Remember your strings are vibrating like a wave, and when they are covered in rosin on one end they will vibrate unevenly at the stickier end. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that it's important to clean the rosin off your strings after each or every second practice so it doesn't build up. My suggestion is to use a soft cloth every day after each practice to remove the rosin dust as part of your usual routine.īelow I will discuss keeping your strings clean too. You must also be careful to use our cream cleaner only on the scroll and body of the violin and not on the bridge, fingerboard, neck, pegs, strings or chin rest. I sell our cream polish/cleaner in very small bottles as the larger bottles usually go bad before anyone can use them up owing to the tiny amount required to do a cleaning. This cleaner is good to use once or twice a year only as it can build-up and attract dust which is bad for the varnish, very much like how using a thick conditioner in your hair can cause buildup and make your hair even dirtier. Once it is cleaned up you can use a gentler polish/cleaner at home. You may not have it all removed and have a dark section where the varnish was stained from dirt stuck to the rosin, but some players think it adds character. They will use some solvents (such as denatured alcohol, turpentine, etc) and hopefully employ a technique which is very effective in removing as much of the buildup as possible. They have the patience, skill and know-how which is needed when dealing with the delicate issue of varnish damage. Have a highly skilled luthier do it and not just a general music store. ![]() You've made it to 82, my dear, and we want to see you sticking around playing fiddle for many more years yet! You are correct that the chemicals can be toxic to you. However, in your case, I think the best thing is to have a luthier take care of it for you. Typically I encourage people to learn to do some basic care on their own, such as adjusting their bridge time to time so it doesn't warp, changing their own strings, and other small tweaks that keep your violin in tip top shape. Rosin is acidic and in it's very nature likes to stick to things, especially varnish (with many types of varnish coming from similar materials as the rosin itself!) So it's important to remove it and you are wise to look into this. Unfortunately, what's good for creating sound is bad for the violin's wood and strings. It needs to be sticky to adhere to the barb-like hooks on the surface of the bow and produce a sound. Rosin is sticky stuff, being as it used to be tree sap then was cooked and purified many times, in a similar concept to how high-grade spirits are distilled multiple times. Is that safe for me to use? Could it wreck my violin if I'm not careful? What do you recommend? ![]() I'd like to get down to the varnish and I bought a bottle of violin cleaner from a violin repair shop but the label says it contains turpentine. Now I'm 82 years old and want to play again. Many years ago, I was negligent cleaning it after use. How do I clean off the build up of rosin on my old violin? Ask Rhiannon Series: "I'm 82 and want to remove rosin from my antique violin, but I am worried the chemical cleaner is bad for my violin and my own health"
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