Violin Care & Maintenance

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The following page describes how to best care for and maintain your violin.

Rules Summary
Care of the Bow:

: Never touch bow hair with hands or to your body.
: Tighten your bows to the proper tension before playing.
: Rosin the bow two or three times weekly.
: Loosen the bow EVERY TIME you put the bow away.
: NEVER hang the bow on a music stand. Put it in your case when not in use.

Care of the Instrument:

: Keep the instrument in a place of moderate temperature and humidity.
: Do NOT let other people play with your instrument.
: Wipe off rosin dust and finger marks after each use with a soft cloth.
: Never place on chairs unattended. It is too easy to knock over and possibly damage the instrument. Put it in the case.

Care of the Soundpost:

: The soundpost is expertly fitted into the tapered space between the top and back of the interchangeable. It must not be glued in.
: Check the position of the soundpost periodically and always when changing strings or if bumped or dropped. The top of any stringed instrument under normal string tension is in danger of collapse if the soundpost is down. (Example: Strings of a cello exert approximately 80 pounds of pressure through the bridge feet to the top of the instrument. As bridge feet are so small, the pressure exerted is found to be approximately 1000 PSI).

Care of the Peg Box:

: Wind no more string on the peg than the space between the peg and the rear wall of the peg box allows. Too much string on the peg, when forced, will split the peg box or break the peg. Pushing the tapered peg too far into the peg hole can also split the peg box.

Care of the Pegs:

: Each peg is individually fitted. No pegs are interchangeable. Not even on the same instrument.

Care of the Bridge:

: The bridge is kept in place by string pressure. It is not to be glued to the top of the instrument.
: The low side of the bridge is under the 'E' string on the violin, the 'A' string on the viola and cello, and the 'G' string on the bass.
: F-hole notches do not necessarily indicate the correct position of the bridge. Adjust to the correct ratio as shown under 'Mensur'.
: You can ruin your strings and the bridge will tilt more rapidly if the grooves are not lubricated. Lubricate using a soft lead pencil.
: Bridges of all instruments must be adjusted periodically, as repeated tunings of strings tends to tilt it. If not adjusted, it may tilt and collapse, with the possibility of serious damage.

Chin Rest:

: The size of the chin rest should correspond with the size of the instrument. When attaching, be careful to adjust the chin rest set screws just enough to hold it firmly in place on the instrument. Screws set too tightly can cause the ribs and sides of the instrument to buckle, causing serious damage.

Tuner:

: The tuner is used only for tuning metal strings. After a period of use, the tuner adjustment screw should be as far as it will go, often touching and damaging the top of the instrument, or causing buzzing noises or impairing tonal quality by dampening vibrations. Before this occurs, unscrew the tuner as far as possible and re-tune the string with the peg to a slightly flat pitch. Then bring the string to the correct pitch with the tuner adjustment screw.

Tuning your Violin:

: Try to match the sound of each string to the sound of the piano or a tuner (Violin; E,A,D,G; Viola; A,D,G,C) using pegs and tuners. Also, ask your teacher or a professional musician to help, and to verify that you have correctly tuned your instrument. Very Important Note: You can ruin your strings, if grooves in the nut and bridges are not lubricated. To lubricate, use a soft lead pencil. If the grooves in the nut are so small as to pinch the string, take your instrument to a repairman for adjustment.

Replacing your Strings:

: Fasten the string to the tailpiece and thread the other end through the hole of the appropriate peg. Bring the end forward and over the peg, and then under the string, bringing it over and around through the loop. The loose end will point away from the peg handle Turn the peg so that the string winds over, not under the peg. Wind in a coil moving towards the peg handle. If the right length, when tightened, it will end close to the wall of the peg box when the string is in pitch. This will force the peg to stay in place. While tuning, re-adjust the bridge so that it remains in position. IMPORTANT: Remove only one string at a time when replacing strings. This will keep pressure on the top to prevent the soundpost from falling.

Tailpiece:

: The tailpiece is held in place by the tailgut and the strings. its correct position is close to the saddle, but not touching it. It is important that the tailpiece be the correct size of the instrument and/or the chinrest.

