Seasonal setup adjustments?

December 6, 2011 at 07:10 AM · I know some guys who get their posts moved twice a month, others who get it done maybe once or twice with each major climate change.

I feel like a well-optimized bridge and soundpost setup wouldn't have to be moved very often, or even at all (if one takes care), however.

I mean, it really depends on the instrument and how much it fluctuates.

I play on a modern instrument and I've been experiencing similar trouble playing it on some days, and I haven't had any solutions other than just bearing with it, since my luthier is in NYC and I'm in Rochester.

If you want luthier recommendations, you can PM me. I know someone in Manhattan who's quite good who I used to go to, who doesn't charge nearly as much as any of the other major luthiers do. (One of the primary reasons I don't go to her anymore because I now go to the maker of my violin for adjustments.)

EDIT: On second thought... you should probably trust a luthier, not me. Bring your violin in for a checkup and ask for their professional opinion. All I know is what I've seen from experience, along with what my teachers and luthiers have told me over the years.

December 6, 2011 at 02:09 PM · I check the pegs on all my stuff, and get the humidifiers running around mid-November, as soon as the central heating is running persistently. It's been so warm here much of the fall, I've delayed both. Haven't done anything else on a regular basis. I try to have any bow rehairs done mid-spring or mid-fall. Sue

December 6, 2011 at 02:36 PM · good to see mara finding time to post!

from an unqualified point of view, to my ears my kid's violin literally changes daily due to humidity change; the degree corresponds to the degree of hum fluctuation. often i can correctly anticipate how the violin will sound like judging by the feel of the humidity in the room,,,there is a pattern. if one hears it, there may be a change. if one does not hear it, there may be a change not heard.

but our violins react differently: some are more sensitive to humidity and others not as much, but all sound differently summer vs winter. summer: choked. winter: raspy. a few sound better in winter, others, summer.

i think for pre-pro players, to check with a trusted, valued-added:) luthier is a must, like routine car or air conditioning servicing. chances are it is ok, but you never know. through interacting with an expert, you pay to learn things about your instrument and take out the guess work.

i would never recommend others do what i do with sound post adjustments on my own, but it is fair to say i play around not just 2 times a year, haha.

i mean, often we complain that a service person (of other fields) take a look at us and pronounce us as fit and then charge a bundle for seemingly doing nothing. in the long run, it is worth it:)

December 6, 2011 at 02:59 PM · The sound of all (wooden) violins changes with humidity changes. Some players have seasonal adjustments done, and others let it go.

I can't say, from here, whether an adjustment will put your violin back to its former state, or whether there might be something else going on.

December 8, 2011 at 08:57 PM · Sluggish response and lack of power and focus, even with new strings on - that sounds like your soundpost COULD be to loose. Usually you get an uneven sound and response too. Could of course be something completely different...

Basses and cellos often need adjustments between summer and winter seasons, because since they're bigger they move a lot more with humidity changes. But even for violins it's a good idea to go to your luthier for a check up once or twice a year, preferably the same luthier, so you get to know each other. It's easier for the luthier to address problems if he/she knows the instrument too, and is the only person who adjusts it. If you don't do check-ups, problems might accumulate.

You can keep the violin in its case when you don't play, to reduce quick changes in humidity, and use a humidifier when the heating is on in the winter.

December 8, 2011 at 09:39 PM · My violin used to be good for all seasons. Last year in the beginning of winter it sounded as if it had caught a cold. My luthier tweaked the soundpost just a little, and it sounded as good as it ever had.

Meanwhile, he told me lots of interesting things about mass (less when dry) and about the many vibration modes of a violin that have nodes near the soundpost -- small wonder that it is sensitive to humidity.

Putting a humidifier in the case, not in the violin, helps too.

Bart

December 9, 2011 at 10:40 PM · you can do something as simple as wetting a sponge, sticking it into a ziploc bag, poked with lots of holes, and leaving it in the violin case, and checking it once a week, in case it dries out. Do this ALWAYS, all year round: also, I learned of another little trick recently: Weiman's furniture cream, rubbed lightly all over the bridge, and left on (do NOT wipe it off, just let it absorb into the bridge's surfaces) and that will do wonders.

December 10, 2011 at 12:24 AM · If your violin was built in 100% humidity, for instance in the Amazon djungle, you should indeed use a humidifier all year round. But violins are usually built in workshops/factories with a controlled humidity level of less than 50%, so you should certainly not use a humidifier in a hot, humid New York City summer. That would be counterproductive, and would increase the risk of glue joints coming apart, the neck angle changing, and so on. So, humidifier ONLY in dry weather!

Weiman's Furniture Cream on the bridge...well, I checked on google and it doesn't contain silicone which should never come near a violin. It would protect the bridge from quick changes in humidity, but the effect on the tone would be unpredictable I guess. If you got the oily stuff on the strings they'd probably die instantly.

December 12, 2011 at 01:59 AM · real simple: just dab it onto the bridge with a cotton ball, once in a while. and the sponge thing: doesn;t have to be satureated, just wring it out until it's just "moist".

December 12, 2011 at 12:09 PM · Please don't follow Freddy's advice. Too much humidity is as bad for a violin as too little, and adding moisture year-round in some climates, such as during his humid Illinois summer, is probably a really bad idea.

Violins can sound the same year-round if the humidity is kept constant, but as a practical matter, that's difficult to do in some climates.