, yet both hands must be free to play. Changing the chin rest and changing the shoulder pad are common ways to modify the violin to fit the individual. The authors hypothesized that changes in chin rest and shoulder pad would result in changes in pressure and force applied over the chin rest during violin performance, and that these effects were predictable form anthropometric measures recorded at the neck and shoulder. The authors also hypothesized that different musical compositions would result in different levels of pressure and force. A sensor mat, sampling at 50 Hz, measure the peak pressure, peak force, pressure-time integral, force-time integral and total contact area utilized over the chin rest during the performance of excerpts form a violin concerto by Max Bruch and a violin sonata by G.E. Handel. Repeated-measures univariate analysis of variance revealed that the chin rest and musical composition produced significant differences in all the pressure and force variables. Shoulder pads proved effective in changing the peak pressure and the total contact area utilized over the chin rest.
Stepwise multiple regression indicated that the neck measurements were not a significant predictor of force or pressure, but shoulder measurements were a predictor of pressuring during the Bruch concerto. These results underscore the importance of evaluating chin rests. in addition to shoulder pads when seeking a more comfortable 'fit' for the violinist. In addition, the repertoire of the violinist should be considered a critical parameter when evaluating levels of force and pressure produced during performance. This study demonstrates that the specific musical composition may interact with the effects of the chin rests. Musical composition may also influence the ability of anthropometric measures to predict the forces generated during performances.
(There are many factors to consider when looking at musician's injuries, including repertoire, training, fitness, psychological factors, practice and performance regimans, ergonomics and instruments. -Ed.)
The preceding abstract was reprinted with permission from Section 35 (Occupational Health and Industrial Medicine) of Excerpta Medica.
Chin Rest Pressure in Violin Players: Musical Repertoire, Chin Rests and Shoulder Pads as Possible Mediators -Okner M.A.O., Kernozek T. and Wade M.G.
- 1403 Clippership Alcove, Woodbury, MN 55125 USA Med. Probl. Perform. Artists 1997 12/4 (112-121).
Art Hazard News, Volume 21, No. 3, 1998
This article was originally printed for Art Hazard News, © copyright Center for Safety in the Arts 1998. It appears on CAR courtesy of the Health in the Arts Program, University of Illinois at Chicago, who have curated a collection of these articles from their archive which are still relevant to artists today.