Shoulder Rest:

: The use of the shoulder rest is determined by your particular needs. The shoulder rest should hold the instrument. BE SURE TO TAKE THE SHOULDER REST OFF your instrument before putting it back in the case. If left on, closing the case lid could crack the top and/or back, seriously damaging your instrument.

Bow Stick & Bow Hair:

: Bow hair is fastened to the tip of the bow stick on the end and to the frog on the other. Turning the screw moves the frog, sliding it back and forth along the bow, sretching or relaxing the bow hair. The most important quality of the bow stick is its springy elasticity, which is lost if the bow hair tension is not released each time after playing. Also, avoid excessive humidity as it tends to warp the bow and stretch bow hair. Follow these rules:
: Always hold the bow by the frog or the stick. Do not touch the hair.
: Tighten the bow hair before playing to a moderate tension, so that the curve of the stick remains concave, then rosin the bow hair.
: When done playing and before releasing the tension, use a soft cloth and wipe off excess rosin from the bow.
: Release the tension of the bow hair each time after playing. Loosen your bow before you go.
: If you cannot get enough tension, do not force thescrew; send the bow to the repair shop to have the bow hair shortened. Also, if you cannot release the tension, send the bow to the repair shop to have the bow hair lengthened. Forcing the screw in either direction may split the bow stick.
: Bow hair comes from the tails of horses. It is covered by minute scales which overlap each other. Rosin is retained under the scales of the bow hair. Perspiration, dirt, greasy and oily substances as from fingertips prevent bow hair from taking and holding the rosin. Synthetic bow hair has like qualities, to lesser a degree. Therefore, for good playability, do not touch your bow hair. If after you rosin the bow, tone production is insufficient, send the bow to the repair shop for cleaning.

Cleaning & Polishing:

: Use a good violin polish to remove rosin, moisture and finger marks from the instrument. NEVER use alcohol or hot water to clean, as such dissolve and damages varnish.

The Violin Case:

: The case is often a contributing factor to damage. Therefore, if a bow holder is missing or bent or out of shape, send the case to the repair shop for replacement of the bow holder or if necessary, purchase a new case. The following simple rules will help avoid damage:

: Place the tip of the bow in the small end of the violin and viola cases. The bow stick facing towards the outside and the bow's hair towards the inside of the case lid.
: DO NOT CRAM sheet music or personal belongings in the case. When the lid is shut, it may damage the instrument.
: Make sure that the latches are secured before picking up the case, otherwise, the lid may open and the instrument drop to the floor.
: Do not leave the case on high surfaces where it can possibly be dropped and thereby damaging the instrument.

Rosin:

: Rosin should be of good quality. Broken rosin is useless. NEVER touch the part of the rosin that comes in contact with the bow hair. To apply: rub the bow hair on the rosin, not the rosin on the hair.

Temperature:

: Temperature has little effect on stringed instruments unless in combination with either high or low relative humidity. Sudden changes in temperature, as bringing out a cold instrument into an over heated auditorium, is a cause of intonation problems. Open the case and allow your instrument to warm to room temperature before playing.

Humidity:

: Humidity seriously affects wood, glues, strings and metals of musical instruments. High relative humidity (dampness) - swells wood, lowers the fingerboard, leaving the bridge too high and lengthens bow hairs. in extreme cases, wood warps and becomes unglued. Low relative humidity (dryness) - dehydrates wood and strings, causing wood to crack and strings to break. It also raises the fingerboard leaving the bridge too low and shorten bow hair.

Storage:

: Never store instrument in damp basements or hot attics. Keep away from radiators, hot air registers and air conditioners (the ideal storage temperature is 72 degree Fahrenheit and 50 percent relative humidity.) Gut strings have a limited life even under ideal conditions. It is advisable to keep spare strings in an air-tight container and in as small a supply as possible.

I hope that this information has been informative and perhaps useful in safeguarding your valuable instrument. Due to simple upkeep and maintenance, there are still around today valuable instruments that were made two and even three hundred years ago. Don't neglect your instrument and it will take care of you and may even outlive you!

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