Berent Korfker on the New Pirastro KorfkerRest Luna Shoulder Rest for Viola

Made of a customized synthetic compound, the new shoulder rest is ultra compact, foldable, and feather light

Berent Korfker, the inventor of the KorfkerRest Luna, has recently developed the shoulder rest for viola! Made from a proprietary sound-optimized synthetic material, it is an ultra-light shoulder rest that has been designed both ergonomically and acoustically.

The Violin Channel had the pleasure of talking with Berent Korfker to learn more about the characteristics and innovations of the shoulder rest.

Tell us about the new PIRASTRO KorfkerRest LUNA® for viola

First of all, thank you for featuring this interview! I’m very excited about this new release. The PIRASTRO KorfkerRest LUNA® for viola, made from a proprietary sound-optimized synthetic material, is an ultra-light shoulder rest which has been designed both ergonomically and acoustically. It beautifully blends qualities of comfort, stability and ease of use with the astonishing fidelity and freedom of sound which our users have come to expect from our products.

What are the main qualities and innovations of the shoulder rest?

Both ergonomically and acoustically it is hard to over-emphasize the importance of light weight when it comes to shoulder rests. Handling an instrument with the added weight of a shoulder rest for hours on end can cause undue stress on our wrists. Acoustically added weight is also a disadvantage, so the lighter the better!

When it comes to feather weight, Pirastro’s shoulder rests are in a class of their own with both our rests for violin weighing a mere 32 grams. Likewise, our new KorfkerRest Luna for viola weighs the same as our wooden viola KorfkerRest, only 40 grams. It is not for nothing that one of the accolades we often receive is that playing with a KorfkerRest feels like playing without one!

With the weight of our rests being less than 8% of that of the instrument itself, we can design for direct and unsuspended contact, one of the conditions for an acoustically superior rest. It allows our rests to vibrate in harmony with your instrument, contributing to an unmatched string response and unaltered colors of sound. The instrument simply feels completely alive!

Our new viola rest further boasts unique sound-optimized materials, an instantly comfortable ergonomic shape and an easy to use click-system for instantaneous width adjustments. It offers solid stability and folds up into an ultra-compact shape.

To which viola sizes is it suited?

The KorfkerRest Luna for viola fits all full size violas from 222-258mm wide. The set of barrel legs which comes with the viola model is also available separately, allowing the model for violin to be adjusted to fit instruments up to 226mm wide.

How does it differ from the original KorfkerRest? What is it made of?

Although both rests weigh exactly the same, the original KorfkerRest for viola is made of hand-varnished, bendable maple tone wood and sports an intricate adjustment mechanism allowing for endless personal adjustments. The KorfkerRest Luna for viola however, is made from a custom, sound-optimized synthetic compound. It is super easy to set up and fold into an ultra compact shape, although it can not be bent.

The proprietary synthetic compound we use for the KorfkerRest Luna models is truly unique. We developed this material in-house over several years because it was not possible to realize our acoustical goals with materials already available. Going far beyond being just light weight — it contains a carefully sound-optimized blend of ingredients which are not yet found together in a compound.

How does the KorfkerRest LUNA for viola affect the sound of an instrument?

More exciting is how it doesn’t affect your instrument’s sound! At Pirastro the original sound and sensitivity of your instrument are sacred, whereas other shoulder rests sadly alter these profoundly. Although the opening up of the sound is often the first thing players notice, there are other compelling advantages to be had with a KorfkerRest or KorfkerRest Luna.

I invite your readers to do the following: remove your shoulder rest and explore the full range of colors from close to the bridge to over the fingerboard while playing slow and active passages with various dynamics. Now put back the shoulder rest and experience how your range of colours has narrowed. Shaping your sound close to the bridge takes more effort and the colors close to the fingerboard are noticeably duller. Moreover, can you hear how the overall timbre of your instrument has been changed by your shoulder rest?

Allowing the character and quality of an instrument’s sound to be heard unimpeded is what we call offering fidelity of sound and trueness of timbre.

To feel how your rest affects your string’s response to the bow, play a fast spiccato passage without a shoulder rest and then with. You will hear and feel a difference both in clarity and precision.

The KorfkerRest Luna for viola, by its design and material composition, offers the same wide dynamic range, accuracy in bow response and trueness of timbre provided by the other shoulder rests in our range. Depending on your instrument, taste, and playing style you may prefer our wooden rest or our new synthetic Luna.

What are the differences in your process when creating a viola or violin shoulder rest?

I love playing the viola myself and am therefore acutely aware of the extra strain violists can be under and thus their need for well-designed equipment. For this reason and because it is not bendable, we gave the shape of the KorfkerRest Luna for viola some extra attention.

Starting with the shape of our wooden viola model we have taken its ergonomics one step further. We tweaked its curves and overall shape to offer not only a perfect fit for a wide range of players but also the feeling of lightness during performance which is another hallmark of our shoulder rests. Carefully calibrating the stiffness of the rest to specifically suit viola players brought the icing on the cake.

We solved the challenge of the wider range of viola body widths by designing wider barrel legs for our tried and tested foldable click-system. As a result, the viola model comes with 8 in stead of 6 barrel legs.

What is the lifespan of the KorfkerRest LUNA for viola?

The lifespan of our products is significantly enhanced by the availability of replacement pads, which allow users to bring back the rest to an “as new” condition. Furthermore, we have stress-tested the barrel leg mechanism of the KorfkerRest Luna for viola over more than 30.000 cycles of opening and closing without any visible wear. When you buy one of our products, you can trust it to serve you a long time!

Read more about the KorfkerRest Luna for viola on Pirastro's website.