Violin Repair

Your friends who play tuba, trumpet, and trombone take their instruments out in all kinds of weather, and they march all over the football field without a second thought about dents and dings in their horns.  In their world, musical perfection comes from proper curvature of the lips and keeping a clean spit valve.  Made of fine rare wood, and sensitive to everything in the environment, your violin occasionally may suffer a little nick or scratch, it cannot stand-up to hard use like the horns and hence may need a violin repair.  Your violin requires a great deal of protection, care, and careful maintenance.  You must protect it from extremes of heat and cold, because they will alter your violin’s shape, affecting its sound.  You similarly must protect your violin from high humidity and extreme dryness, because they, too, distort your instrument’s shape and tone. If you play the music as passionately as you feel it, you inevitably perspire onto your chin rest, the drops collecting into little rivulets that trickle down onto the body of your instrument.  You must maintain your instrument with the same care you invest in perfecting your play. 

Face the inescapable facts of a violinist’s life: You never will play your violin in the marching band, and you always will have to treat, oil, and protect your precious instrument.  Keep it safe in its case, and keep the case in good repair, too.

You know your violin is made with four different kinds of wood to enhance its sound: a master craftsman cut the fingerboard from ebony, and he crafted the body’s top and bottom from fine hardwoods; he carefully shaped the sides from sturdy but softer woods, and he carved the scroll from just the right piece of decorative wood.  The best craftsmen even formulate their own glue, refusing to settle for synthetics when they know only natural products will do. Nature’s products and the craftsman’s exquisite work deserve the best of your care.  Naturally, the strings take a beating as you practice and perform, stretching over time, and wearing-out from the friction with your bow.  You should re-string your instrument at least once a year.  

Even with the very best violin maintenance, however, your violin may eventually need repair.  Weather, wear and tear, or simple misfortune may ultimately exact a toll, and your beloved instrument will require an expert’s intervention.  Some truly devoted violinists learn to construct their own instruments; most, however, leave the shaping, carving, gluing, and calibrating to the experts.  In the same way that you probably will not perform your own appendectomy, you probably should not attempt your own amateur violin repairs.

Of course, if you can return your violin to its maker, you will receive the best service and gain the best results.  No one knows and respects your four-stringed baby more than the people who originally cut and assembled it.  In most cases, though, returning your violin to its manufacturer risks further damage to the instrument during shipping and handling.  Better to find a local professional.  In the twenty-first century, you will feel tempted play your scales along your computer’s keys, finding a violin repairman with your search engine; but beware–the guy holding first place on Google’s list may not be the guy with the greatest violin repair skills.  Therefore, you should ask your teacher for a recommendation; and you should solicit second and third opinions, too.  If you live in or near a city with a major symphony orchestra, find out where the professional musicians send their instruments for tune-up and repair.  If you live near a major university with a respectable music program, seek their recommendations. 

Finally, when you take your violin to a reputable craftsman, ask him to explain—in detail—how he plans to fix your instrument.  What kind of wood and glue with he uses?  What kind of clamps and props will he use as he joins pieces together?  How will he match the colors and coatings on the wood, and how will he test the instrument to assure that the sound remains the same even as he changes its composition?  You may even ask your violin repair person to play the instrument for you, assessing his musical skill as carefully as you evaluate his workmanship.