The Care and Keeping of your Stringed Instrument (Applies to Violin, Viola and Cello)

I have been blessed with some wonderful new music students this week so I made up this checklist for the two who are taking Violin. So, I thought it would be a good idea to share it with others. It's a nice checklist for beginners to keep in their case as a reminder because it seems like a lot to do when you first start. If you are a music teacher, feel free to pass this on to your students. And if you're interested, I can email the original printable document to you (it's 2 pages). Just email me at missmckennaray@gmail.com :)

The Care and Keeping of Your Stringed Instrument

Applies to Violin, Viola and Cello

By McKenna

cherishingmyrole.blogspot.com

Playing Preparation

When you're getting ready to play your Stringed Instrument, be sure to follow the steps below to ensure the safety of your instrument. Remember, a Stringed Instrument is delicate and must be taken care of properly so that it doesn't break or crack. Naming your instrument is never frowned upon. Here are a few things to remember.

1. When you get out your case, be careful that you don't bang it around. Place it gently on a flat surface (like a bench or table), lid facing up, then carefully open the case.
2. Take the bow out of its holder and tighten the screw at the end (twist it to the right or away from you) until it's firm but there's still a slight dip in the wooden or carbon-fiber backbone. Don't forget the rosin!
3.  If playing a Viola or a Violin, take it out of its cozy little nest in the case, attach the shoulder-rest to the belly of the body below the chin-rest with the side that dips down on the right*.
4. The final step before you're ready to play is to tune your Stringed Instrument. There are 2 ways to do this**. You can tune your Stringed Instrument to a piano or use an automatic tuner; that's up to you.

Quick Note Regarding Tuning

For Viola and Cello, the tuning pattern is: D-G-C-A, meaning, that's the order in which you tune each string. The order of strings from Left-Right when you're holding it properly is C-G-D-A***, but this is not the order in which you tune the strings...it's weird, I know. You may use the fine-tuners most of the time for tuning; twisting the screw to the left lowers the sound of the string and twisting it to the right makes the sound higher. Very occasionally, you will need to let out your fine-tuners and use the big tuning pegs to do some close tuning.

 

For Violin, the tuning pattern is: A-D-G-E, meaning, that's the order in which you tune each string. The order of strings from Left-Right when you're holding the Stringed Instrument properly is G-D-A-E****, but this is not the order in which you tune the strings...it's weird, I know. You may use the fine-tuners most of the time for tuning; twisting the screw to the left lowers the sound of the string and twisting it to the right makes the sound higher. Very occasionally, you will need to let out your fine-tuners and use the big tuning pegs to do some close tuning.

 

 

 5.  Congratulations! You're all ready to play. Go for it!

*If you're not sure how you should put the shoulder-rest on, just place it on your left shoulder and the side that dips down to your collar bone (the small side) goes on the right of the belly.

**I'm sure there are more ways to tune your Stringed Instrument but those are the two ways I know of. I suppose you could tune by ear if you had perfect pitch!

 

***The notes on the piano, in reference to the strings for Viola is: The first C below Middle-C, the first G below Middle-C, the first D above Middle-C and the first A above Middle-C

The notes on the piano, in reference to the strings for Cello is: Exactly like Viola above, except an octave lower on every note :)

****The notes on the piano, in reference to the strings is: the first G below Middle-C, the first D above Middle-C, the first A above Middle-C and the second E above Middle-C :)

After You're Finished

There are a few things to do after you're finished with the fun of playing your Stringed Instrument. Be sure to follow these steps. They're almost more important than the steps you took before you played. It keeps your Stringed Instrument safe for storing so it doesn't break or crack or sweat or any number of horrible things!

1. After you're finished playing, place your bow somewhere safe and, if playing Viola or Violin, take the shoulder-rest off your belly...I mean, your Stringed Instrument's belly.* Place it either in the top pocket of the case or upside-down in the small part of the nest where the neck of your Stringed Instrument rests; there should be room there.
2. Next, carefully place your Stringed Instrument in its little nest in the case. Just look how cozy it is! Be sure to secure the velcro over the neck so it doesn't slide around.
3. Don't forget to take a soft, dry cloth and clean the rosin residue off the strings. This is important because it keeps your strings clean so they last longer.
4. Finally, loosen the hair on your bow by twisting the screw to the left (or towards you) and put it back in its holder in the lid of your case. Now all that's left is to zip or buckle up your case and store it in a place where it's not too hot or too cold so it stays comfy.
5. Be consistent in your practice! They say "Practice makes perfect." Well, that's not true. As my Mamma puts it, "Perfect practice makes perfect." Put another way, you can always practice without learning anything. Banging your hands around on the piano can count as practice, but not perfect practice :)

*Well, that was embarrassing...