Should I loosen my violin bow before i put it away?

Question:i really don't play the violin i just have one to have one but when i take it out to mess with it should i loosen the bow back up before i put it away? if you have any other tips for storing a violin that would also be very helpful. Thanks!

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: i really don't play the violin i just have one to have one but when i take it out to mess with it should i loosen the bow back up before i put it away? if you have any other tips for storing a violin that would also be very helpful. Thanks!

It is good to loosen the bow when you are not playing it so the camber (the curve) of the bow is maintained. There are some who say that it even helps to prevent warping the bow, but I'm not sure how that works. If your bow has natural horse hair, it should help to maintain it's elasticity. It also helps to work out the rosin that has dried up and is of no further use to you. (lightly tapping the tip against your hand over a trashcan should help to remove it completely) Other things you should do when storing your violin in the case:

1. Wipe off your violin. It has fingerprints and rosin residue all over it. If you get it off now, before it sits in the case and cooks in, you will have a much easier time cleaning it.

2. Wipe of the strings. Some of the rosin always sticks to the strings as well. You can keep the strings fresh longer, and keep them sounding better as well, by keeping the strings as clean as possible.

3. Put a cloth over the strings before you close the case. This helps to keep the bow away from the case. Be mindful of which bow hook you put the bow in as well. Some violin cases are designed poorly and if you put the bow on the upper hook, the bow can damage the lower bout of the instrument. Be sure and wash that cloth about once a month as well. Remember that if you are using a dirty cloth to wipe off your instrument, you are rubbing dirt into your instrument.

4. Open up your accesory pouch and make sure your rosin, tuner, and whatever else you keep are in there. You can't always find missing items by looking at the stand (sometimes they fall off) but if you know that they are missing, it encourages you to look around a little harder for them.

5. If you have the type of case that allows you to store your music on the outside, make sure that the music is off the stand and properly stored away, check to see that all of the straps are strapped and all the zippers are zipped. This sounds stupid, I know. You would be amazed at how many times I have to take a violin home and repair it for a student because it fell out of a case that they thought they had closed.

Sorry about the long winded reply, but I wanted to do your question justice. Hope this helps and if you have any further questions feel free to give me a shout. I'll be happy to do what I can.

yes

very much so, not doing so will undully stretch the catguts and were them out faster.
so its smart, cost effective, and thats just the way its done.

Yes. The wood loses its spring. (Not much catgut these days)

Yes, or else over stretching of the bow hairs might even cause the bow to break since you said you don't really play it.

I believe you are supposed to.

yes of course

yes....if you don't want to ruin the bow.

Regardless of how often you play your violin, or if your bow is made from the fine pernambuco-wood, fiberglass, or carbon fiber, or the quality of bowhair, yes, ALWAYS loosen your bow COMPLETELY before putting it away. This is because if you don't, it will lose its camber (the curvature of the wooden stick), thereby weakens the bow performance the next time you play it, because prolonged tension of the hair will straighten the bow over time. When you're done playing, ALWAYS wipe the rosin dust off from the bow, not the hair, because rosin buildup also affects the sound quality. And DO NOT ever wash the hair.

As for violin storage, put it in a dry place, far away from the vents (heat or cooling), windows, and sunlight. Dramatic temperature changes affect its tune; heat will make it lose its tune within SECONDS. Be sure to latch the bow properly before closing the case so that it won't bump against the violin, which even the slightest bump can alter its sound quality. Wipe off rosin from the strings, too, to preserve sound quality; if you let it build up for too long, it's almost impossible to remove.

Change your strings every 4-5 months, because prolonged
sitting naturally cause them to lose their tune. And ALWAYS keep it in tune, checking it with an in-tune piano or a pitch-finder.

Take good care of the violin, as they are very fragile and even the slightest bump will alter the sound quality.

yes...

otherwise you run the risk of snapping the head off the bow.