Why Use a Shoulder Rest?

While a lot of people, especially the legendary musicians, manage to play the violin or viola without a shoulder rest. These days, shoulder rest is being recommended for beginners to help them play the violin with a correct posture and hold them without tension or pain.  Aside from preventing it from putting too much pressure on the collarbone where the violin is being rested, a shoulder rest provides comfort while playing the instrument even on longer sessions.  Apart from taking care of our violin and violin bow, we, as musicians, should also take care of our posture and musculoskeletal health.