Taking care of your instrument.
All of the stringed instruments are made of wood with either metal or metal wound strings. Not much has changed for hundreds of year in the construction and maintenance of these instruments. Most instruments are carved from hard wood that has been dried and aged to stabilize the moisture content of the wood. The moving parts will still shrink in colder drying conditions, so please do not leave stringed instruments in your trunk, unheated or climate controlled rooms or basements.
Strings will get loose if the instrument is bumped or over time as the instrument is played. They are tuned every week at lessons. If your child's strings become very loose, please do NOT try to tune the instrument. The strings must be carefully adjusted to bring them up to the right pitch and can easily break with too much tension. Please let us tune the instruments or take your rental instruments to your music store so a professional can tune them.
The bridge is the most important part of the instrument besides the strings. Without the bridge, there is not enough room for the strings to vibrate, which is how they produce sound. Please encourage your child to store the instrument so that it is not laying on the bridge. There is a prominent bump in the case where the bridge is located.
Bows operate using the screw at one end of the bow which makes the hairs (usually nylon) tighter to play or looser when not in use. When tight, the hair should be about 1/4 inch away from the wood, and slightly more for cellos. Bass bow hair should be a half inch or more away from the wood. Please encourage your child to loosen the bow hair after use as constant tension will warp wooden bows and wear out the hardware on all bows. Rosin is rubbed onto the hairs to help grip the strings better. Bows with no rosin will make no sound.
NEVER let your siblings or friends play with your instrument! This instrument is your responsibility and is not a toy. Any damage to school instruments will need to be paid for. Instruments can easily be kept safe and undamaged if you:
1. Carefully carry your instrument using the handle or the straps. Do no swing or bump your instrument. Set your instrument down gently and never leave on the bridge.
2. Do not attempt to tune your instrument. Leave it to a pro.
3. Keep your instrument away from excessive heat or cold. Do not leave in a car or trunk.
4. Keep your instrument away from siblings, younger children and pets at home. Ask your parents where it would be safe. Don't leave your instrument out of the case unattended.
5. Only you are responsible for your instrument. Don't let friends carry it for you.
There are many things that may happen that are not that hard for me to fix. If the strings get really loose, they might not be broken. If the bridge falls out, I can easily put it back in if it is not broken. The chin rest is meant to be able to come off, so I can also easily put that back on. Please bring your school instrument back to me if you think something is wrong.
All of the stringed instruments are made of wood with either metal or metal wound strings. Not much has changed for hundreds of year in the construction and maintenance of these instruments. Most instruments are carved from hard wood that has been dried and aged to stabilize the moisture content of the wood. The moving parts will still shrink in colder drying conditions, so please do not leave stringed instruments in your trunk, unheated or climate controlled rooms or basements.
Strings will get loose if the instrument is bumped or over time as the instrument is played. They are tuned every week at lessons. If your child's strings become very loose, please do NOT try to tune the instrument. The strings must be carefully adjusted to bring them up to the right pitch and can easily break with too much tension. Please let us tune the instruments or take your rental instruments to your music store so a professional can tune them.
The bridge is the most important part of the instrument besides the strings. Without the bridge, there is not enough room for the strings to vibrate, which is how they produce sound. Please encourage your child to store the instrument so that it is not laying on the bridge. There is a prominent bump in the case where the bridge is located.
Bows operate using the screw at one end of the bow which makes the hairs (usually nylon) tighter to play or looser when not in use. When tight, the hair should be about 1/4 inch away from the wood, and slightly more for cellos. Bass bow hair should be a half inch or more away from the wood. Please encourage your child to loosen the bow hair after use as constant tension will warp wooden bows and wear out the hardware on all bows. Rosin is rubbed onto the hairs to help grip the strings better. Bows with no rosin will make no sound.
NEVER let your siblings or friends play with your instrument! This instrument is your responsibility and is not a toy. Any damage to school instruments will need to be paid for. Instruments can easily be kept safe and undamaged if you:
1. Carefully carry your instrument using the handle or the straps. Do no swing or bump your instrument. Set your instrument down gently and never leave on the bridge.
2. Do not attempt to tune your instrument. Leave it to a pro.
3. Keep your instrument away from excessive heat or cold. Do not leave in a car or trunk.
4. Keep your instrument away from siblings, younger children and pets at home. Ask your parents where it would be safe. Don't leave your instrument out of the case unattended.
5. Only you are responsible for your instrument. Don't let friends carry it for you.
There are many things that may happen that are not that hard for me to fix. If the strings get really loose, they might not be broken. If the bridge falls out, I can easily put it back in if it is not broken. The chin rest is meant to be able to come off, so I can also easily put that back on. Please bring your school instrument back to me if you think something is wrong.