Cello & Bow Care

Now that you have your instrument, how on earth do you take care of the thing?! Below are some guidelines to follow and helpful hints for caring for the instrument.

First, just as a reminder, here are two images with the parts of the cello & the bow. 

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Cello & Bow Care Guidelines

• General Guidelines
• When removing the instrument from the case, remove the bow first. Then, always put the bow in the soft case after the instrument when packing up. The bow is fragile and the case is very flimsy. Trying to get the instrument out of the case with the bow still inside can result in a broken bow. (see below for directions)
• After playing, use a clean, soft cloth (I use an old t-shirt) to remove rosin from the strings, instrument and bow stick. Do not use any furniture cleaners, oils or alcohol on the instrument.
• Place the instrument and bow in its case or in its stand after playing. Don't leave it on the floor! It usually gets knocked over by a sibling, dog, parent, the cellist...Investing in a cello stand is a great idea. It keeps the instrument off the floor but still readily accessible by the student. Most cellists (myself included) are deterred from practicing by just having to get the instrument out of the case. The stand eliminates this annoying task!
• Do not put anything in the case with instrument except what was meant to go there. There is at least one pocket on the case. Put all accessories in the pocket. Or carry a separate bag with all your cello accessories.
• No one but the string student should handle the instrument, including brothers, sisters, and/or friends.
• Hold the instrument only how your teacher has instructed. Never hold the instrument by anything except the neck.
• As a rule, the strings and bow hairs do need to be replaced. This likely won't be something you will run into frequently as students tend to change instrument often but it's a good thing to know.
  
• Bow Rules
• Loosen the bow hair, but not so much as to allow the hair to touch the stick or for the individual hairs to separately hang loose. Never try to take the bow apart. You may have seen me do this in the lesson but do not replicate it.
• Never, ever, EVER touch the hair of the bow, nor allow anything except rosin to come into contact with it. Do not attempt to clean it. The horsehair is intended to be coarse and the rosin makes the hair extra sticky so it can grip the strings. Oils and dirt from our skin counteracts the stickiness of the rosin and weakens the coarseness of the hair. Rehairing the bow can be expensive and you'll have to do this if you touch the bow hairs a lot.
• Never use the bow or instrument for anything other than practicing or playing. Never hit the bow on anything. It is not a sword! Also, watch where your child is swinging that bow...there have been a few close calls. No one wants a bow in their eye.
• The bow hairs get stretched out from repeated tightening and loosening and needs to be replaced from time to time. Also they get pretty gross with all the rosin caked on. The bow needs to be re-haired about once a year and, in Austin, runs around $60.
  
• Cello Rules
• Never bump or jar the instrument sharply, even while it is in its case. Bumping the instrument against another object may damage the wood, cause the bridge to slide out of alignment or cause the sound post inside to fall down.
• If the bridge moves, don't touch it! Have your teacher or the rental shop fix it for you. Often times, moving or removing the bridge will result in the soundpost falling down. Not a huge deal but something your instrument shop will have to fix.
• the soundpost is a dowel stick inside the instrument that is help in place by the pressure of the front and back of the instrument. It's not glued in, just merely held in place by wedging it in. If pressure from the instrument is suddenly released, like the bridge falling off, the soundpost will also fall down.
• I can fix a moved or fallen down bridge but I cannot fix a fallen soundpost.
• Bridges (like soundposts) are not glued in place, but are held in place by the pressure of the strings, which allows them to be replaced and adjusted as needed. If the bridge pops off, don't glue it back on! Also, wait for your teacher or the instrument shop to fix this. It has to be in a particular spot and place on the instrument a particular way. It's possible to put it on backwards.
• Do not allow the instrument to get too hot or too cold. NEVER leave an instrument in your car, especially the trunk. Excess heat and humidity can cause varnish to melt, even in the winter. Extremely cold temperatures can cause wood to shrink, and the accompanying dryness may possibly cause cracks or separate of pieces to develop. Do not leave the instrument near an air conditioner or a fireplace. Think about it this way: if you are uncomfortable (too hot or too cold), the instrument is, too. Any extremes are terrible for the instrument and cause all sorts of havoc.
• If an accident occurs or a string breaks, take it to the shop where the instrument was rented or purchased for repair. Never attempt to repair the instrument yourself.
• Unless your teacher has showed you how, never turn the pegs. Improper turning 
• Strings get old and when that happens, they go false and are difficult to tune, don't hold being tuned or simply sound off. They then need to be replaced. How often? Probably once a year. A set, depending on the brand, runs anywhere from $50 - $100. Consult your teacher before purchasing new strings.
  

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Please help your child to be careful and gentle with the instrument and bow as a rule. Accidents, bumps and drops happen but don't make this a habit. Establish early on that it is not a toy but rather a fragile and pricey instrument that needs to be cared for regularly. 

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How to Unpack & Pack the Cello

Unpacking the Cello

1. Lay cello case on back, on the floor
2. Remove bow
3. Unzip cello case
4. While holding the neck of the cello, lift the front of the case and gently pull the cello out
5. Set cello on side
6. Adjust the endpin length 

*When unpacking the cello, the bow is always removed first*

Packing the Cello

1. Push the endpin back inside the cello and secure the screw.
2. Place the scroll inside the case first, then slide the rest of the body inside.
3. Zip case
4. Loosen bow.
5. Place bow inside case. 

 *When packing the cello back up, the bow is always placed inside last*

Rest Position (on the floor)

In rest position, the cello is placed to the left of the chair, bridge facing out towards the left and endpin forward. When placing the cello on the floor, gently and quietly move the cello with the left hand securely around the neck and the right hand holding the rib edge/C bout. 

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While it seems like there are a lot of DON'Ts for the instrument I have one word of reassurance. The little cellos are pretty durable. I'm not inviting you or your child to man-handle the instrument but a bump here or there won't be a devastating blow. Even when the cello gets kicked over or dropped - yes, this happens, a lot - it's okay. The instrument will likely go out of tune but that's typically the worst of it. However, repeated drops, bangs and bumps will result in cracks or open seams (which are very expensive fixes) but the occasional and accidental bump won't harm the instrument long-term.