[EN] How to take care of your instrument during the winter
In November I start to answer more and more
calls from students and their parents, shocked that their newly bought
instrument is already "broken". It seems that I'm having the same
conversation over and over again. Vast majority of my clients is just at the
beginning of their journey with music and they are often surprised that their
new, lovingly treated instrument is starting to get out of tune very often, and
sometimes it can even unglue. Why is it happening?
Wood is one
of the few materials that are in constant movement. It is hygroscopic - meaning
that it attracts and holds water molecules from the surrounding. When the
temperature or humidity is changing, invisible to the naked eye pores are
opening and closing.
Despite the fact that the tree has been cut to pieces,
turned into plank, snipped, polished and glued together again, you may say that
it's never stopped living - well, at least it never stopped moving.
Unfortunately, different types of wood swell and shrink unevenly at different
rates. This irregularity may cause a change in pressure on particular parts of
instrument, and further - crevices and crackings of wood.
To prevent this,
luthiers use a special kind of rabbit-skin glue that bonds together every part
of instrument, but it breaks under pressure. For example - dry wood of the top,
instead of breaking in the weakest spot, will unglue from the ribs. It's easier
to glue it back on than to make a new top all over again.
When the evenings are getting
longer and the days are getting colder, the micromovements of the wood become
more and more important. External temperatures are dropping, and in the
interiors there are radiators and fireplaces being concentrated source of
warmth. The ideal conditions for an instrument - 15-25 degrees and humidity at a stable level
between 40% and 60% are harder to keep, when we travel couple of times a day
from a warmness of our houses to a music lesson or rehearsal.
The instrument is
constantly adjusting - to the temperature indoor (even if you know that it is
absolutely forbidden to leave your instrument near a radiator!), and later to
the conditions inside a car or a tram - and lastly, to a classroom or a
stage.
Your case is your first line of defence, but even the best one may not
provide the most stable conditions possible.
Not all
instruments are so vulnerable and prone to changes of weather conditions, but
it’s worth to protect it, just in case. I know that during short lessons with
your music teachers it may be hard to find the time to talk about this. That’s
why I gathered handful of information that will most likely help you avoid many
unpleasant situations.
The best
thing you can do is to be patient. Before opening the lid of a case, wait a
while. You’ll have to come a bit earlier for a lesson or a rehearsal, but the
time spent waiting is worth not having to tune every five seconds. After couple
of minutes, you can open your case and check the strings. There’s a possibility
that nothing happened, because this time your instrument didn’t go through a “thermal shock”. But if
you want to make sure that it’s protected the best way possible, there’s
another simple way to do it: You surely have an unneeded towel, unused scarf or
an old cloth. It’s a good layer of isolation.
Cellists with soft cases
sometimes cover their instruments with quilt – for a violinist or a violist
putting a thin layer of material on top will make a huge difference. Secure
your instrument the best way possible and don’t worry – even if it will get out
of tune sometimes, most probably there’s nothing wrong with it.
Humidity of
the surrounding affects the movements of
wood massively and yet it’s very simple to control it. You can do it by buying a small hygrometer
that you can put inside your case. If the humidity stays at stable 40%-60%
level, it means you have nothing to worry about. If it’s excessively lower or
higher, there’s a few simple solutions that may help. The market is full of
devices that control the moistness of air. Air dryers or dehumidifiers may seem
unnecessary, but if you own a good instrument it may be worth it to invest in
keeping it in a good shape. For a beginner musician a good solution may be to
put a small, plastic tube inside a case and if needed, fill it with wet cotton
or some absorbent. A bow is also prone to the changes of humidity. Of course,
you should always be cautious if the hair is loosened after practicing and not
too tightened during, but in the winter you should check it a few times more,
even during playing.
If,
regardless of every effort you put to keep your instrument in stable
conditions, something disturbing is happening, it can imply that it’s time to
check your accessories. Are your strings older than a year? If so, changing is
absolutely needed. If you play more than 3 hours a day, it can be necessary to
change your strings more often, even to 4 times a year. Changing strings by
yourself isn’t hard, but you should keep in mind that only E and A can be
changed individually. If D or G breaks or is worn out, it’s better to change
them both. When you put a new string, gently coat the tiny dips at the top nut
and the bridge with graphite – the string will “slide” better during tuning. If
you will take off all the strings at once, there’s a chance that the soundpost
will fall, so take it off one by one, every time putting a new one before
taking off another. With a tipped soundpost, you must pay your luthier a visit
– and we’re kind of want to avoid that at the moment. When changing your
strings it’s always good to check the position of an arch. And if your pegs
aren’t working correctly, you can apply a peg compound – preferably every time
you change the strings.
If you
follow this advice, you will most likely avoid many nuisances, and maybe you
will save your instrument from an extensive damage. But, if it happens, I’m
always there to help – you can e-mail me, send pictures and I will be more than
happy to discuss it with you.
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