Essentials
Rosin - Apply on horse hair once every hour of use. Why? Without this sticky substance, you won't be able to create friction between the bow hair and the strings to cause the strings to vibrate and ring, and therefore make any sound.
Bow in and out of case - When taking the bow out of the case, reach for the frog (bottom), pull out sideways until the tip (top) is completely out of the pocket. Tighten bow, turning the screw clockwise, until you measure your pinky width equal to the distance between the wood and horse hair at the midpoint. After you finish playing the violin, LOOSEN your bow, turning the screw at the bottom of the bow counterclockwise.
Violin in and out of case - After playing violin, take off your shoulder rest and place in a pocket or zipped compartment before strapping down your violin. With a soft, clean cloth, wipe off excess rosin that fell onto the violin underneath strings and onto the fingerboard.
Broken off horse hair hanging from bow - Use one hand to wrap the hair around your finger as many times as it takes for your hand to reach the wood, then pull quickly. This occurrence isn't uncommon, so don't worry! Your bow isn't defective and you don't need to re-hair unless you lost a significant number of hairs.
Buzzing sound - Go to the violin shop as soon as you can. There could either be a hidden crack on the surface or the craftsmanship was done poorly in other ways. There are too many causes for a buzzing sound, so the best advice is to visit a violin shop.
Changing strings - If you feel you need to change your strings, change only one at a time. The bridge is held up only by the tension of the strings, so if you loosen all four, the bridge will certainly collapse and/or damage the violin surface.
Bow in and out of case - When taking the bow out of the case, reach for the frog (bottom), pull out sideways until the tip (top) is completely out of the pocket. Tighten bow, turning the screw clockwise, until you measure your pinky width equal to the distance between the wood and horse hair at the midpoint. After you finish playing the violin, LOOSEN your bow, turning the screw at the bottom of the bow counterclockwise.
Violin in and out of case - After playing violin, take off your shoulder rest and place in a pocket or zipped compartment before strapping down your violin. With a soft, clean cloth, wipe off excess rosin that fell onto the violin underneath strings and onto the fingerboard.
Broken off horse hair hanging from bow - Use one hand to wrap the hair around your finger as many times as it takes for your hand to reach the wood, then pull quickly. This occurrence isn't uncommon, so don't worry! Your bow isn't defective and you don't need to re-hair unless you lost a significant number of hairs.
Buzzing sound - Go to the violin shop as soon as you can. There could either be a hidden crack on the surface or the craftsmanship was done poorly in other ways. There are too many causes for a buzzing sound, so the best advice is to visit a violin shop.
Changing strings - If you feel you need to change your strings, change only one at a time. The bridge is held up only by the tension of the strings, so if you loosen all four, the bridge will certainly collapse and/or damage the violin surface.
