Violin/Viola Care and Maintenance page

After cleaning your instrument, wash your cleaning cloth with warm soapy water, rinse and let air dry.

Plan to have your instrument serviced on a yearly basis by a qualified repair technician. Early summer is a great time to do this. Annual maintenance will keep your instrument in optimal playing condition for years to come.

All the tools you need to clean your instrument can be found in the EASYCARE Care Kit.

Other tips:

When not using your instrument, keep it in its case to help protect it and prevent possible damage. Your instrument should never be set on the floor, tabletop or music stand where it could fall off and become damaged. Do not expose it to extremes in temperature or store in direct sunlight or near heat sources. Avoid getting it wet.

Loosen the bow when not in use. Keep polish and fingers away from the bow hair.

Rosin dust should be removed immediately after each playing. Use a polishing cloth to wipe down the strings and the body of your instrument after every playing session.

Periodic polishing with Instrument Polish will help maintain the luster. DO NOT USE ALCOHOL. Alcohol is a solvent and can damage the varnish.

To tune your instrument, match the pitch produced with the pitch pipe to the sound of the corresponding plucked string by turning the fine tuner clockwise to raise the pitch and counter clockwise to lower it. Tuning your instrument takes practice. As a beginner, you will find it easier (and less likely to break a string) to only use your fine tuners unless greatly out of tune.

To insure proper left hand alignment and improve intonation, install the fingerboard tape strips onto the neck of your instrument to correspond to the first three finger positions. You may want to consult with your teacher regarding the exact placement.

Proper Bow Hold