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Okay, the unthinkable has happened. I dropped my violin (or viola or cello), or something fell on it, or someone knocked it over. What should I check? Can I correct any problems myself? Should I take it to a professional?

Andy Bonner
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    I now have an unbidden vision of an upright piano bouncing end over end down a long flight of stairs ;)) – Tetsujin Jan 11 '22 at 16:13
  • Prevention is usually better than cure: keep it safe in its case when not playing it. Rest it somewhere stable and safe if having a break. And always keep away from pets and , in particular, children. Maybe not just your instrument..? – Tim Jan 11 '22 at 16:20
  • @Tetsujin - that's a good reason why uprights (and grands) should be kept in their flightcases! – Tim Jan 11 '22 at 16:21
  • @Tim - also make sure the shoulder strap is secure, especially before running. – Tetsujin Jan 11 '22 at 16:23
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    I suspect that a series of _I dropped my X and now Y,_ or even _I did X to my Y and now Z,_ might be preferable to trying to cram this all into a single overbroad question. – phoog Jan 11 '22 at 17:10
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    "I dropped my instrument, or something fell on it, or someone knocked it over" if it's yours how can you not know what happened to it? Just describe the condition of it instead of guess how it got that way. – Michael Curtis Jan 11 '22 at 17:13
  • I’m voting to close this question because not an actual question – Michael Curtis Jan 11 '22 at 17:14
  • Hm, I made this whole thing because of [this comment](https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/120596/how-to-tell-whether-the-soundpost-of-a-violin-needs-adjustment/120597?noredirect=1#comment217677_120597). Might it be better to just go ahead and narrow it to bowed strings? (IMO it's a common enough question that surely will crop up eventually) – Andy Bonner Jan 11 '22 at 18:07
  • That comment seems an appropriate answer for that question you were commenting on. – Michael Curtis Jan 11 '22 at 18:16
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    I'd see it as fit for purpose if it was narrowed. Sh!t happens. People google 'what if sh!t happened?" every day. – Tetsujin Jan 11 '22 at 19:03
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    Harkening back to an old joke ... "I dropped my violin! What should I do?" Well, did you remember to drop the match? – Aaron Jan 12 '22 at 13:56
  • This question, even if narrowed to a single instrument, is pointless. Does it still play? Is it in 100 pieces? did it fall onto a cement floor or a double-stuffed sofa? – Carl Witthoft Jan 12 '22 at 16:07
  • @CarlWitthoft The intent is to give a "what to check, what to freak out about, and what to calm down about" for those who don't know, and maybe save somebody from [gluing their bridge back in place like Glen Washington](https://www.npr.org/2014/11/14/363895406/mr-fix-it). To spell out the quick "is everything ok?" check that experienced players do instantly. – Andy Bonner Jan 12 '22 at 16:44
  • I've just voted to close. Not for any of the available reasons, but because the massive edit has made many of the existing answers irrelevant. – Laurence Jan 12 '22 at 17:05
  • @Aaron that sounds like the setup should be "viola," not "violin." – phoog Jan 14 '22 at 09:06

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Note: I'll answer this question with violin and other bowed strings in mind. Many of the tips would also apply to acoustic guitar or other wooden instruments.

First: It never hurts to take it to a professional. You need to know of a good, reputable, capable person who can do repairs and maintenance on your instrument. How to find such a person is its own question, but the quick version is "ask other musicians in your area." For string instruments, this person is often called a luthier, and I'll use that word. A good luthier shouldn't charge you for just taking a look to see if anything is wrong, and might be able to spot problems you're not aware of.

But right now, let's do some quick triage. You're the first responder to your instrument's emergency. How can you check its condition? What are some common injuries to check for? How can you give your instrument "first aid" to make sure it's as safe as it can be for the moment?

Look the whole instrument over carefully. Is anything visibly damaged? (There are some issues that look catastrophic but shouldn't be a cause for panic. If the "tailgut" breaks, there's a loud bang and suddenly all four strings go everywhere and the bridge falls off—but the repair is fairly minor and inexpensive. Even if the damage is catastrophic, luthiers can do amazing things; I know someone whose 18th-century cello fell down a flight of stairs and had the top smashed in, but looks and sounds just fine now.) If there are scratches or gouges, that's unfortunate, but look in particular for cracks. Look at the places where two pieces of wood come together and make sure there are no gaps. Assuming it's safe to, knock with your finger around all such joints and make sure nothing buzzes or rattles.

