Care of Your Stringed Instrument
The Instruments
The violin is a surprisingly fragile object. The wood is very thin and vulnerable; in some places it's less that the thickness of a quarter, and the whole top, which is made of softwood, is less than 1/8" thick everywhere except for the edges! Nevertheless, professional violinists often use instruments that are hundreds of years old, which have been preserved by generations of conscientious owners who have learned to avoid the perils that threaten their instruments. With a little knowledge and care, you too can keep your instrument safe, looking and sounding its best.
The key to keeping your instrument in good condition is simply to treat it as carefully as you would any similarly delicate object, like a laptop computer or an mp3 player. As with these electronic objects, just one drop can destroy a violin or viola.
When it's not being played (even for a few minutes) the instrument should be locked in its case. After accidental drops, the second most common way a violin or viola is injured is by being knocked off of a chair, or even sat on. If you make a habit of putting your instrument down only in its case, you'll be on your way to automatically avoiding the greatest potential danger to it.
The much larger cello is barely thicker than a violin, and that makes it even more vulnerable. We've seen students going through revolving doors backwards, pushing with their cellos. This is a recipe for disaster!
An instrument is almost like a baby: it can't defend itself, and it relies on you to protect it. With this in mind, you should treat it gently, keep it out of the sun, don't subject it to temperatures that you yourself would find uncomfortable, and please, don't drop it, even when it's in the case.
That's about it for avoiding outright damage. On the cosmetic front, keeping a stringed instrument attractive is relatively simple: keep it clean. After each use, wipe it down to remove fingerprints and rosin dust. You can use a paper towel, and you can even put a bit of water on the towel if you dry the instrument off when you’re done.
In caring for your instrument, there is just one more thing you need to learn how to do:
straighten the bridge.
The pull of the strings tends to drag the top of the bridge forward toward the
fingerboard. Every time you take out your violin, viola, or cello, you should inspect the bridge from
the side, and if necessary pull the top back so that the back of the bridge looks like it's perpendicular
to the top, as shown by the red lines in the photograph (this means the bridge will appear to be tilting slightly backwards.)
If you don't do this regularly, one day the bridge will fall over. While the thought of pulling the bridge
back yourself may seem scary, waiting until the bridge falls over will surely be scarier!
(But if this does happen, please bring us the instrument to be set right, and feel free to stop by for
a demo on how to straighten a bridge.)
The Bow
To keep the bow in good condition, before putting it away each time always be sure to loosen the hair by turning the metal adjusting screw. Not only will the bow lose its spring if it's stored tightened, but while it's tightened it's much more vulnerable to being broken.
The Strings
To keep your instrument sounding its best, the strings should be in good condition. They're definitely past their prime if a winding is broken and you see that the string is beginning to come unraveled. Strings are easily replaced, and are not expensive. Your teacher can show you how it's done. You should probably keep an extra set on hand, since they can break without warning. Strings don't last forever; in fact, professional players routinely replace all of theirs every month or two. Strings should never be tuned to above their assigned pitch for even a moment--doing so weakens them greatly, or can even break them. If you want your strings to last longer, once in a while gently pull the strings aside and lubricate the grooves they run in at the nut and the bridge with the lead of a soft pencil.
As you enjoy playing your Midwest String Rentals instrument, should you have any questions about its care, please do not hesitate to call us at 312.566.0429.