Setting Up Before Playing The Violin

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Violin is the most difficult instrument to learn but it is one of the most rewarding and beautiful instruments to play when mastered. There are several things that you need to know before buying, learn, and play the violin.

REQUIRED ITEMS:


  1. Violin 
  2. Violin and Bow
  3. Violin Case
  4. Bow Rosin


RECOMMENDED ITEMS:
  1. Shoulder rest
  2. Instrument Tuner
  3. Colored Fingerboard Tapes 
  4. Cleaning Cloth (a non-abrasive cloth)

PROTECTING YOUR VIOLIN: 

Your violin should be stored safely in its case when not in use. This is the surest way to insure the safety of your violin. Do not leave your violin lying around where it might be disturbed byyour dog, a small child or anything else. Taking care to protect your violin from falling to the floor, excessive or prolonged exposure to heat or cold, and exposure to direct sunlight is vital to the longevity and good health of your instrument. Violins can be used for centuries if maintained and protected properly. At the same time, they are relatively fragile and can be easily broken or damaged. Use your common sense in regards to protecting your violin, and your violin will be just fine.

MAINTENANCE OF YOUR VIOLIN: 

You should gently wipe off the top of your violin after each use using a soft, non-abrasive cloth. A cloth baby diaper, for instance, is a perfect example. An abrasive cloth will destroy the varnish (the coating on the wood that gives the violin its color and shine), damaging your violin and lowering its value. Instrument polish may be used to shine the violin on occasion. Do not substitute furniture polish or any other such cleaning product. You must purchase polish designed for wood instruments. Again, use a very soft cloth when applying polish to the instrument.

Close up of rosin grains on violin's arm
From time to time, you will need to remove the inevitable build-up of rosin from your strings. To do so, moisten a cotton ball or a soft fabric with rubbing alcohol and rub it across your strings. This will instantly remove the rosin build-up. Take great care to avoid touching the wood of the violin with rubbing alcohol. The bridge should stand straight up and down, precisely perpendicular to the top of the violin, and parallel to the fingerboard. If you need to adjust your bridge for some reason, loosen the strings and then carefully move the bridge.



MAINTENANCE OF THE BOW: 

To tighten the bow, turn the screw above the frog clockwise. To loosen the bow, turn the screw counter-clockwise. You must tighten the bow when you want to play the violin. When you finish playing, you should loosen it again. Do not tighten the bow too much! If the bow becomes straight as a result of tightening, the bow is too tight and in danger of being damaged. Be sure that the bow retains its natural curve when tightened. The precise amount of tightness within this range is up to you.
You must rosin your bow from time to time to enable your bow to make a sound on the violin. Rosin is a sticky substance made from pine sap that helps your bow grab and vibrate the string. Without rosin, your bow will skate across the string and you won’t be able to make a sound. To apply rosin to your bow, tighten it and then rub the rosin cake up and down the bow hair. Rosin your bow every other time you play, or to your liking. If your bow is new, it probably has no rosin at all, so you will need to apply a much more significant amount to start.


P/S: Download the fingering chart to help you practice your violin

MFV violin fingering chart(click on what format you want to download it)