Do I need to buy a violin silk bag?

Not sure if your violin needs a silk bag? Read this blog post to explore the subject of rapid weather changes, your violin, and your silk bag!

We're excited to introduce you to one of our newest accessory lines: Kokon! Kokon sleeves are handcrafted from gorgeous violin, viola and cello fabrics. Kokon violin, viola and cello sleeves are made from high-quality fabrics for a high-end, stylish look. The quality of the fabric and top-notch craftsmanship are fantastic and will make a great addition to your phone case. Musicians have a special relationship with their violins. Your investment deserves the best!

欢迎选购艺匠琴坊的弦乐器，您可以点击此链接与我们建立联系！

It's obvious, we know: your violin is made of wood. The reality is that your violin is made from several types of wood, all of which are susceptible to weather changes. Wood expands and contracts with the weather, expands when exposed to moisture, and shrinks when it dries.

Each type of wood used to make violins has its own characteristics, including different densities, and may expand and contract slightly differently from each other as the weather changes. The ideal humidity range for violins is 40% to 60%. Outside of these you are most likely to experience changes in your violin.

• Fiddle cases were mainly made of maple and spruce, possibly with willow linings.
• The neck (including the pegbox) is made of maple.
• Accessories (fingerboard, nut, pegs) are ebony.
• You may have pear wood next to ebony in your trim.

So what changes can you expect?

change your voice

In dry weather, your violin is likely to produce a very hard, overly focused tone that is less appealing and less responsive to our attempts to play with warmth and richness. This is because the wood shrinks and the body becomes very tight. As the soundboard (belly) and backplate retract, the front and rear arches pull inward across the soundposts, producing a harder, more focused tone.

In wet weather, your violin will expand in the opposite direction; it opens up the arch and relieves pressure on the sound post. The combination of damp wood and a looser body results in a rather "dead", "hairy" or "fuzzy" sound, and is rather boring. You will, of course, realize that when the weather is very humid, you feel lethargic: and so does your violin!

Adjustment

When the weather changes, expect your violin to need tuning. When big changes occur, expect more problems with adjustments. When the weather changes overnight, we often hear from members of our string community who have broken strings, broken bows, and pegs refusing to stay in place. There are some simple solutions to these problems, including using a silk bag or moisture meter, and a tube of sticky glue.

Buy tuners online with fast delivery in Australia!

violin movement

When your violin tightens or loosens with the weather, the violin may have a considerable range of motion.

Neck Movement/String Height

In cases of excessive humidity, the neck may tilt back, raising the fretboard to a higher "protrusion." This lifts the strings off the fretboard, requiring more force to push them down. Sometimes the strings are too high to play.

In overly dry conditions, the neck can over-straighten, lowering the strings to the point where they buzz against the fretboard. Sometimes this returns when the weather returns to normal. However, sometimes the neck cannot recover if there is a lot of movement. In these cases, a neck "reduction" or other repair work may be necessary.

Open seams/surface cracks

Excessive drying can sometimes cause major surface cracks, requiring expensive repairs. The surface that is more susceptible to cracking is the front, as spruce tends to crack, but in a bad year we can see serious cracks in the maple back and even the ribs. As we discussed, dryness can cause shrinkage: This can also cause seams to loosen. We have seen this a number of times in recent years, particularly with larger violins such as those located in inland places such as Warwick, Armidale etc.

Openings often occur due to the movement of the wood, especially when both expansion and contraction occur quickly. When the body parts are glued together, the special leather glue is strong enough to hold the seams securely in normal weather, but weak enough to allow the seams to separate. This is very important because if the joint remains rigid during expansion/contraction, there is a greater risk of cracks developing. Seams are easier to reglue than superficial cracks. In Brisbane, humidity can change rapidly from humid to very dry, causing seams to crack.

sound column movement

As we mentioned earlier, the expansion and contraction of the wood causes the front and rear arches to change shape. When the body becomes very tight, this increases the pressure on the sound post. As it relaxes, the tension on the sound post also relaxes.

In the worst-case scenario, too much tension on the fret can cause cracks in the belly or back that line up with the fret. On more affordable instruments, this is fatal, as the cost of the instrument may be untenable compared to the cost of repair. On higher quality instruments, this is an expensive repair.

Loose tension on the sound column creates a risk of the sound column falling. This will require a very cheap sound post "stand", or more likely the violin will need new sound posts cut and installed. If a soundpost falls, the strings must be loosened immediately: if the soundpost does not provide support, the pressure of the strings and bridge feet on the belly may cause cracks in the belly or back that are aligned with the soundpost. Again, on more affordable instruments (under $1000) this is fatal, and on higher quality instruments it's an expensive repair.

Learn more about repair and maintenance at XY Violins.

So what exactly does a silk bag do?

The most dangerous weather for our instruments is changeable weather, with sudden changes and we alternate between dry and wet conditions. Here are three main protections you can use to protect your instrument from rapid changes. We strongly recommend that you always use these three tools to ensure that your violin is properly cared for.

1. Use a silk or tightly woven cotton bag or blanket

No old soft bag will protect you from excessive dryness or moisture in the long run. Bags breathe. They allow air to move in and out. Silk or tightly woven cotton can cushion sudden changes, which is where the greatest damage can occur quickly. A "blanket" or cover can be a great help, but a drawstring bag wrapped around the violin will provide even better protection.

It needs to be silk or tightly woven pure cotton, firstly because of how well they "breathe" but also because they are less likely (than other materials) to print on the weave pattern or stick to the varnish when it softens in warm weather. We have seen many violins have marks on the varnish that was in contact with the case, and in violins that have been placed in very warm places we have seen the fibers of the softer wrapped fabric actually get stuck into the varnish.

Shop Kokon sleeves here.

Shop BAM phone cases and accessories here.

欢迎选购艺匠琴坊的弦乐器，您可以点击此链接与我们建立联系！

2. Use a hygrometer

A hygrometer is a meter that tells you the humidity level in your box. Some boxes come with a mechanical hygrometer. Some electronic tuners and metronomes have digital hygrometer functionality. Some high-end phone case manufacturers offer more high-tech hygrometers, including a warning system that alerts your phone when the humidity rises or drops to dangerous levels.

Shop our range of hygrometers here.

3. Use a humidifier

A simple humidifier (just for protection against the dangers of dry weather – but cracks are more likely to appear then!) is the rubber worm type. It works by gradually releasing moisture into the air inside the violin, viola, cello or double bass, preventing it from cracking. You have to keep an eye on these and make sure they stay properly moist. In very dry weather they can dry out within a day. They are very effective as long as you remember them. There are other in-box humidifiers that cost more but offer stronger and longer-term protection. The music room in your home would be a great place to place a room humidifier, which will provide the best protection!

Buy a humidifier here.

We hope you found this article informative. If you have any questions about humidity and your violin, or any other string-related issue, contact our friendly team in Red Mountain today!