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I find that on hot days, I need to rosin a bit more often. I would have thought it would stay on the hair better when warm, but apparently not. I also use a dark rosin, and it is a bit "grabbier" when warm, but that's no big thing.
When it is also humid, I find I need to use a bit more bow tension to get the bow hairs into a nice straight band.
If there is a big temperature difference over the course of a day, I'll need to at least touch up tuning, but that is to be expected.
Pretty sure that even a solid body violin could end up warping at least on the neck if left in direct sunlight too long. I've seen it happen with electric guitars that were left in a hot car on a sunny day. Sometimes it goes back when the instrument cools off, sometimes not.
"This young wine may have a lot of tannins now, but in 5 or 10 years it is going to be spectacular, despite the fact that right now it tastes like crude oil. You know this is how it is supposed to taste at this stage of development." ~ Itzhak Perlman
Honorary advisor
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Okay, so what do you do if you are playing outdoors and you get hit with a sudden downpour ? Hopefully you would be playing in an area in which some dort of canopy is provided over the band/orchestra.
But, what if you are right out in the open ? My first reaction would be ti turn the violin upside down to prevent water getting into the F-holes. Water outside the violin can be wiped dry quickly and hopefully won't soak through the varnish. Water inside the violin where there is no varnish cannot be dried and will immediately soak into the wood. I guess a good idea if playing outdoors in weather that may rain might be to keep a plastic bag handy so In a worst case scenario you can guess it to protect the instrument from getting soaked.
And other suggestions on what to do to protect a violin under such circumstances ?
Regular advisor
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I guess the same would apply for mass amounts of sweat. In 100 degree heat you sweat as much as a light rain. Well, at least i do.
Maybe for the rain, you could use a large brimmed hat.
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I wish I could try playing in the heat!!! Middle of summer here and It's 15C and been raining since march!
Bloody crap climate!
I am amazed at how old people of my age are.....
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Thanks Barry, rub it in! At least you managed to play outside for a while!
I am amazed at how old people of my age are.....
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Hman said
I know I'm new to the violin and everything, but I just upgraded from a crappy Chinese violin to a halfway decent Romanian violin with precision pegs. I have to say that they are the best thing ever. The strings cannot slip out of tune. They truly are the best upgrade to the violin EVER!
Hey, Hman, I've been looking for an upgrade and wondered about a Romanian model having lived there on and off for two years coz of my job!
You like yours? Does anyone else have any knowledge or experience of violins that come from the land of Dracula?
I am amazed at how old people of my age are.....
Honorary tenured advisor
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I'm having an opposite problem.
Most of the year here it's very humid and warm to very hot, but the past few weeks have been cold and very dry. Now I have problems tuning, I think the pegs have shrunk and it needs tuning every few minutes. The reference to precision pegs has my ears pricked up. Damn I hate cold. It's 3 deg this morning, I have no heating, I'm sick of having to wear so many clothes.
If you think you can, or you think you can't, you're probably right.
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Robyn.fnq said
I'm having an opposite problem.
Most of the year here it's very humid and warm to very hot, but the past few weeks have been cold and very dry. Now I have problems tuning, I think the pegs have shrunk and it needs tuning every few minutes. The reference to precision pegs has my ears pricked up. Damn I hate cold. It's 3 deg this morning, I have no heating, I'm sick of having to wear so many clothes.
I thought Oz was hot? You need move house! I'll come as a lodger!
I am amazed at how old people of my age are.....
Honorary tenured advisor
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Yes Terry, most of the year it's hot
Someone up there is having a good laugh at me so rugged up I can't bend anything. This is very unusual. No violin practice cause I can't feel my fingers either. Would be different if I had a heater.
If you think you can, or you think you can't, you're probably right.
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Queensland doesn't get cold, just that the humidity goes from 98% to 90%, that is cold for Queenslanders.
Australia can be cold, I heard it snowed once. Maybe that was Tasmania, different country though...
So what people are essentially saying it is best to play in a hermetically sealed room that has temperature controls set to a comfortable level for a violin and the player. So they don't sweat the thing a full size smaller or break their fingers off from frostbite.
When ever my pegs slip I just shove them in deeper, so far it has worked and I don't use any oil or anything. I usually put too much rosin on anyway and it is light so I think that is better for hot weather.
Regular advisor
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yea, i just spent 20 minutes playing in te garage so i wouldn't bother the family. i think i lost a pound in sweat all over the fiddle. now back inside to get cool and my fiddlerman fix.
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LOL, that is too funny. What we don't sacrifice as to not bother our family and neighbors, right?
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Robyn.fnq said
Yes Terry, most of the year it's hot
Someone up there is having a good laugh at me so rugged up I can't bend anything. This is very unusual. No violin practice cause I can't feel my fingers either. Would be different if I had a heater.
I have plenty! I can send you one over. Lol
I am amazed at how old people of my age are.....
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The only advice i have for you is don't leave your violin in the car i tell my students that all the time its safer to carry it with you were its open because the car has trapped heat and the heat can't go any were and can cause damage to your violin .
Just like the cold winter weather thats not the violin's friend if your concerned about the violins condition on really hot weather or really cold weather .
tip ... but you a humidifier the humidifier will tell you if the violin is in good standings or in bad what it does is change colors to warn you some violin cases actually hold a humidifier on it looks like a circle type thing .
This humidifier that i am talking about it looks green & yellow inside and very long you wet it and shake the water off and stick it through the f hole of the violin were it will stay in place i recommend a humidifier like that for your violin it will come in handy .
I also comes with a humidifier chart as well i have a bunch of experiences playing in extremely hot weather i go on tours alot and some of the places i play at are very hot outside hope that kind of helps you out a bit even though im probably way late on messaging this -Cindy
Concert Mistress Cindy
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I can't think of much to add to the excellent advice that has been mentioned already for taking care of the instrument in temperature extremes.
But also remember the player. Keeping hydrated in the heat is important, as well as keeping electrolytes up. Before anyone starts cheering for beer for that, I'll point out that alcohol will make you sweat more in hot weather and puts more strain on the body's waste system. Better enjoyed someplace cool rather than when you are in a situation where heat exhaustion and heat stroke are already possible.
"This young wine may have a lot of tannins now, but in 5 or 10 years it is going to be spectacular, despite the fact that right now it tastes like crude oil. You know this is how it is supposed to taste at this stage of development." ~ Itzhak Perlman
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