Where do you put your case?

July 20, 2015 at 04:06 PM · I have a bench I set mine on...but I hang my violin up while I'm at home. Makes it easier to grab for quick sessions.

July 20, 2015 at 05:13 PM · I keep mine on top of a book shelf next to a humidifier, it stays out of the sun. I get the violin out and hanging on the stand hanger on days when I think I have time to practice.

July 20, 2015 at 06:36 PM · Mine I keep on a sturdy coffee table against an inside wall away from direct sunlight, next to two hygrometers.

When it's not up playing, it's resting in its shut latched case but not zipped, so I can open it easily and play. I never leave it open as my cats love to rest inside a Musafia Enigma.

July 20, 2015 at 07:06 PM · In the basement, which stays pretty much the same temperature and humidity year-round. Never ever store anything of value directly on the floor of your basement, if there is ANY chance that you may take water. Put it up on bricks.

Kypros, why two hygrometers?

July 20, 2015 at 10:28 PM · Thanks everyone, just trying to get idea on a better surface I can store the case on, but a mid-high bookshelf might be ok?

I would love to sleep in a Musafia Enigma case if I was a cat too :P Pure Italian comfort and luxury :D

July 20, 2015 at 11:51 PM · My violin case sits on the livingroom sofa. I seldom shut the case, just cover the violin with a blanket. This works good for me as if I have ten minutes free I just take off the blanket and start to practice. I practice for twenty minutes and then. do other things, come back and practice twenty minutes for my thre hour goal.

July 21, 2015 at 12:43 AM · My case is on the coffee table in the front room where we all practice. I keep the violin in it and the lid shut and latched when not playing. After all, I do have little boys.

July 21, 2015 at 02:26 AM · Case stays next to my bed on the floor with the blanket on the violin and lid closed (but not zipped or latched).

Makes it very easy to grab quickly for practice.

I wish I had one of those little wall hooks that violin shops have on the walls instead though... :)

July 21, 2015 at 03:43 AM · A.O. They do have those...

http://www.amazon.ca/String-Swing-Studio-Violin-Hanger/dp/B0009S5JMM/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1437450196&sr=8-13&keywords=violin+hanger

I have one that gets mounted to the music stand. I live in an apartment building and I trust Aluminum pipes over dry walls any and everyday.

July 21, 2015 at 03:59 AM · My practice room is our (finished) basement. We have whole-house zoned humidification / dehumidification, so it's kept at fairly constant humidity and temperature year-round.

I normally keep the case on a table. I wish I could keep the violin out all day, but I have cats. I don't allow them into the basement, but I don't want to spend all the day in the basement either. :-)

July 21, 2015 at 05:43 AM · Paul,

electronic hygrometers are notoriously inaccurate.

At one time I bought four and they all showed differently by a large margin, so I test one against the other and I keep the ones that are within 1-2% of each other.

The reason I need more than one is that I keep my good violin in different houses, even different parts of the same house and I need to monitor humidity at all these places.

The second reason is because I want to have the case hygrometer accuracy established, to be aware when I'm at a venue what the humidity value is like.

Case hygrometers are also inaccurate but as they measure range, it is easy to establish the range of safe humidity levels if you test it against a known accurate electronic hygrometer.

If you like to read about hygrometers go on David Burgess's site where he wrote a very informative article on them, for our benefit, also recommending the ones he tested and found accurate.

July 21, 2015 at 08:05 AM · One stays in the bedroom with me, upright in a corner, and the other on a desk in the practice room. They have to be always closed because I have the "cats love to get into it" problem too! ;)

July 21, 2015 at 03:07 PM · My starter fiddle is on the top of my wardrobe in the bedroom, and my 'better fiddle' is on the ledge under my computer desk.

Once I am playing my violin, the case stays on the double bed, and if I take a break, the violin lies next to it and I can return to practice with no bother.

Taking the starter fiddle on holiday is a problem. I either strap it into the back seat upright, like a person (which it is, of course), or lay it flat on top of my husband's keyboard, which also accompanies us. I once tried putting it in the boot on top of the luggage, padded with a coat, but then when I opened the boot, the violin case sprang out and landed in the road. Luckily no damage was done.

