Do I need the blanket for my violin case to be on my violin?
What is the point of the blanket that covers the violin inside the case? What happens if I take it out?
Replies (36)
If, for example, a bow gets loose in the case, then the blanket will earn its keep. It also protects the violin from rosin dust that can fall off the bow hairs.
Blanket lies shiny side to the violin.
dup deleted
My violin gets cold at night without its fluffy velvet blanket to keep it snug and comfy.
What happens if you take it out? Nazis will come back riding dinosaurs and shooting lasers from their eyes that's what will happen! Never store the violin in the case without the blanket!
...also yeah if things move around inside the case the bow might damage the top of the violin, and rosin dust might rain down upon the violin.
Double-post somehow!
Great points, guys. If you don't have a proper blanket, you can use a towel or ordinary piece of cloth instead.
The blanket is a vital protective mechanism between the bow and the violin. You will almost certainly eventually have an accident in which the bow isn't secured properly. With luck, no damage will occur to either violin or bow. It also absorbs energy and provides protection between violin and bow in the event of an accident.
A towel or other cloth runs the risk of either getting fuzz on the violin or, if the fabric is rough, scratching the varnish. Use a proper violin blanket made of appropriate material.
Also, a proper violin blanket is effectively part of the humidity and temperature control system within the case. Silk is hydroscopic, and it helps to provide a steady environment inside the case.
I think I watched a video of a Heifetz master class in which he took his violin out of its case and there was no blanket. I conclude that the blanket is not needed if you do not use a shoulder rest ...
Hmm, i was just thinking of getting a cello looking case for my violin. (String house) I dont think i can use a blanket with that case. FML
Paul nailed it, hahaha
wrong! You do not need a blanket once you play like Mr. H.
Didn't Heifetz keep his violin in a silk bag? I think I would eventually drop my violin if I had to put it in and take it out of a silk bag multiple times a day.
Yes, good cases come with both a blanket and a silk bag. My luthier advised me not to use the silk bag, just the blanket, as he has seen too many violins that were accidentally dropped to the floor when the player tried to put them into the silk bag!
The blanket projects the violin from bows or anything else that might drop on it such as rosin cakes and smartphones. If you take the blanket off and close the case, you could risk having the bow come apart from the spinner and scratch the violin after reopening the case. I'm not sure if some cases have better bow holders or not; perhaps an expert can confirm.
Some cases do have better bow holders. Musafia has a distinctive spinner, for instance.
The blanket, contrary to popular opinion, is to protect the violin from penetration by neutrinos and dark matter, which, over time, can seriously degrade an instrument. I'm not certain about dark matter, but because neutrinos radiate from the sun, it's always best to place the blanket between your violin and the sun. So in the daytime place the blanket on top of the violin. At night, as I'm sure you've guessed, the blanket should be below the violin.
I've had the dreaded bow drop. I stopped using that case and prefer ones where there is a compartment next to the chin rest so the bow hits that instead. I use silk bags that open from the scroll end so I don't drop the instrument. I just got tired of messing with the blanket, especially since I don't use it on tables when I set my instruments down.
I'm clumsy about getting it caught when closing the case, forgetting to put it in, dropping on the floor and getting it dirty... whaaaaa...
@ Mark Bouquet "At night . . . the blanket should be below the violin", which,I take it, implies that at sundown the case together with violin should be rotated about its longitundal axis through 180°, and through a further 180° at sunup? What happens if you're at the Arctic Circle?
"What happens if you're at the Arctic Circle?"
Trevor, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. ;)
I am not a physicist and cannot grasp most of what I have read on the subject but I have heard that quarks are the sneakiest of all matter known but not sure of what precautions to take against them with my violin.
My violin blanket has a thin layer of lead inside to protect my violin from cosmic rays and a set of battery-operated Helmholtz coils to neutralize the effects of the Earth's magnetic field, and some silver nanoparticles to keep bacteria from growing in my case. I also eat plenty of MSG to neutralize the possible negative effects of any GMOs that might be in my foods.
Edit -- Jeff, believe it or not, I started writing my post before yours appeared!!
Actually you should be more careful about partons, which can come back from the future and damage your instrument (true story).
Hence, your blanket is missing a cronoton shield, paul. I think you can find one in amazon. If not, try aluminum foil
So I need to sew together a new velvet blanket with a lead shield sandwiched in,hmmm. With advanced knowledge these violins are such a complicated and demanding pasttime.
My Gewa violin case has the blanket attached to the case along the front of the case. That way it cannot be forgotten. The unfortunate effect is that whenever I unpack my viola (which is also in a Gewa case) I automatically throw its blanket on the floor....
Bruno, an aluminum foil hat wouldn't be such a bad idea while playing the violin. The brain needs protection as well.
I use my blanket to wipe the strings when I place it on top. I have found this makes strings last much longer if you have acid tip fingers like me.
To make sure the blanket is on the right side of the violin, day and night, I'm designing a case holder based on a barbecue rotisserie. It rotates once per day. To work effectively, it has to be oriented so that the axis points north and south.
Hey, I'll volunteer to test your machine out and possibly Trevor can help you with speeding up the patent process.
Your blanket falling on the floor is a real hazard. Blanket picks up dirt and grinds that into your violin's finish for the next several days.
Jeff, unfortunately it looks like what Charlie describes may come perilously close to publicly disclosing an invention before the patent application is filed - which generally isn't allowed if you want a valid patent as an end result. This is a fundamental rule in patent systems worldwide, and is about the only thing I haven't forgotten since I retired from British/European patent practice several years ago!
When my parents bought my first violin in 1946, the elderly man insisted that the instrument be wrapped in a double layer of medium weight cloth; material that soft like summer slacks would be made from.
We wrapped my first quarter size violin in a blanket made from part of an old flannel sheet died black; it was a half size case that I used.
In 1953, we got my third and full size violin. We wrapped it in a cloth remnant (the blanket) purchased at Penny’s it measures 36” X 46”. I carried my violin to and from school with the case handle hanging from the hand brake of my bicycle. Never any damage to the violin.
In the years that I owned those violins, always wrapped, no cracks or loose glue joints appeared. They were in excellent condition until last year when they were lost in a Texas tornado.
Now, I keep my mezzo wrapped in that same cloth from 1953, even though the new Bobelock case is so much better than the old ones. The case blanket I just lay on top of the whole mess. (I have to use a viola case as the mezzo is just a little bit too big for a violin case; lots of room.)
Should you try this be sure that this kind of blanket does not cause any compression or binding of your violin when the case is closed.
When not going some where with your violin, bows should be hung on hooks in a room that receives light in the day time; bug prevention.
ABL
Allan, I think if you had the high tech lead blanket proposed by Paul, your violin wouldn't have flew away in the tornado
Allan, I think if you had the high tech lead blanket proposed by Paul, your violin wouldn't have flew away in the tornado
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March 19, 2017 at 10:59 PM · I wouldn't say the blanket is a necessity, but it can give your violin extra protection.