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Violin care
Violin anatomy
Unusual violins
Violin care
The first thing to do is keep it in tune!
Use the correct tuning fork in the panel on the right to tune the "A" string of your violin. You must read the guidance on which of the two tuning forks to use
Keep it clean
A clean instrument sounds better than one ingrained with dirt and rosin dust. Rosin from the bow tends to collect on the belly and, being slightly acidic, can damage the finish if left. Therefore it's best to wipe off the white dust with a clean soft cloth after each playing session. Don't use furniture polish or strong cleaners and use specialist cleaners sparingly - they will either rub your varnish away, or leave a deposit on the instrument
Keep it constant
Protect your instrument from extreme changes in temperature and humidity. A sunny window or radiator can cause cracks (very bad) or loosen seams (quite bad). A constant humidity of 55% is ideal and this is usual for the UK in a well-ventilated home. Violin players in counties with a large humidity range might use different Summer and Winter soundposts to accommodate the shrinkage and expansion of the wood. Even so, if the air's too dry the wood fibres start to shrink causing cracks. If the air's too damp you could get a mouldy violin!
Keep it safe
If the instrument's not under your chin, the next best place is in its case. Never put the violin on a chair - it will get sat on!
See also Bow care
Fast Facts
Standard Violin tuning has changed over the last 300 years.

In the Baroque era, violins were tuned at a slightly lower pitch than they are today, with the A string tuned to 415Hz (vibrations per second)

Modern instruments are usually tuned at the standard orchestral pitch of A = 440, which is about a semitone higher

Don't try to tune an original baroque violin to modern concert pitch unless you know what you are doing!

Using the tuning forks:

TipEach of these runs for 2 minutes - just click to play and move your mouse away from the button to stop the sound.

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