I used to keep Claudia in her case behind the sofa but I'm going to hang Martha on the wall because there is still a slight softness to her varnish - she should be hung in sunlight but here in NE Scotland that's a little hard to come by

Traditionally fiddles were hung by the fire so they could be taken down in the evening for entertainment (before telly) by the light of the fire (and a candle if you were rich). I used to wonder why so many old fiddles had a ribbon or a string tied round their scroll! (Martha has white satin ribbon ) My teacher's music room has over a dozen violins in various states of repair hung around the walls and I think it looks lovely.

I do worry about dust but it makes me play so much more often by just being able to lift her off the wall rather than drag the case out from behind the sofa. And when I'm finished playing I always wipe off the rosin and fingerprints too so she's not going to 'gather' dust

Both my violins are kept (when not being played) wrapped in silk in their cases in a cupboard in the bedroom as I don't have any heating on in that room and the temperature and humidity are pretty stable and it's also where I practice.

While I do not wish to be a spoil sport, there are several points I'd like to put forward about this.

Although your teacher has several violins hanging on their wall (probably instruments that are not very playable for one reason or another), I certainly wouldn't recommend you hanging your own violin (Martha) in direct sunlight (who suggested that?), particularly fully strung and setup to play. I know of makers who will put an unfinished violin in a warm place to dry the varnish, but the suns rays can be very damaging to wood, varnish and the glue that holds violin seams together.

I suppose a lot depends on how valuable the instrument is, but my insurance company would baulk at paying for repairs because the violin was damaged when it fell off the hook on the wall. Insurance policies won't cover an instrument which is not kept in a suitable (and closed) case when the instrument is not in use.

Additionally, for a string instrument, a case minimises temperature and humidity changes around the instrument itself. Instruments may look very pretty and nostalgic hung on the wall, but left out all the time will be under a constant barrage of expansion, contraction, dry air and humid air. For a beaten up 'muddy field fiddle' worth £25, one may not mind, but if the instrument really means something to you......

I don't have central heating at all, which is a very good thing where musical instruments are concerned.

Earthquake country here, so instruments go in their cases the moment they leave the player's hands!

Nice photo, it looks lovely but be careful that it doesn't fall down.

I put my violin on top of my keyboard or on my desk...whereever there's space available! It's a bit dangerous on my desk cos I always put drinks on my desk.

I normally try and squeeze in 15 minutes of practice here and there and so it's more convenient to have it lying around (I always quickly practice my scales when the advert is on telly!) But I've been so busy with work this past month and so my poor violin is gathering dust! I really should have put it away but its more tempting to practice it if it's lying around. I guess cos I've got a cheap student violin it's ok, if I had a more expensive one, I would take better care of it and keep it in the case.

Violin:
In its case, tucked into the gap between the side of the piano and the wall. (Mandolin just behind it).

'Cello:
Don't have one. :-(
But when I borrowed a school one for a while, it mostly lived in my wardrobe at school, along with several guitars, an amp, and a few other instruments. Clothes lived in my rucksack.

Guitars:
Steel strung accoustic in hard case is behind the sofa (the one just in front of a wall).
Electric and steel strung accoustic in soft cases are in my wardrobe, along with the case for my classical.
Classical is usually out and moves around my room (usually either leaning in front of the wardrobe or against the bed or lying on the bed). Get's put away properly sometimes when I tidy up.
Bass is on long-term loan to two of my siblings. I'm not sure which of them actually has it right now.

Harp:
In its case in the dining room. But when the unpacking's finished it will probably live out of its case again like it did before the move.

Kantele:
(Wasn't on your list, but is a stringed instrument)
In a wooden case, in my wardrobe.


I'll concede that I may not have entirely grasped the intended purpose of wardrobes... ;-)
In Teigr-world they exist to provide instrument storage facilities or a gateway to Narnia.

T.

Gulp!
That all sounds a bit scary.
She's only been hanging there for 24 hours but tendrils of doubt were starting to creep in especially when I came into the room this morning and it was cold compared to being very warm last night. She's definitely not in full sun - I realise that wouldn't be clever. But I didn't realise that about Insurance and instrument storage; I don't know whether to insure 'Martha' because she's not costing a vast amount but of course to me at the moment she's priceless

Think I might just buy her a silk pyjama for her Christmas and put her safely back in her case

If she did fall I'd be heartbroken.

I was told that luthiers put their instruments in sunlight (porches/conservatories) to 'set' the varnish and it was the best way to dry out new varnish.

Yes, I did think she looked 'nostalgic' hanging on the wall, I know many 'fiddlers' who hang instruments on the wall and maybe they are 'muddy field fiddles' but now that I think about the dangers for an instrument I'm in love with I feel pretty stupid

There, she's safely tucked up in her case again

I'm the world's worst worrier and the thought of her falling, or being damaged by the heating and temperature fluctuations etc made me quite distressed!

Pretty or not she's going to be treated like solid gold in my hands.....

