Beekman Violin, Inc.
1058 Kingstown Road
Wakefield, RI 02879
Hours
Wednesdays 11-3
Thursdays 12-5:30
Fridays 12-5:30
Saturdays 10-3
Appointments are strongly recommended. To make an appointment, visit our booking website or give us a call at 401-284-0265.
Instrument Maintenance Through the Seasons: Part 2
/in Maintenance and repairs/by Stephen BeekmanIn part 1, we discussed the effects of hot, humid summer air on string instruments. Here we look at the flip-side of New England weather: cold, dry winters.
What to Expect In the Winter:
There’s nothing like the onset of frigid temperatures to make string instruments crazy – but it’s not the cold outside that gets to them as much as the heat inside, and what the heat does to the air. When the furnace is cranked up for days or weeks at a time, indoor humidity levels plummet. And just as high humidity in the summer can cause issues with our instruments, so can very low humidity in the winter.
Pegs – pegs shrink and slip, and violins, violas, and celli go out of tune. This often leads to another issue: broken strings. Tuning with pegs is tricky, and many of us are forced to try for the first time during winter, when our pegs have slipped and we won’t be seeing our teacher for a week.
It’s good to remember three rules of thumb when tuning with pegs: 1) First, set the tension by pushing the peg firmly in towards the pegbox wall, 2) turn slowly, and 3) avoid going over pitch. If the peg continuously slips back once you have brought the string up to pitch, return to rule-of-thumb #1: push the peg further into the pegbox before turning again.
Fingerboards – Just as humid air causes fingerboards to drop, dry air causes them to rise. As we noted in part 1, this change isn’t likely to be noticeable on smaller instruments – but on adult-sized celli and basses, adjustments are usually necessary. In some cases, the fingerboard may rise so much that it touches the strings and creates a “buzz”. Many basses come with adjustable bridges to make dealing with this issue simpler. For cellists, it is often necessary to switch to a “winter” bridge once cold temperatures settle in.
Bowhair – Just like wood, bowhair will release moisture and shrink. Again, like in summer, bowhair that is already on the short side might become impossible to loosen, in which case it’s important to rehair your bow so that the stick does not become warped.
Seam openings – Seam openings occur most often in very dry conditions, when the shrinking front, back, and sides of your instrument are liable to pull apart. This is a built-in survival response, one which avoids cracks in the body by releasing tension at the seams. Regluing seams is a simple and straightforward repair, but it is always better to do it so sooner rather than later to prevent further openings. Check for seam openings regularly in very dry conditions – if your instrument develops a mysterious buzz, there’s a good chance that a seam opening is the culprit.
How can we minimize these issues? Keeping your instrument in a room with a humidifier can be a great help at home; but what about other spaces – school, for example? Here’s one low-tech, make-at-home humidifying system you can take with you: simply dampen a sponge (be sure it is not dripping), roll it up inside an open prescription bottle, and store it in your case. Monitor and re-dampen it whenever it becomes dry in order to keep humidity levels stable.
Dealing with the Winter Doldrums: 7 Ideas for Staying Inspired
/in Playing tips/by Stephen BeekmanThe holidays are peak season for motivation – there’s so much fun music to play, and family gatherings are great opportunities for showing off skills. But when the tinsel’s been tossed and the tree’s in the compost pile (but the snow is still falling) motivation takes a hit. The next set of concerts usually isn’t for months, and there’s no festive mid-winter tunes to try out. But creative students (or their parents) can keep playing interesting and rewarding. Here are seven ideas to keep you going:
Instrument Maintenance Through the Seasons: Part 1
/in Violin Shop/by Stephen BeekmanString instruments love stability – the less fluctuation in climate, the better they function and the longer they’ll stay in one piece. Unfortunately for all of us New England string players, weather here is anything but stable. Knowing what changes to expect through the seasons, and how to manage them, will help you keep your instrument playing well and sounding great all year long.
What to Expect in the Summertime:
String instruments are, of course, made of wood, and wood responds to changes in humidity by absorbing and releasing moisture from the air. In summer, the arrival of hot, humid air causes wood to absorb moisture –that is, to soften and swell. This can cause subtle changes in an instrument’s tone, but it also has the potential to create more obvious and problematic side effects.
Pegs – Pegs can swell so much in the summertime that they become difficult to turn. This usually happens gradually, and can be avoided by regularly using your pegs to tune. Even if your instrument consistently stays in tune, it is a good idea to loosen the pegs slightly once a week or so in the summer, and then tune the strings back up again.
Fingerboards – Softening of the wood that makes up the bodies of string instruments causes fingerboards to lower in relation to the bridge. In violins, violas, and children’s celli and basses, the change is usually not particularly noticeable. However, adult cello and bass players will notice their string height increasing as summer sets in, sometimes so much so that it becomes difficult to play. For this reason, bassists usually adjust their bridge height with the seasons, and most adult cellists have two bridges – one for summer, and one for winter.
Bows – You may have had the experience of noticing your bowhair tightening up or loosening over the course of a rehearsal or practice session, even though you haven’t tightened it or loosened it yourself. This is because bowhair responds to changes in humidity the same way that wood does. If your instrument has been in a space with relatively high humidity but your rehearsal is in a relatively dry space, your bowhair will respond to the environmental change by shrinking and tightening; if it goes from a dry space to a humid space, or as we go from dry winter months to humid summer months, it will tend to stretch and loosen. By July or August, bowhair that is already a bit on the long side is liable to become too long to tighten sufficiently for playing. If this occurs, be wary not to turn the bow screw too rigorously as you try to tighten the hair (it could get jammed and crack the end of the bow). In order to get it back into working condition, you’ll need to stop by your local shop to have the hair shortened or replaced. Very active players whose bows have not been rehaired recently are encouraged to get a rehair at the beginning of the season, so as to avoid any unplanned playing breaks.
Seams – Summer air-conditioning often creates quite dry indoor environments, even as the humidity rises outdoors. Instruments that are frequently exposed to wide differences in humidity (and consequently, to repeated cycles of swelling and shrinking) are more likely to develop seam openings. If you know that your instrument has been exposed to large differences in humidity recently –especially if it shows other responses to the changes, such as slipping/stuck pegs – it is a good idea to check for seam openings. If you find one, don’t worry – they are simple and inexpensive to fix (though sooner is better than later).