By Laurie Niles: At what temperatures are you willing to play outsdoors during the summer months? ![violin desert]()
One of my good violinist friends recently wrote to me with the question: At what kind of temperatures are you willing or not willing to play outside? When it's 75 degrees out, then there isn't much question - that's almost like playing indoors!
But when the temperatures starts creeping up past 80°F, past 85°, past 90° - then things start to get worrisome. Is this temperature safe for the violin? Will the pegs slip? Will extra sweat get on the wood, varnish, strings, fingerboard? Will the heat affect the glue and cause some seams to open?
The concerns get even stronger if you are situated in an area with direct sunlight, or reflections that magnify the heat, on a surface that gets particularly hot, or if the humidity is also quite high.
Whether you are playing in an orchestra, for family members in the backyard, at the park, busking, etc., what is the temperature threshold over which you are no longer comfortable playing your violin outdoors? If you regularly play outdoors, what is the usual temperature when you play? Do you have special conditions for playing outdoors? Does the heat affect your instrument? Are you more concerned about humidity than heat? Please participate in the vote and share your thoughts about playing outdoors, in the summer.
You might also like:
- Looking after your instrument in hot weather
- Hot Weather and Case Colors
- The Dangers of Dry Weather: Humidify Your Violin
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