July 21, 2015 at 07:29 PM · Based upon many years of repair experience, I like to recommend that musicians put their instrument in a closed and latched case when it isn't being played, if there's a meaningful financial or emotional investment in the instrument. And if it's a cello, lay the case down, and don't leave it standing vertically.

Luthiers have exposure to all the horror stories which musicians won't necessarily confess to their peers. ;-)

July 22, 2015 at 01:20 AM · Kypros, thats what I was curious about, as I do not see how agreement between two hygrometers makes either one of them accurate.

I was always taught to put my violin back in its case and latch it ehen not playing. It makes me cringe when I see youth orchestra kids put their violins on their chairs when they have break time.

July 22, 2015 at 05:30 AM · I keep mine next to an inside wall near my practice area, away from direct sunlight. I used to keep it in a closet that was against an outside wall and the temperature/humidity change would play havoc with the pegs. Always in the case when not in use. I can't trust humans to walk into the room in the dark and throw something down on it. And here in earthquake country, I would never keep it in a stand.

July 22, 2015 at 01:26 PM · Paul,

the salt test can always be performed to establish hygrometer relative accuracy.( Look up David Burgesse's site for the test). It is not the definitive test, but it's a help to us mortals who cannot afford the expensive laboratory accurate equipment.

July 22, 2015 at 05:25 PM · Calibration of an instrument, such as a hygrometer, by an accepted standard method is one thing. Your earlier post suggested to me that agreement between two uncalibrated devices gave you more confidence about their accuracy, and that's what gave me heartburn. Sorry if I misunderstood.

July 24, 2015 at 08:58 PM · I have an average oblong plywood case that I keep closed to maintain better humidity conditions for the usual 22 hrs daily storage/humidity recovery.

My light foam case doesn't work as well for humidity control. I keep the vln etc. packed in the case ready for a fire drill.

Stay pawsitive

Dave

July 25, 2015 at 01:30 AM · Frank Sinatra only told us he rested his case - He didn't tell us where!

July 27, 2015 at 11:22 AM · This is a fun topic. I too am "banished" to the basement. There my case usually sits on a chair (like Paul I warn against putting anything valuable on the floor in the basement). That's my new and best violin. I also still have my previous violin in the living room which I play when I am alone in the house so I don't have to go to the basement :-) That violin (in its case) lies on the top of a cabinet. I am rather tall so I can still reach it. When, for some reason, my both violins are in the living room, one of them stands in a corner next to another cabinet.

July 28, 2015 at 01:48 AM · Well, in my case (-pun intended!-) it's very much case-S in the plural. At one point I think I had about 12 violins. Now it's just down to 4 in my permanent collection and 3 for sale. I have practical modern cases and collectable ones. In my bedroom I have 2 matching custom-made cubbies for cases. Each one has a top surface and 3 inside spaces - so each one holds 4 cases. And yes the cubbies are all filled, though most of the cases currently are not. I have several double cases among them.

In my living room atop my antique Knabe grand I have an alligator case and an old French wood case with the metal handle on top. On one of my side tables I have an old mahogany Hill case also with the handle on top (-I find that charming!-). It is pictured in Glenn Wood's book, "The Art and History of Violin Cases". I bought it from the author.

Inspired by that case, before I'd even bought it, I asked Ed Maday to build me a mahogany double case to house 2 of the violins he made for me. Resting atop another side table it, too, has the handle on top, and on either side, my initials. Glenn told me that a case and its contents all documented to be made by the same maker for the same client is rarer than hen's teeth! (Ed mentions in his respective labels that he made the violins for me and the case has a brass plaque to the same effect.) Inside that table/cabinet are 2 bow cases. Under my piano is a quadruple case.

With all of that, I still have a couple of cases and case covers under my bed! Watch for me in an upcoming tv show about hoarders - special violin edition! No, actually, I'm really a collector, with everything neatly arranged, attractively displayed, and every piece has some or a lot of value. I sold one of my wood Hill cases to a dealer but may be getting in a leather Hill case.

July 29, 2015 at 06:04 PM · Jean, if this is a fun topic, how come nobody replied to my last comment with "OK Rokos, have it YOUR way!"?

Actually, most of the time, I put my case round my instrument, but I don't remember ever putting it there while I was playing it (the latter, I mean - My variations on a theme of Cage have not yet been composed).