One of the most common and easiest remedied issues after a hard knock is simply that the instrument is out of tune. Before you start retuning it, check that the things the strings depend on are properly in place. For bowed strings, the bridge is the most "moveable" piece of the instrument—it isn't glued in place, just held down by the strings, so it can easily be knocked out of alignment. Look at the bridge side-on; its back face should be perfectly perpendicular to the belly of the instrument, not leaning forward or backward. Look at it as a bird's-eye view: it should be perfectly perpendicular to the strings; neither of its feet should be farther forward or backward than the other. Looking with a bird's-eye view, are the strings "centered" in the middle of the fingerboard? If not, maybe the bridge has moved sideways. If the bridge is leaning, curved, or shifted, this is one fix you can do yourself, but if you're at all uncomfortable or unsure, go ahead and take it to the luthier. Since the bridge isn't glued in place, it's easy to accidentally knock it right over when trying to push it into place, and this can scar the top of the instrument. Have the luthier teach you how to adjust the bridge safely so you can do it yourself next time. If you have to move the feet of the bridge, tune the strings down a bit to reduce tension (but don't remove all the tension) so you don't scrape the top of the instrument.

Tilt the instrument from side to side. If there's something rolling and rattling around inside, uh oh—your soundpost has probably fallen. (Or worse, some other piece has come unglued inside.) Peek through the F holes; can you see a small dowel rolling around? That's the soundpost. The good news is this is a very easy, cheap fix; the bad news is your instrument is in danger of much more serious damage. The soundpost helps "hold up" the top of the instrument; without it, the tension of the strings might damage the top plate. Immediately take some tension (not all of it) off the strings and get it to the luthier as soon as you can.

Check the end "button"; is it seated properly against the side of the instrument? Is it sticking out at an angle? Check where the neck meets the body of the instrument. Are there any visible gaps?

And that's pretty much it. If everything checks out, feel free to tune up and carry on—though feel free to take it in to your luthier anyway. It's worthwhile to go in for a "check-up" once or twice a year anyway!

Andy Bonner
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    This answer reinforces my opinion expressed in a comment on the question. The site design encourages questions for which a single best answer can be accepted. The best answer to this question depends on what instrument was dropped, whether there are signs of damage and if so what signs, etc. – phoog Jan 11 '22 at 17:14
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    This forum is supposed to be for actual questions and answer, not generic reference. It's right in the forum guide. – Michael Curtis Jan 11 '22 at 17:15
  • Its not just, because I suggested the question, that I have to disagree. *How to detect if my soundpost gots a hit* is a fine question according to your definition, but of very limited used due to a purely hypothetical scenario. You may also want to look up [here](https://music.stackexchange.com/help/privileges/moderator-tools), that merging similar questions is a valid moderator action, even if its seldom done due to the connected effort. – guidot Jan 11 '22 at 22:33
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You really want a 1000-word answer to this? :-)

Look it over. IS anything visibly broken? Does it play OK? If nothing's broken, probably no need to fix it.

Laurence
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    Upvoted simply against someone else's downvote. General question, general answer. – Michael Curtis Jan 11 '22 at 18:18
  • Looks like he wanted to answer his own question for points. –  Jan 12 '22 at 13:24
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    @DrDRB Hehe, not about the points. [Self-answering is a thing.](https://music.stackexchange.com/help/self-answer) I just thought it might be a common enough question (though not asked here yet) and could be helpful to create the answer. I'm not particularly attached to it, and am happy to close it again if need be. – Andy Bonner Jan 12 '22 at 13:45
  • @MichaelCurtis but nothing **visibly** broken is not the same as "nothing broken." The last sentence here begs the question, so it's worthless. – Carl Witthoft Jan 12 '22 at 16:08
  • @CarlWitthoft, it's also worthless to try making a one stop post that would cover all dropped violin questions. That's the reason to not do this on a Q&A forum. This is supposed to be about real and specific questions. – Michael Curtis Jan 12 '22 at 16:15
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I had a similar thing happen to my first violin when I was a kid and destroyed it, sad face. It was a beautiful violin, great sound. If you are not a luthier or have experience with such instruments, I'd take it to a luthier immediately and ask them to look it over. It's like going to the doctor.

  • And here come the gratuitous down votes. What's actually wrong with the answer –  Jan 12 '22 at 23:00
  • I suspect the downvotes are because this answer is almost empty. – Carl Witthoft Jan 13 '22 at 13:26
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    The first half of the answer is not really an answer, probably leading to the downvotes, because the answer might be better off as a comment. The second half is identical to the answer from Laurence Payne who posted it first. – MeanGreen Jan 13 '22 at 13:55
  • @MeanGreen, I disagree with the comment that my second statement is the same as the other answer. I am suggesting to take it to a Luthier and Laurence literally said the opposite. –  Jan 13 '22 at 20:26