The most satisfaction you can have when playing the violin is when you know you’re getting the best-possible sound from your instrument. Now is a great time to take the violin you inherited from Uncle George’s attic to the string shop and make sure of the following elements:
The sound post is safely wedged in the proper spot inside the violin.
Any open seams on the violin are safely glued.
You put on a good set of new strings.
The bridge is upright for best contact with the table of the violin.
The pegs and fine-tuners are turning as smoothly as possible, for ease of tuning.
It makes sense to leave the violin at the shop for a few hours or even overnight so that the new strings have a chance to stretch and settle down (rather like a nice friendly dog) before you take the instrument home.
Some good-sounding and reliable brands of strings for your instrument are by Thomastik (Dominant) and D’Addario. Because these particular strings are made to be resistant to temperature changes, they sound warm and clear and remain stable in tune from early on in their visit to your violin whether you live in the cold, dry climate of Winnipeg, Manitoba, or the hot, humid climate of Savannah, Georgia!
