In addition to your regular maintenance you need to take your instrument into a luthier (string repair person) to have done, there's certain things you should be doing every day. This first post is about your bow; next, we'll look at your instrument.
1) When you first get your bow out, but before you tighten it, take a moment to examine it. Look down the stick to check for warping, and carefully examine the head and stick for cracks. Hairline cracks can develop in a bow, especially if it's dropped, and then cause the bow to snap at inopportune times. Repairs are also easier and cheaper if the damage is caught early.
2) When you tighten your bow for playing, don't over-tighten it. The stick of your bow should NEVER be straight. If it is, it is too tight, for any kind of playing. Be nice to your bow and play with it looser than you think you should. Then, when you're playing, if your stick touches your strings, you know you need to tighten it a bit more.
3) When you're done playing, but before you loosen it, wipe the rosin off the stick. Rosin isn't good for varnish, and there's varnish on the wood part of our bows. So occasionally wipe the rosin off, and your bow will stay in better condition longer.
4) Loosen your bow after EVERY time you play. Do you know why? If you don't, your stick will start to warp, or the wood will bend in a bad way. You should never loosen it so much that the screw comes out, but the hair should be able to touch the stick. Keeping your bow tight will also cause your hair to stretch faster, which means it'll need a rehair sooner.
Keeping your bow tight all the time can also increase the chances of your bow breaking or otherwise being damaged while in the case. Your bow is under a lot of tension when tight, and even in your case, if your case gets knocked about, your bow could be damaged. Loosening your bow after playing helps minimize these risks.
Getting in the habit of just a few daily routines can help save you hundreds in repairs later.
Happy Playing!
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