The equipment for our research was made up of store-bought and hand-made chin and shoulder rests.
To match chin rests to people of different sizes, we developed a Chin Rest Testing Kit graduated by height. To line up chin rests to jaw and chin shape, we allowed for adjustable tilt and contour. Our representative collection of store-bought shoulder rests was supplemented with sponges and other shoulder rest substitutes.
By the end of the research, we had constructed a custom made chin rest for each musician, and adjusted their shoulder rest. We have now begun construction of custom made shoulder rests.
By supplementing what we could buy with specially designed equipment, we provided flexibility of choice for each musician. As they unlearned cramped habits of playing, they could repeatedly replace and adjust both their shoulder rests and their chin rests throughout the entire project.
