Ideally, you should bow a long, clear note not too loud as that can sharpen the pitch, but not too soft either. Tuning with these screws is the safer option, and the one normally used for everyday tuning unless the peg has slipped and your string is too loose. The fine tuners are simply adjusted by turning the screws: clockwise raíses (sharpens) the pitch by tightening the string anticlockwise lowers (flattens) the pitch by loosening the string. The bottom end, or the ball end, of the string comes all the way down the fingerboard, over the bridge and fits into a claw in the fine tuner (or string adjuster) which is fitted at the top end of the tailpiece. For these reasons, it is normal for the pegs to only be used if the string has gone too far out of tune for the fine tuner to correct. Using the pegs slowly and gently will ensure you don’t cause any unwanted damage to your strings or peg box. It is easy to overtighten the string by tuning too quickly, so you want to avoid going too quickly. Using the tuning pegs can be a little bit overwhelming and tricky at first, but our number one tip is to take it slow and steady. Pegs are tapered, matching their holes in the peg box, and are secured by carefully pushing into place and wedging them in with the pressure of your hand. We turn each peg so the strings come over, not under it. Each string is threaded through a hole its respective peg and winds around the peg as we tighten it. More on this later.Īt the top of your instrument, the strings come up the fingerboard and over the nut (a raised piece of ebony with grooves carved in it) and into the pegs, in the peg box. It is costly to replace and can last several years in perfect shape only if we maintain it correctly while tuning. Changing the tension of your strings, up or down, also changes the pressure on the bridge. When tuning we also need to keep an eye on the bridge. We’ve added some basic tips below to help with preventing some likely causes of breakage.

This is due to the number of variables that can cause a string to weaken, unravel or simply snap. All strings, regardless of brand, are sold without a manufacturer’s warranty. It’s important to be very careful when tuning or fitting strings. Your violin will most likely have two sets of tuning devices: the pegs at the top of the instrument and the fine tuners, or string adjusters as they are otherwise called, at the bottom, as a part of the tailpiece. Read everything you need to know about your violin soundpost here. All sorts of damage can occur to the violin if you don’t.) If it falls, loosen the strings immediately, don’t play the violin, don’t pass go - but do bring it into our Makers Studio or to a luthier near you ASAP to be re-fitted correctly. (An extra note: If your violin is bumped or dropped, sometimes the soundpost can move or fall down. Carrying the violin in your car boot can also deliver jolts that are unhelpful. If it gets dropped or bumped hard, you will find the same thing. If you have accidentally bumped or knocked your instrument against your stand, chances are you’ll need to re-tune your violin. Learn more about how a violin is made.īumps. Wood expands and contracts with the weather, just as your front door can sometimes be sticky and sometimes might not even stay closed. For us in Brisbane, we see a spate of broken strings and even broken bows at the end of Autumn and through early winter, when we have a really dry period. So can a change in humidity, especially when the air dries out. Even a small change in atmospheric pressure can do it. Weather can have a massive impact on your strings and instrument. If you want to speed up the stretching process, practice and play! You’ll just need to tune more frequently. With most modern violin strings this is usually fairly quick, one or two days, but strings with a synthetic core or gut will sometimes take a week or two to settle. If you’ve fitted new strings to your instrument, they will take some time to stretch and settle. But, don’t worry - it really isn’t unusual for violins to go out of tune - it’s a part of daily violin life. There are a few different reasons why your violin may be out of tune. If you are learning at home, via the internet, or simply can’t get anywhere to have it tuned, here is a little guide to help. When you start learning to play the violin, usually your teacher will tune your violin in your weekly lessons.

Note tuner violin