dpappas Posted August 27 Report Share Posted August 27 I sustained an major injury that will prevent me from picking up a violin, let alone play it, for 2-3 months. I intended to leave it in its case tuned properly and check on it weekly. Will that be sufficient? the instrument will be kept in the same climate controlled room as before. It will just sit idle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Norfleet Posted August 27 Report Share Posted August 27 Yes, but tune it once in a while if you can in case there a big humidity change so your pegs don’t become stuck. one of my violins spent 30 years in an unheated horse barn in Michigan. Besides a few open seams, it was fine. Best of luck with your recovery!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeH Posted August 27 Report Share Posted August 27 I am sorry to hear about your injury. I do recommend twisting each peg every week when you check on it. While it should not hurt it to be tuned to full tension while in storage, it would not hurt it to tune it down a bit to take some tension off the top and the bridge. And, of course, be sure the table is cleaned of rosin dust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rue Posted August 28 Report Share Posted August 28 Sorry you're injured. Yes to what the other posters said. FWIW...I've ignored some instruments for, well, er...hmm... ...let's just say for a long time...and *knockonwood* all that's ever happened is that they've detuned themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpappas Posted September 2 Author Report Share Posted September 2 Thank you for the replies everyone. I may loan it out to a talented highschooler or two to play their concerts on, since it's significantly better than anything they would have, just to let it get played while I recover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeH Posted September 2 Report Share Posted September 2 1 hour ago, dpappas said: I may loan it out to a talented highschooler or two to play their concerts on Some folks here have suggested that is good for antiquing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Norfleet Posted September 2 Report Share Posted September 2 2 hours ago, dpappas said: Thank you for the replies everyone. I may loan it out to a talented highschooler or two to play their concerts on, since it's significantly better than anything they would have, just to let it get played while I recover. I would suggest having a look at the instruments they play before doing so. That will give you a decent idea about how carefully they handle instruments. Also, I don’t personally think that an instrument not being played is a bad thing. It saves wear and tear and I don’t believe the popular opinion that the sound suffers when not being played. Apart from my own mentioned above, I’ve known a few instruments that were not played for decades, or possibly longer, which sounded well when returned to active duty. Mine of course is the only one I had any experience of before it was stored. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scordatura Posted September 3 Report Share Posted September 3 My personal approach is to bring the strings down about a whole step for long term storage. Watch gains in humidity because the pegs will swell and become stuck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rue Posted September 3 Report Share Posted September 3 Two-three months isn't very long. Lending it out for such a short period of time isn't worthwhile: 1. It's not really enough time for a student to fully adjust to a different instrument...and then they'd have to give it back just as they're getting used to it. 2. Students are never as careful with borrowed stuff as they are with their own and students aren't all that careful to begin with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpappas Posted September 3 Author Report Share Posted September 3 Good points , all, thank you! I’ll just check on it weekly while I recover. My surgeon wants me to bring it to physical therapy so they can work playing into my recovery in a few months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Noon Posted September 3 Report Share Posted September 3 23 hours ago, dpappas said: I may loan it out to a talented highschooler or two to play their concerts on 22 hours ago, GeorgeH said: Some folks here have suggested that is good for antiquing. For 2-3 months, the only antiquing you might get are dents, scrapes, missing corners, and soundpost cracks... not a very desirable look. Longer would be worse. I'd suggest de-tune it a bit, and check every week or so to make sure the pegs haven't popped loose or gotten stuck in humidity changes. I don't do that with my own instruments, though... I just leave it tuned, don't touch it for many months, then deal with whatever happened the next time I feel motivated to play it. No biggie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpappas Posted October 17 Author Report Share Posted October 17 Thanks, all. I’m happy to report that I’m out of my sling and in physical therapy. I have limited range of motion and even less strength. I can now hold a violin, at least. playing is exhausting and I sound terrible, very poor bow control. But I, and my instrument, survived. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rue Posted October 17 Report Share Posted October 17 I am very glad that the two of you have reconnected! Happy update! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wood Butcher Posted October 17 Report Share Posted October 17 19 hours ago, dpappas said: Thanks, all. I’m happy to report that I’m out of my sling and in physical therapy. I have limited range of motion and even less strength. I can now hold a violin, at least. playing is exhausting and I sound terrible, very poor bow control. But I, and my instrument, survived. Best wishes for your continued recovery! I am sure it is very frustrating for you right now, but with each week there will be improvement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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