The bonmusica shoulder rest provides a secure foundation for the violin because of the bit that hooks over the left shoulder and this means the player puts a lot less work into holding the violin. I used to find my LH fingers get tired / sore when playing fast passages in awkward positions (high up on the D or G string for instance), this tiredness was probably due to either the shoulder or the hand or both putting too much effort into holding the violin. This shoulder rest can fix that and my experience is that my fingers are much more nimble as a result. It is very adjustable – much more than any other shoulder rest I’ve tried. This will cater for a wider range of body shapes and preferences for where the violin should sit on the shoulder, where it should point, the angle at which it is tilted. (All these aspects of position should be personalised to the player – they are a trade off between the length of the LH fingers and being able to reach the strings, and the length of the right arm and being able to reach the tip of the bow.) Some reviewers think this shoulder rest improved the sound of their violin. I believe this is more likely to be that the improved posture and position of the violin allows them to play better, rather than their old shoulder rest muffling the violin. Overall, this is the best shoulder rest because it is so adjustable for any player.
