Faults & Repairs
Guidance on the some common faults and repairs for violin owners.
Guidance on the some common faults and repairs for violin owners.
Violin accessories
Bow
Natural horse hair will sound much better than a bow with synthetic hair. If you end up with synthetic hair, a Violin repair shop can replace it with horse hair.
Case
A hard shell case protects the Violin better (but is heavier) than a soft-sided case. A good hard whack on a soft case can crack an instrument.
Rosin
This is applied to the bow hairs to increase the friction, grip or bite effectiveness and allow proper sound production.
Shoulder rest
A shoulder rest will provide comfort where the Violin sits between your neck and shoulder and help your back posture, especially if you are starting to learn.
Wolf tone eliminators
Wolf tone eliminators are sometimes placed on Violin strings between the tailpiece and the bridge to eliminate acoustic anomalies known as wolf tones or "wolfs".
Mute
A mute is used to change the Violin's sound by reducing overtones. Practice mutes (made of metal) significantly reduce the instrument's volume (they are also referred to as "hotel mutes"). The most common mute is a rubber disc with two holes to fit the middle strings. It sits just after the bridge and has a flap that can be placed over the top of the bridge to mute the vibrations travelling down it to the sound post inside the Violin.
Humidifier
These are used to control and stabilize the humidity around and inside the Violin and are popular with travelling Violinists. Often, these are placed inside the Violin itself or the case. Humidifiers have the potential to drip, which could cause damage to the Violin.
Music stand
Holds your sheet music at the desired height
Metronome
Timekeeping device to help you play music at the right tempo or go online, where several free sites provide this functionality.
Tuner
If you have a Piano available, you can use this to help to tune your Violin. Alternatively, you can purchase various devices or source the correct pitch for your Violin strings online.