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Advanced Tips / Care and Maintenance

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Tips on care and maintenance

NEVER do home repairs (or for that matter, trust your instrument to a repairman whose primary qualification is that they "PLAY THEM"), JUST BECAUSE "YOU PLAY THEM" Does NOT qualify you to"FIX THEM": one false move can destroy the value of your instrument. We strongly recommend that all repairs be done by a professional.

Violin Sizes with Chart

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Violin Sizes by Arm Length

Violins come in 8 different sizes: 4/4 (also called Full size), 3/4, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/10, 1/16. 4/4 size being the biggest and 1/16 size being the smallest. All adults, regardless of their size, use the 4/4 violin. There is another uncommon size, 7/8, usually used by a professional violinist who wants a full-size violin sound but whose hand might be a little small for a full size violin. Historically.violin makers would make violins just a little smaller than full size to accommodate these musicians.

Young Person's Guide

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Young Person's Guide to String Instrument Care

Protecting Your Instrument - Don't leave it in extremes of temperature or humidity. Never in the car trunk on a hot day! Always set it in its case. Close it securely before picking it up. And don't leave an instrument or bow in an open case on the floor - or on a chair for the careless or absent-minded to sit on or knock off. For cellos, beware doorways.

So, you found a Strad!

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" I receive numerous e-mail messages every month from people who have inherited or purchased a "Stradivarius" violin. I will not tell you that it is not the genuine article. That would be unethical and foolish of me, but I will share some information with you to help you judge your course of action.

How a Violin Works

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This is a question that all violin makers have asked over the centuries. It is an intriguing question that many people more experienced and knowledgeable than I have pondered and many answers have been presented over the five hundred years the violin has been in existence. How can an instrument so small and delicate produce such a wide variety of tone with such power? Under the fingers of a great player there is no instrument so expressive and so powerful as the violin.