For a long time, I thought discomfort was just part of playing. At six foot five, I never felt like standard setups were built for my body, and I spent years trying different chinrests, shoulder rests, and posture adjustments that never fully solved the problem. Some changes helped a little, but nothing ever felt quite right.

Over time, mild neck and back pain became normal. I stopped expecting comfort and assumed that was simply the tradeoff for playing seriously.

That belief changed during my freshman year of college while preparing for orchestra auditions. I was practicing three to four hours a day with a setup that wasn’t working for my body, and eventually the tension caught up with me. I lost mobility in my neck and upper back for months, and playing began to feel physically limiting in a way it never should.

As I worked through that experience, I realized I wasn’t alone. Fixed chinrests forced compromise, and even adjustable ones required tools and interruption, making real-time adjustment impractical during rehearsals, lessons, and performances. Comfort existed in theory, but rarely when it was actually needed.

Embrace Strings grew out of the belief that musicians deserve equipment that adapts to their needs every day. When a setup can respond to the body in real time, tension fades, posture improves, and musicians are free to focus on expression rather than discomfort. My goal is to continue helping musicians play naturally, fully enjoying the music they create, and feeling supported every step of the way — so they can fully Embrace the way they play.