Taking Care of Your Violin

Your violin was carefully made by hand with aged wood and special tools by a skilled craftsman. It needs special care to keep it in good playing condition. Please keep in mind these three things when caring for your violin.

• Temperature. Your violin should be kept at an even temperature if at all possible. This means putting it somewhere away from cold drafts or hot sun. Don't put your violin by the heat or airconditioning vent, or in a place in the room that gets direct sunlight. When you take your violin with you to school or rehearsal or your violin lesson, don't leave the violin in the trunk of the car for long periods of time. The wood and strings expand and contract with the changing temperatures and constant drastic changes with eventually cause cracks in the wood or the glue.

• Humidity. Changes in humidity will effect your violin. You will probably notice that your violin will go out of tune more often at the changing of the seasons. This is partly due to the changes in humidity in the air. If possible, try to always keep your violin at the same humidity level. Following the above guidelines will help. There are products on the market that help monitor the humidity inside the violin case. Unless you live in an extremely dry climate, these products are not usually necessary when the violin is well taken care of.

• General wear and tear. Every well-used and well-loved violin will have a few scratches and dings. New violins are often scratched and chipped just to make them look "aged." But it is important to keep the violin well protected whenever we can to avoid cracks and broken parts. Never leave the violin on the chair in orchestra rehearsal where it can get knocked off by a person walking by. Never hang the violin by its scroll off the edge of a music stand!! Always keep it in the case when it is not being used (especially if you, like me, have small children around who love to get into things!). After each practice session, use a soft cloth and wipe the strings and the top of the violin to remove any rosin, dust and grime. Also wipe the stick of the bow to remove excess rosin.

If you follow these simple guidelines, your instrument will stay in good playing condition for years of fun playing.

Here is an excellent source for more information about your instrument:

www.centrum.is/hansi/