Viva la Musica Diamond Shoulder Rest for Violin (3/4-4/4), light maple, black, ZSR-A904434B-L

Viva la Musica Diamond shoulder rest for violin 3/4 and 4/4, light maple, black fittings. It has end pieces of hardened steel with patented lateral adjustment.

• End pieces of hardened steel, laterally adjustable and rotatable
• Folding feet
• Soft plastic pad

Technical data

Features

• Diamond model
• For violin 3/4 and 4/4
• Patented: US 7,888,569 B2 and EP 1 878 006
• Wood: light maple
• Black fittings
• Viva la Musica Avgustin manufactures in Celje, Slovenia

In practice

• The real advantage of the Diamond is its lateral adjustment: the end pieces rotate and extend so the rest lies almost parallel to the collarbone instead of over the shoulder joint.
• For the basic setting of height and width, the Professional does the job just as well.
• On the Diamond you set the tilt at the feet; the bar itself keeps a fixed shape.
• Height first: when you place the instrument and lower your chin, the spine should stay straight and the head should not tilt. Better to start too low and raise it step by step.
• Then the tilt, and set each foot separately. The shoulder slopes away from the neck towards the arm; if one side sits in the air, only an edge is bearing.
• Chin rest and shoulder rest work together. With a long neck a higher chin rest can take over part of the height, so the shoulder rest need not be wound up to its limit.
• Rubber feet are wearing parts. Replaced in good time, they keep the rest secure on the rib and protect the varnish.
• Tighten screws and lock nuts occasionally. That way the height you set stays in place.

Sound and physics

The violin is clamped between shoulder and chin and held almost entirely by this clamping; the left hand gives only slight support. The shoulder rest forms the lower abutment of this clamp on the shoulder.

By lifting the vibrating back away from the body, the rest keeps its radiation backwards and downwards free of damping by the body. Its feet grip the edge of the lower bout; each of these small points of contact acts on the vibration of the back only locally (damping, that is, drawing energy from the vibration), and the more strongly the back vibrates at exactly that spot, the greater the effect.

At the edge the top and back overhang the ribs by around 3 mm, and the back is worked thicker there, around 3.3 mm, than in the adjoining area at 2.5 to 2.8 mm. The width of the rest is governed by the width of the lower bout, and on a 4/4 violin also by a rib height of 30 mm.

Viva la Musica's real wood lines are made in Celje, Slovenia: the wood is cut and then bent in a process the maker likens to a microwave oven. Curly maple, in light or dark varnish, and walnut are used.

The Diamond is made of curly violin maple, its end pieces are gilded with 24 carat gold, and the lateral adjustment system is patented. A Diamond passes through 27 production stages. The Strad magazine ranked it among the three best shoulder rests in its 2020 accessories review.

The Augustin Professional in light maple with gold coloured fittings weighs 80 g net.

When another model suits you better

Players who prefer to play without a shoulder rest and want more hold at the chin are better served by a taller chin rest, on the 4/4 violin for example the Morawetz High with its 25 mm cup height.

Players looking for a colourful rest in polycarbonate will find the right partner from the same maker in the Viva Flex.

Frequently asked questions

Does a shoulder rest change the sound of the violin?

The rest lifts the vibrating back away from the body and touches the instrument only with its feet at the edge of the lower bout. Each of these points of contact has a local damping effect, the stronger the more the back vibrates at exactly that spot.

How wide does a shoulder rest for a 3/4 violin need to be?

The lower bout of a 3/4 violin is around 195 mm wide. The rest is set so that both feet grip the rib securely at the edge of the lower bout.

What distinguishes the Diamond from the Professional?

The Diamond has a patented lateral adjustment system and end pieces gilded with 24 carat gold.

Are there replacement screws for Viva la Musica rests?

The rests are supplied complete and the maker does not offer individual screws; replacement feet are offered as VIVA FEET.