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Weekly wisdom 30

Cleaning cloth by Ilja Grawert violin shop workshop Brisbane Australia

Clean your violin every time after playing with your microfiber cleaning cloth.

If you clean your violin everyday after playing you will save money

  1. your strings will last longer
  2. your bridge will stay straight longer
  3. the violin does not need to be professionally cleaned by a violin maker as often
  4. the bridge feet are less likely to get stuck on the varnish, better sound for longer
  5. you will always enjoy your violn more, which means you play more and have more fun
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Changing strings with a wooden fine-tune tailpiece on a violin

It was recently brought to my attention that it is not easy to change strings on a violin with a wooden tailpiece with INBUILT FINE_TUNERS. I decided to make a little clip which hopefully clarifies how to change strings on those kinds of tailpiece.

Italian Tradition … German Precision only @ Ilja Grawert – Violinmaker.

Make an appointment to see me in my Brisbane/The Gap workshop or in my North Qld workshop near the Whitsundays north of Mackay. sms 0437 88 2468 or E-mail Ilja

Enjoy the music

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Keeping your bridge straight

I have a little clip on YouTube on how to keep your bridge straight. There are many reasons why bridges can warp.

  1. Humidity is a very big factor. Very high humidity it does not matter how well made, how seasoned & high quality the timber it will warp fast
  2. Badly filed grooves or winding of string broken at the bridge will pull the bridge more
  3. Always clean the strings and the top of the bridge after playing, that way the rosin dust does not make the strings stick in the grooves
  4. When the bridge top has moved in either direction and it does not get corrected it will warp
  5. Either if the neck angle is wrong, the saddle too high or low in short if the angle the strings are running over the bridge is that uneven so the bridge top gets pulled in one direction.
  6. Too high tension strings or a too high bridge due to a high neck angle

The best way of preventing it to warp is always keep your cello bridge stand straight as shown in the video

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The five main characteristics of a good violin

All bowed stringed instruments ideally should have all of the following five characteristics…

 

In my opinion the sound quality of good violins should be the same in old and new violins.

A well made violin should have five main features which are an absolute necessity.

1. the violin has to be structurally well made of high quality well seasoned timbers crafted in an aesthetically pleasing and artistic manner.

2. the violin has to have an even tone over all four strings.

3. the violin has to have a carrying sound so it can be heard in the last row of the concert hall (please do not confuse with a loud tone)

4. the violin has to speak easy under all conditions in all registers of all four

strings.

5. the violin should be well set-up and easy to play

(the set-up of the violin)

These are the main features which make a good violin.

Then you will find the character of an instrument: some instruments  are more powerful, some have a more soft sound, some a brighter sound etc. These are all characteristics which come down to the taste and requirements of the player.

I have heard many famous old instruments as well as many new instruments which do not meet these main features. Some have a lack of all of them, some only have a weakness in one area.

My advise is to look for the top five main features which make a good violin when you choose a new instrument. Enjoy

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Weekly Wisdom 27

Too much Rosin?

If you are playing for 1/2 an hour every day you only need to rosin your bow once a week.

If you use too much rosin on your bow all it will do is make your instrument and strings more dirty with rosin dust, as well as create a scratchy sound and will give you a hissing noise when using the full length of the bow. How can you check if you are using too much rosin: Just flick through the bow hair with your thumb and if there is a big cloud of dust coming out so you are forced to take a step back to breathe, that is definitely too much rosin. Don´t use any for a few weeks. If there is only a very small cloud coming out, that should be right then.

So please only rosin your bow once a week if you are playing 1/2 an hour a day or if you are playing one hour a day, rosin it twice a week etc.

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Weekly Wisdom 37

Did you know that not all the pains you have playing a Double Bass, Viola, Violin, Cello  are your fault?


Some of the reasons for muscle tightness and other pains which can be instrument related:

1. too hollow fingerboard
2. wrong fingerboard curve
3. sound setup not properly done, instrument does not speak as easy as it should
4. too high bridge or wrong bridge curve
5. too high nut or uneven spacing of the grooves
6. wrong tension strings
7. bad bow re-hair
8. wrong choice of bow

9. the settings and choice of the chin rest and shoulder rest

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Weekly Wisdom 26

Violin strings last longer than guitar strings. Depending on your frequency and duration of practice they can last between ½ a year up to 1 ½ years. They do not only end their life when they break. When they start sounding dull they need to be changed. The same applies for Cello, Double Bass and Viola strings

Tips to make strings last longer:

  • always have short fingernails on your left hand
  • do not use too much rosin
  • wash your hands before you play
  • do not tune strings too high
  • make sure the finger board does not have groves or holes in the wood
  • wipe your strings after you play
  • always check the grooves in the bridge and the nut before you put a new string on and apply graphite with a 6b pencil in these grooves.