Wolf Secondo rest

[Brian]

I like the extra height that wolf secondo gives.

But there seems to be problem with the angle that

shoulder pad makes. Because the shoulder

pad is angled such that it does not comportably

fit on the shoulder, I feel sort of discomfort

while playing. And suggestion or advise would be appreciated

[Wolfgang]

There is another model of Wolf rest that has a flexible pad that conforms to the shoulder. The pad is stretched by a metal frame that makes the thing seem more like a devise from the Spanish Inquisition than a shoulder rest. Some prominent artist like it, I've noticed.

I have an older KUN that has longer legs than the present model. Also, the shoulder pad has a wider range of tilt than the present collapsible model of KUN.

Does anyone like the Menuhin shoulder rests? The bout clamps are OK, but the shoulder pad is JUST HORRIBLY uncomforatable!

An friend of mine says that the "old school" orchestra people who wore coat and tie to rehearsals were not intending to be more formal than today's casual rehearsal dress, they just needed the jackets to pad the shoulder back when nobody had Kun, Wolf, etc.

[D Ellison]

The jackets sometimes also helped to hold little additional pads between the body and the instrument. Lost of people used those small, round (usually pinkish) make-up sponges. While they don't help the sound or anything, they can provide additional (and much needed) comfort.

[AET]

I knew some students whose teacher required those small, round

(usually pinkish) make-up sponges. This teacher was particularly

demanding. Everyone used to call the sponges a "red badge of courage".

Adean'sEvilTwin

: The jackets sometimes also helped to hold little additional pads between the body and the instrument. Lost of people used those small, round (usually pinkish) make-up sponges. While they don't help the sound or anything, they can provide additional (and much needed) comfort.

[Al E. Gater]

Dem sponges is nice. Cheep too. Likes da lili pad (slurp) and da treats dat go with (in) um. Ahhhhhhhhhh.

[Trent Hill]

Brian, I don't know if you've tried this already, but the angle of the pad on the Wolf Secundo (at least the Forte Secundo) can be *dramatically* adjusted. Just attach the rest to the violin and angle it until it feels comfortable; the bracket that attaches to the left foot will pivot, even though it's rather stiff. Don't forget, too, to experiment with the angle and placement of the rest on the violin; that can make a huge difference too.

: I like the extra height that wolf secondo gives.

: But there seems to be problem with the angle that

: shoulder pad makes. Because the shoulder

: pad is angled such that it does not comportably

: fit on the shoulder, I feel sort of discomfort

: while playing. And suggestion or advise would be appreciated

[Irene]

I had problems with the Wolf Secundo for a while too. I switched to the Wolf after several years of using Kun, and I raised the Wolf higher to try to stop myself from having to raise my shoulder all the time to hold up the instrument. However, I found that raising it higher made the angle of the violin strange-- the side facing the audience would tip toward the floor, and the scroll end would tip upwards. So I made the rest lower and found that this solved the problem. It was actually more comfortable too. It didn't occur to me that raising the height of the rest was the cause. You could try this if all else fails.

: I like the extra height that wolf secondo gives.

: But there seems to be problem with the angle that

: shoulder pad makes. Because the shoulder

: pad is angled such that it does not comportably

: fit on the shoulder, I feel sort of discomfort

: while playing. And suggestion or advise would be appreciated

[Andrew Victor]

I am a very recent convert to the Wolf Secondo. For me it gave my violin just enough extra counter-clockwise twist to significatntly enhance my vibrato. But I have been having some trouble the past few days. And I think Trent's observations are relevent.

Because of the flexibility of the Wolf's attachments I am not consistently positioning the rest at the same place. And even the slightest change can make the rest less comfortable and shift it out of that optimum position I found with it. Also, the "wire" can slide a bit making the rest grow progressively wider with time unless I am careful to tighten the "screw" enough - and this changes the position it naturally fastens to on the violin. But when I go through all the adjustments again, it still works great.

Andy