General Stringed Instrument Anatomy
Assembling the Violin/Viola
1. The concave side of the shoulder rest should be under the chin rest. The feet of the shoulder rest should grip the outer lip of the back of the instrument. It should mimic the curve of the shoulder and make a rainbow or frowny face on the back of the instrument.
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| The shoulder rest should look like a frowny face when assembled correctly. |
Assembling the Cello
1. Extend the end pin on the cello approximately a hand and a half's length from thumb to pinky.
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| The end pin should extend about a hand span and a half. |
Assembling and Storing the Bow
1. Tighten the bow before playing, just enough so that your pinky can snugly fit between the bow hair and the stick.
2. Rosin the bow as needed. To rosin the bow, make sure it is tightened to playing tension. Start with the rosin cake at the frog and slowly move the bow across the cake towards the tip. Run it back down towards the frog. Repeat as many times as necessary so that the bow hair is evenly coated.
2. Rosin the bow as needed. To rosin the bow, make sure it is tightened to playing tension. Start with the rosin cake at the frog and slowly move the bow across the cake towards the tip. Run it back down towards the frog. Repeat as many times as necessary so that the bow hair is evenly coated.
3. Always loosen the bow before putting it in the case.
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| Loosened bow hair |
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| Tightened bow hair |
Troubleshooting
PROBLEM: A string broke.
SOLUTION: Changing and tuning strings can be tricky, so if you're new to the instrument, we advise that you bring it in for us to help you. As your child is tuning their instrument for orchestra, they should only be using the fine tuners at the bottom of the instrument. When your fine tuners run out of room, bring the instrument in and we will adjust them for you.
PROBLEM: The bridge fell over/the bridge snapped.
SOLUTION: A fallen bridge is fairly easy to fix, but a snapped bridge will have to be replaced completely. Either way, bring the instrument in and we will diagnose the issue and help fix it. **Please note that the bridge is not glued down.
PROBLEM: Something is rattling around in the instrument.
SOLUTION: Most often this is from a sound post that has been knocked out of place by dropping the instrument or dropping the case. Bring the instrument in and we can reset it for you.
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For more information about string instrument maintenance, watch our maintenance videos below, or call AMUSE at 310-377-7838.
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For more information about string instrument maintenance, watch our maintenance videos below, or call AMUSE at 310-377-7838.
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