I was inspired to become involved in the area of violin ergonomics to ease a nagging pain I had in my back, near my shoulder blade, while fiddling. I tried different stretching excercises, postures, and shoulder rests but the pain remained. I had a pretty nice hickie scar too, but, being a silent-suffering male type, I just accepted that.

Inspiration came one evening as I sat down at my computer desk while practicing for an upcoming gig. In those days, I needed a break every 20 minutes to let my back relax. As I sat, my hand reached over and landed on my new gel wrist rest I had just bought for my computer mouse. The "light bulb" was about to go off.

For the first time, I began to suspect my chinrest as a possible source of my shoulder discomfort. And, as I kneaded that gel wrist rest,  I knew just the material I wanted to work with.

It required a lot of trial and error to develop, but gel really is the perfect material for the chinrest of a violin:

(1) Gel's texture is very similar to human flesh, so it feels very natural against the skin (doesn't everybody love to squeeze gel?).

(2) Because it's moldable, like all plastics, gel can be cast into the complex, contoured shape necessary to fit a person's chin, yet still look like a tradfitional chinrest. Other materials are simply cut from a flat sheet and, like a hanky, simply do not look they belong on the classic elegance of a violin.

(3) Gel easily accepts color, like all plastics, so its final appearance lookseven more remarkably like polished ebony, or any color or pattern you can imagine.

(4) Gel is easy to clean because it is non-absorbent. Dirt and sweat just wipe right off.

(5)  The unique gel used in the GelRest has a non-slip surface, which makes holding the instrument easier, even when wet (a very useful feature when playing outside on a hot day).

That's why I say, "You'll wonder how you ever played without it!"

Stephen Kallai
Inventor of the GelRest

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