How to Care for Your String Instrument

Special thanks to our friends at Old Town Music Company in Pasadena for sharing the following string instrument care and maintenance tips.

Bow:  Always release your bow hair when you put your instrument away after playing.  This prevents breakage and stretching of the hair.

Please use your bow to play your instrument only! It isn’t a sword or a page turner.  It is very delicate, especially at the tip, and cracks very easily if knocked against a hard surface.  The next step after a crack is a complete break.

Rosin:  Too much rosin causes a mess!  Don’t overdo it. Otherwise it builds up under the bridge and takes a long time and a lot of effort to clean. Clean it every day.

Your Violin, Viola or Cello:  Keep your instrument clean by dusting it after each practice session to remove the rosin dust.

Please don’t drop you instrument!  It can easily be cracked, especially near the holes shaped like scrolls: The F holes.  Play your instrument every day; it sounds better and better with lots of use.

Strings:  Strings do wear out.  They begin to sounds dead and of course they can break.  Changing the strings is a normal event in the life of a string player and is not terribly expensive.  Be prepared and have an extra top string on hand.

violins