My viola has a crack in it. can I still play it?

i used to play violin and viola a little bit. i don't play in orchestra or take lessons anymore, but I still like to play every once in a while.





the only viola I have is an old family one (it's not very valuable, just old). it has a small crack in the body from years ago, when my mom was playing it in her school orchestra and the person next to her accidentally stuck their bow in the f-hole.





I know it could be fixed, and I will eventually, but right now I don't really want to spend the money unless I have to, because it's not like sound really matters or anything, since I'm just playing for me.





my only concern is will playing the viola make the crack worse or damage it at all?





thank you!

My viola has a crack in it. can I still play it?
It could. It's pretty much impossible to tell for sure without knowing where the crack is, how big it is, and how deep, but it could definitely get worse from playing it. The vibrations could be enough to set it to cracking even more, and even just a little extra space in the body could cause the sound post to move or even collapse(if it's really bad). I would invest in fixing it before you play it, even though it's just in private. I wouldn't want a family heirloom unusable(well, *I* wouldn't... I believe in actually USING things rather than hanging them on a wall...).
Reply:Playing it will NOT make it worse. But, not using a humidifier will. I have a huge crack in my cello and it barely makes a difference in the sound. I would get it fixed if I were you, though.
Reply:You do need to spend the money (it might not cost very much); you shouldn't play it until it's fixed.