(p.s any ideas what I should hang from the hook after the Christmas Cards come down... wait... I'll do a painting of Martha!!! (watch this space))

Insurance is well worth it for the minimal cost of premiums, to insure my violin for £800 only costs £30 per year and that includes an automatic £500 insurance for case, bows and other accessories. You'll often find that to have your violin insured when away from your home on your home contents policy will cost more than a dedicated musical instrument policy would. Also companies that specialize in instrument insurance are much more geared towards a musicians needs should you ever need to claim.
I use Allianz Musical (British Reserve).

My cello is kept shut in its case for most of the time I'm not playing it, and I leave the case in the space between the piano and the wall. I nearly always shut it in its case during orchestral interludes, because it's worth about £3,000

A bit off topic, but yes, I always put my flute away during breaks at orchestra or whatever, or hold it, because even though it's not worth as much as some flutes, it still cost us over £1000 and I hear too many stories of flutes being knocked off chairs and things *shudder*

still slightly off topic, but my flute got knocked off a chair a few weeks ago and now has a large dent in it . i must remember to get it fixed...

Martha looks gorgeous!

Foxy is kept under a silk blanket, in his case at the bottom of my wardrobe. Its the one place my cat can't get into (she can open doors). I caught her once sitting on my flute and she's taken a shine to Foxy.

Martha really is a gorgeous violin btw
I don't think i'm quite brave enough to hang my instrument on the wall >_< But mine's always under my chin, but on the rare occasion that Fidelio isn't being used he'll either be in his case or out safely on the table... or when im on my computer i generally pick him up and down and up and down - so he sits next to me on my bed then. xD We can barely part



Ohh me too - my flute is worth very little (a well used yamaha 311! im saving for a Miyazawa... ) but i wont leave it anywhere. In orchestra rehersals everyone leaves their instruments out, and atleast 1 or 2 get knocked off.

1 girl had some real bad luck like last week - she had a brand new yamaha 411 and someone knocked it off the chair and the mechanism basically just... all popped out. I eventually managed to fix her flute - put the mechanism all back in place screwed it all in to the right tightness and got all the pins back in place XD (i was so proud )
But then later She had left her saxophone on a saxophone stand - i dont trust saxophone stands anyway! And in the rush to get into position for clarinet group, i... accidently knocked her saxophone right off the stand... there wasn't even any chance for me to check if it was ok... I did explain to her after why her saxophone was now sat on a different chair and apologized but she was completely fine about it XD And her saxophone was unharmed

Mine goes away overnight and stays in an open case, on a bed, or on a sofa during the day. Because I tend to do 30 to 50 minute chunks of practice, about 6 of these in a day, it's a pain to keep putting it away every time, especially since most of my breaks between practice are under 30 minutes long. Tbh my case is so rubbish it probably makes very little difference to how protected it is...

This is an interesting question. My Viola, at the moment, is in my closet, in its case, above my cloths so when ever I go into my closet I will always think "Hey maybe I should practice now" When I get my christmas bass guitar I will probably leave it leaning against the wall or on the bed, I'm gonna practice >_> even for just 5 minutes. My tuba is in the other room, in its case, and since All-region is coming up I practice that a lot

I actually had to fight to keep my harp 'cos it takes up so much room in our wee terraced house. However, a bit of creative use of space and it is now tucked safely between our kids toy drawers and comfy chair. I always keep it in it's case when not practising, or th kids would wreck it. However, I did keep it out for a while for this:

That's wonderful - who needs a tree!

I keep mine in my case. It's usualy closed, but I don't play it a lot if it's closed(I can't be bothered...)

My Clari usually lives in its case, but during holidays I leave it on its stand so I can play it whenever I want (Or can find the breath to *Mutters about colds* !). Leaving it out means that the corks get a little less stiff as well. No one is allowed in my study though when its on the stand, in case they knock it over. I'm paranoid!

One violin is always on it's stand and the other in it's case.

The clarinet and sax are also both on stands and that's where all the instruments stay until they are needed for lessons or orchestra.

It also means that they are readily available for a quick 10 minute practice!

All our instruments live in the front room. The student Flute lived on it's stand for a while but found it's way back inot the case recently. All of the others live in their cases there's too many of them ot have on stands all the time. The guitars stay on their stand and of course the drums and piano are always available. Other instruments live on various shelves around the room. It's a bit of a pain to hoover as it is with everything safely in their cases.

Here's my violin's house:





It's great because I used to worry about leaving my case open when my 11ear old brother's crazy friends came over but now it's nice and safe and there's just the right amount of space for my case and music.

My viola ALWAYS goes back in my case. The case leans against the wall next to my bed. My guitar goes either in it's case or on it's stand. As for my piano... it pretty much just sits in the living room. =)

My viola is also always put back in her case straight away after practise and rosin-removal! The case lives in the living room as a matter of convenience really. If she were tucked out of sight in my wardrobe, then I'd probably prac even less than I do!

Wish I had lovely chest like that photo! Wish I even had a room big enough for one!!!