Fiddle Maintenance – Taking Care of your Fiddle

• Rosin your bow each day before you play
• Check tuning on your strings before you start to practice.  It is very important to always practice with the fiddle in tune.  Get an electronic tuner to help keep it tuned if necessary.
• Tighten your bow before you play and loosen it slightly when putting it back into the case.  Be careful not to over tighten the bow.
• Never leave your fiddle overnight in the car
• Store your fiddle away from heaters and radiators
• Never let fiddle get damp, too hot or too cold
• Depending on how much you play change your strings regularly

Changing strings

• Get an experienced musician to guide you through changing strings
• Only change 1 string at a time to avoid moving bridge
• Try not to change strings too near big performances and competitions as they need to settle in
• New strings need to be played in and tuned more often until they settle in – this can take approximately 2 to 3 weeks
• New fiddles also need to be played in – the more you play them the better they sound

Cleaning

• Wipe down your violin after you play – especially the strings – to avoid rosin from building up a sticky residue on your instrument
• To clean fiddle wipe it down with soft dry cloth
• Do not wet fiddle
• Never Use alcohol or solvents In cleaning your violin

And finally … and most importantly … keep playing your fiddle and enjoy it !!!

Niamh Nolan