. . . Clean Up Your Act
Use a very soft cotton cloth to clean your instrument when you’re finished playing. Avoid commercial cleansers and polishes. Clean not just the rosin from the fingerboard and under the bridge, but also the sweat and dirt, which is usually on the top of the instrument. Try to get the perspiration before it dries—the salt is amazingly corrosive and will eat right through the finish. You can clean the fingerboard yourself, but be very careful if you do. The only effective cleaner is alcohol, which is a solvent for most varnishes (so don’t let any drip on the instrument body). It’s difficult to control, because it can run all over the place. The trick is to use it sparingly. A folded paper towel with just a dab from the bottle is enough; even better are the sterile, premoistened pads from a pharmacy. Here’s a tip: Never hold the instrument up by the neck while cleaning the fingerboard. Instead lay it down on a table on a soft towel with other rolled towels under the button and scroll to keep the instrument stable. Put some thick cardboard over the top and under the fingerboard, reaching from the butt of the neck inlay to the front of the bridge. That way, if anything drips, it won’t get on the varnish. You can clean your strings in this same manner, but don’t loosen them—just pull them aside one by one.
—JAMES N. MCKEAN

. . . Install and Care for Strings
When trying a new type of string, reserve judgment for a few days. Most brands take time to settle in and reach their peak. After that, take them off and try something else. It may take some experimenting to find the string best suited to you. Keep in mind that synthetic-core strings lose some of their quality when they are taken off an instrument and later reinstalled. When you need to change an entire set of strings, do not remove all of the old strings at one time—you could lose the correct bridge placement or even collapse the soundpost. Instead, remove one string at a time and keep all the others up to pitch.
—RICHARD WARD


. . .Protect Your Bow
Most damage to bows comes from being careless. Don’t under any circumstances leave the bow lying across the violin in an open case—the lid can and often does fall. The bow will almost certainly end up with serious damage, but it can also injure the instrument in the process. Securing the bow and closing the case is an excellent idea, anyway. Bows have an alarming ability to disappear—they are easily transportable, and to any but the practiced eye they all look the same. Zip the case while you’re at it—you might forget that you haven’t and pick it up and then the instrument will come tumbling out.
—JAMES N. MCKEAN