Raphael, the late sister of a late friend of mine sold a violin through Beare's, but asked them to return the crocodile skin case to her. When she came to get the proceeds, they'd managed to lose the case. So it's around somewhere in the world. If you're into collecting cases, I thought you might like to know there's another variety for you to look out for.

July 29, 2015 at 08:32 PM · Ha! It's getting to the point that between and among my collections - books, art, instruments etc. - that I'm wistfully fantasizing about annexing my neighbor's apartment by (non)right of eminent domain!

July 30, 2015 at 11:41 AM · Crocodile skin case? Such luxury! I would love to see one in the real thing, one of my favorite artists, Ginette Neveu had one as well :)

http://oldsite.thestrad.com/BlogArticle.asp?bID=231

July 30, 2015 at 10:04 PM · One thing I gather about crocodile skin is that super-light plastic foam it's not.

December 20, 2015 at 05:41 PM · I keep mine in its case when I'm not using it on a chair. I have a storage cupboard where a few other violins sit as they're smaller. The one on my chair is too long to fit into the cupboard, including the case.

December 20, 2015 at 08:01 PM · I've got it on a side table in my living room, in plain sight so it'll remind me to practice regularly. :) Someone told me that you want it visible always not tucked away or else you might forget it over other daily chores and anxieties.

If I could figure out how/where to hang it on the wall, I'd probably try that.

December 21, 2015 at 10:27 PM · Sara, Guitar Center (also try Musician's Friend?) sells hooks for hanging guitars on your wall. I'm sure they'd work well for a violin. Maybe the one I'm thinking of is the K&M wall mount. It should "lock down" to grab the neck when it takes the weight. Google "guitar wall mount".

For a violin, I'd also put a sort of bumper on the wall if the body rests against the wall.

December 22, 2015 at 09:02 PM · I found some short leather straps, originally made for hanging guitars on the wall, which work fine with a violin or mandolin as well. There are slits at each end of the strap through which you slip the pegs closest to the end (D and A for violin), and you can then hang the resulting loop on any ordinary hook. No bumper is needed - the shoulder rest serves nicely.

December 22, 2015 at 09:44 PM · You leave your shoulder rest on your violin?

I would suggest that's not a good idea.

December 22, 2015 at 10:04 PM · I only do that if I'm not going to be playing for a short period of time.

December 23, 2015 at 01:45 AM ·

December 23, 2015 at 02:18 AM · I have a bench that mine sits on. It has some storage in it, so that helps with the fact that the bench itself takes space!

In California, one has to guard against putting the case on the floor, as that's how "bow bugs" can enter the case! Those are little critters that eat bow hair. Icky!

December 23, 2015 at 03:28 PM · Liz: I see shoulder rests as a general danger to the health of the violin. They fall off. They can damage the edges/finish...

They add weight where a violin was never designed to carry weight...so who knows what 'damage' that might do over the long term if the shoulder rest stays on.

But...if you EVER forget to remove the shoulder rest when you put the violin in the case, and then close the lid...

Kaboom!

And that can happen very easily if you get in the habit of leaving the shoulder rest on.

For more reading, of varied opinions:

http://www.violinist.com/discussion/response.cfm?ID=20885

December 23, 2015 at 03:57 PM · Not so much Kaboom as Kerunch. (I imagine..)

December 23, 2015 at 05:21 PM · LOL...fine...I'll concede to Kerunch! ;)

December 23, 2015 at 10:12 PM ·

December 25, 2015 at 04:53 AM · When I go to sleep I put my case (violin inside) on my couch I have in my room, during the day my violin spends its time either in its open case on my bed ready for me to noodle with, or my violin is just out of its case again ready for me to noodle with laying on my desk. I only use my case at home when I'm either asleep or when there are tiny guest at my home who may potentially hurt my violin. The case to me really seems like an irritating box that serves a purpose, but prevents me from easily picking up my violin and noodling for an hour or two.

December 25, 2015 at 07:04 AM · Bow bugs? I had my first one ever a few weeks ago. The case was near but not on the floor. I didn't know California was especially susceptible.

December 25, 2015 at 04:25 PM · Bow bug?

December 25, 2015 at 05:24 PM · This is the first time I have heard of bow bugs. Fortunately, I don't have to worry about them where I live. In fact, I never put my case near the floor for long-term periods.