Elementary General String Care for Violins, Violas, Cellos, & Double Basses

● Store your instrument in a safe place that is not too cold or too hot . Do not
leave your instrument in a hot or cold car, or near a radiator or heating vent.
Instruments can break if they get too cold or too hot!
● K eep your instrument in a safe place where younger brothers and sisters will
not be able to find it. Your instrument is not a toy for them to play with. R eturn your instrument
to the case as soon as you are done practicing, and make sure your case is latched closed.
● Wipe off the instrument after each playing to clean fingerprints and rosin
dust. A clean piece of cloth or washcloth will do just fine.
● Never use any chemicals on an instrument ! You might think you are
helping by “cleaning” your instrument with cleaning products you have in
your house, but they are actually very dangerous for your instrument! If
you think your instrument might need extra help to be cleaned, ask your
teacher.
● Always loosen your bow when not in use. If you do not loosen your bow every time after you
play, the stick can get too tight and warp . A good way to remember how to loosen your bow is:
“righty -tighty, lefty loosey.” W hen playing, your bow does not have to be super tight! W hen
playing, your bow should only ever have a pencil-thick (violin and viola) or thumb-thick (cello and
bass) space between the wood and hair.
● Never touch the bow hair. O ur skin has oils that will damage the bow hair.
● (Violins and Violas): Do not put anything on top of the instrument inside the case (including
shoulder rests/sponges)! If you put something in the case on top of your instrument and try to
close the case, it can break the instrument!
● (Violins and Violas): Always open your case like a laptop , with
the bottom of the case on the floor. That way, your instrument won’t
fall out when you open your case!
● (Violins, Violas, and Cellos): DO NOT touch the tuning pegs . It
is very likely that you will break a string if you try to tune your
instrument using the tuning pegs. Ask your teacher for help tuning
T i your instrument with the tuning pegs.
● (Cellos and Basses): Always push your
endpin back into the instrument before
C ello Endpin
moving your instrument or putting your
instrument in its case. Never leave your
endpin out while your instrument is on the
floor- someone will trip over it!
 Middle School General String Care for Violins, Violas, Cellos, & Double Basses

● Store your instrument in a safe, climate-controlled area . Do not leave in a hot

or cold car, or near a radiator or heating vent. Extreme temperatures are dangerous
to string instruments. K eep your instrument in a safe place where younger brothers
and sisters will not be able to find it to play with.

● Wipe off the instrument after each playing to remove fingerprints and rosin dust. A clean scrap
piece of cloth or washcloth will do just fine, but the nice instrument polishing cloths are good
too.

● Never use any household products on an instrument ! The teacher is

the only person who should be responsible for using special string
instrument products to clean instruments. No Elmer's Glue, furniture
polish, chemicals of any kind, varnish remover, etc. These harsh
chemicals will destroy your instrument!

● Always loosen your bow when n ot in use. If you do not loosen your bow after you play, the
tension can cause the stick to warp over time. W hen tight, your bow should only ever have a
pencil-thick (violin and viola) or thumb-thick (cello and bass) space between the wood and hair.
A good way to remember how to loosen your bow is: “righty-tighty, lefty loosey.”

● Do not touch the bow hair. O ur skin has oils that will damage the bow hair.

● (Violins and Violas): Do not put anything on top of the

instrument inside the case (including shoulder rests/sponges)!
Damage occurs easily when items are put on top of the instrument
and the case is closed.

● (Violins, Violas, and Cellos):DO NO T touch the tuning pegs. It is

very likely that you will break a string if you try to tune your
instrument using the tuning pegs. Ask your teacher for help tuning
T i your instrument with the tuning pegs.

● (Cellos and Basses): Always push your

endpin back into the instrument before
moving your instrument or putting your C ello Endpin
instrument in its case. Never leave your
endpin out while your instrument is on
the floor- someone will trip over it!
 High School General String Care for Violins, Violas, Cellos, & Double Basses

● Store your instrument in a safe, climate -controlled area . Do not leave in a hot or cold car, or
near a radiator or heating vent. Extreme temperatures are dangerous to string instruments.
Store your instrument in a safe place away from younger siblings, and always put your
instrument back in the case after use.

● Wipe off the instrument after each playing to remove fingerprints and rosin dust. A clean scrap
piece of cloth or washcloth will do just fine, but the nice instrument polishing cloths are good
too.

● Never use any household products on an instrument ! The teacher is the only person who
should be responsible for using special string instrument products to clean instruments. N o
Elmer's Glue, furniture polish, chemicals of any kind, varnish remover, etc. These harsh
chemicals will destroy your instrument!

● Always loosen your bow when not in use. If you do not loosen your bow after you play, the
tension can cause the stick to warp over time. W hen tight, your bow should only ever have a
pencil-thick space (violin and viola) or thumb-thick (cello and bass) between the wood and hair.

● Never touch the bow hair. O ur skin has oils that will damage the bow hair.

● Do not put anything on top of the instrument inside the case (including shoulder
rests/sponges)! Damage occurs easily when items are put on top of the instrument and the case
is closed.

● (Violins, Violas, and Cellos): O nly touch the tuning pegs with the permission of your teacher. If
you are not sure if you will be able to tune your instrument without damaging the instrument,
ask your teacher for help tuning.

● (Cellos and Basses): Always push your endpin back into the instrument before moving your
instrument or putting your instrument in its case. Never leave your endpin out while your
instrument is on the floor.