Q&A for How to Set Up a Violin

A violin can cost from $100 to $1000 and up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. At the same time, if you consider buying the first violin for a child who keeps growing, I usually recommend to rent it.

The bow hair should not ever need to be cleaned. You may occasionally need to wipe the rosin off of the wooden arch, but never the hair. To clean the wood, just use the same cloth you use to wipe the rosin dust off of your strings. You should never need to use any liquid or soap, just the cloth.

Have you tried rosining your bow? A new bow needs to be rosined for about 10 minutes.

This is normal sometimes, as the sound post usually isn't perfectly in the center.

Start by just wiping it gently with a paper towel. If that doesn't work, or the oil is on the bow hair, you can try applying a little bit of denatured alcohol to a rag or paper towel and wiping the affected area. Do not use alcohol on the bow stick as this will remove the varnish, and as always, when in doubt, take it to a professional who repairs violins.

I would recommend reading wikiHow's article on tuning a violin for tips.

Make sure you have plenty of rosin on the bow. Without it you won't get a sound.