Caring for Your Cello – Maintenance
Keeping your cello in good shape will ensure that you get good service from your instrument for a great many years. With a bit of common sense, a little knowledge on maintaining your cello and some discipline, you will be able to regularly clean and maintain your cello so that it remains sparkling, clean and well-tuned, providing you with the pleasure of great music for a long time. For tips on how to clean the cello, you can check out the article: http://cellolessonssingapore.com/caring-cello-cleaning/.
In this article, we will discuss how to perform maintenance tasks on your cello on a regular basis.
Protect from humidity
The first rule to keeping your cello in good condition is to zealously protect it from humidity. The moisture from the air can harm your cello more than anything else you can think of. It can lead to the cello developing cracks or go out of tune. To prevent this, avoid playing your cello out in the open for long hours. Put your cello away every time you have done playing for the day because leaving it out in the open can expose it to moisture. If possible, make sure that you keep the cello in a room with level temperature and humidity. If this is not possible, pack it away in a padded case which will keep it safe from the elements.
Regular tuning
When you learn to play the cello, in order to play well, the cello needs to be tuned regularly so that it sounds good. Cello strings are wrapped around pegs attached to the body. By turning these pegs, the strings are tuned. A simple rule to remember is that tightening a string means raising the pitch and loosening it means lowering the pitch. Many cellos are also equipped with fine tuners on each string near the tailpiece. Doing this manually might take time and some level of expertise, so the best bet for beginners is to buy a digital tuner. The tuner indicates which direction to tune the string and provides the functions to do the tuning.
Handling the strings
There are four strings to every cello and they need to be re-stringed at one point or the other. The strings often break, and it should become second nature to you to be able to string them again properly. There is no need to change strings on a regular basis, though. Only do it when it appears as if they are about to break. Work on each string one at a time, and refrain from loosening the other strings while you are at it. Make sure that the strings are at the right height above the fingerboard. One thing to remember is to always keep extra strings with you in case one breaks during a performance. This is one skill that is taught in all beginner cello lessons.
Transportation
If you plan to travel regularly with a cello case, buy a hard case for it. Though chances of scratches on the cello might be more in case of a hard case, it will nevertheless protect the cello from damage during transit. Make sure that the inner side is soft-padded. If required, also put in a humidifier to keep the temperature and moisture level at a desirable state.
For more information on the cello, you can check out the website: www.cellolessonssingapore.com.
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