Getting Your Violin Ready to Play Again

If you are thinking about playing the violin again and you still have a violin, you will want to brush the dust off and get it back in playing condition. It’s likely that time, weather, and storage have taken a toll on your instrument. Before you start playing again, it is a good idea to take your violin to a violin shop.

A well set up violin is responsive and fun to play and grow with. A violin shop can inspect your instrument and make recommendations for bringing it back to optimal playing condition. The cost of any maintenance and repairs will depend on what you need done to your particular instrument. However, shops can estimate the cost of any work before you commit to it.

Among other things, a violin shop can put on fresh strings and rehair your bow. However, your instrument might need more. When I started playing again, my violin needed a new bridge, new strings, glued seams, and a bow rehair.

In some cases, a violin shop may tell you that it is more cost-effective to purchase a new instrument instead of reviving an old one. Although this is disappointing, this is good information to have and offers a clear path forward. If they can’t bring your old instrument back to life for a reasonable cost, a good violin shop can help you find a new instrument that is within your budget and meets your needs and goals. For an adult amateur, a shop with a good trade-in policy might make sense as you never know how your needs, goals, or desires might change over time.

If you live in a remote area of the United States, some of the larger violin shops may be able to do these types of maintenance and repairs by mail. If you need a new violin and don’t have easy access to local shops, some shops will send you violins on approval.

Wherever you live, if you plan to continue playing the violin, it’s helpful to establish a relationship with a violin shop before you start playing the violin again for any future needs that arise.