Pocket squares for a violinist

[SField]

One of my good friends is a very successful concert violinist. He has 70+ concerts a year around the globe and I need to buy him a functional gift. We had dinner the other day and he was talking about needing a new thing to put between his skin and his violin to keep his natural skin oils from coming into contact with the Stradivarius and to also minimize the abrasive effect of having the instrument against his neck for so many hours a day.

I was thinking maybe I'd get him a couple Hermes pocket squares. How good would silk be at dealing with oil? I know silk is incredibly durable. Please offer some suggestions. Are there other materials besides linen that are used for pocket squares?

Thank you

 

[Requiem]

The problem I see with silk is that it's slippery, and probably would slide all over the violin. Linen or cotton should be better choises.

However, there's problably some better old trick used by violinists through out time.

 

[sonlegoman]

The problem with silk is that it heats up with the vibration against the skin. And that it is slippery. That's two of the complaints of silk amongst violinists.

 

[mlongano]

I'm sure your friend is more concerned with the Stradivarius than his comfort...after all, he's playing an instrument that is worth $3-5 million dollars.

Ask him what he uses to wipe down the instrument and have an alterations tailor make some from the same type of cloth.

 

[Concordia]

I'd avoid silk handkerchiefs for the purpose. Linen or cotton are better, but can still be a bit of a nuisance.

Sounds like he most needs a Strad Pad (large). I use the one with velcro, which is much handier if you don't flinch at sticking it onto your chinrest. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...ords=strad+pad
If he wants more of a barrier, and if he really is playing a Strad, a light small piece of linen to throw over that. Or Shar sells a nice microfiber cloth that is handy for cleaning-- a pair of scissors should put that to a convenient size.

 

[1969]

My father was a concert violinist and it's common to use something like this. He just used a piece of plain white shoe polishing cloth. I would think a pocket square would be too thin as part of the function he's probably looking for is a little padding as well. Above poster has good recs.

 

[Sam Hober]

Originally Posted by Concordia

I'd avoid silk handkerchiefs for the purpose. Linen or cotton are better, but can still be a bit of a nuisance. Sounds like he most needs a Strad Pad (large). I use the one with velcro, which is much handier if you don't flinch at sticking it onto your chinrest. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...ords=strad+pad If he wants more of a barrier, and if he really is playing a Strad, a light small piece of linen to throw over that. Or Shar sells a nice microfiber cloth that is handy for cleaning-- a pair of scissors should put that to a convenient size.
Follow Concordia's advice above.

 

[SField]

Originally Posted by Sam Hober

Follow Concordia's advice above.
That pad would alter the shape and height of the chin rest. I know he wouldn't like that. It would have to be something thin. I've seen a lot of violinists use just a cloth, but you guys are right that silk is likely far too slippery and does not have enough heft. I was just maybe looking to find something a bit more elegant than the plain polishing cloths I often see at the CSO or NYPhil. Even if I don't end up buying anything this is an interesting topic. Thanks a lot for all the input and please keep it coming.

 

[Concordia]

Originally Posted by Sam Hober

Follow Concordia's advice...

QFT.