New violin?!
Question: I have just bought my first violin and it is all brand new. I have applied quite a bit of rosin, but it still sounds scratchy. Is it not enough, too much, or just because I am new to playing?
If you play open string notes what sound it sound like?
Answers: I have just bought my first violin and it is all brand new. I have applied quite a bit of rosin, but it still sounds scratchy. Is it not enough, too much, or just because I am new to playing?
If you play open string notes what sound it sound like?
The direction of your bow could be a factor. If you are not bowing straight across (perpendicular) you will get a phase effect and that might be the scratchy sound that you hear. Bow speed may be a factor as well. Try bowing straight across at a good speed, with a little bit of pressure. The other thing you can do is get together with a more experienced player for the following reasons:
1. You can watch them and see how they bow
2. You can get them to show you how to prime your bow. (sometimes it takes over a hundred passes across the cake of rosin to get a brand new bow to speak properly)
3. They can show you how to hold a bow properly. You would be amazed at how much a proper bow hold can influence the sound of your instrument.
You could be a bit too tentative when pulling your bow, you might not have primed your bow quite enough, your bow may not be straight enough when you are playing, or you might not have a proper bow hold or enough pressure on the bow (you get this by literally wrapping your first finger across the winding of the bow and resting your pinky on top of the adjusting screw)
Hang in there and don't give up on us. We look forward to hearing from you again soon. I stuck a few links below that might help as well. If you need anything else, give me a shout and I'll do what I can.
Well, it depends on how you play it. It's likely that the scratchy sound is caused by pushing down on the strings too much with your bow. Also, try to master your bowing first. Keep the bow perpendicular to the violin.
If you play open strings, the sounds are G, D, A, and E (starting from the left to the right). If you want your violin to sound good, I suggest buying a tuner. A tuner tells you whether the string sounds too high (tight) or too loose (low).
And apply about a maximum of 6 strokes of rosin before you play.
You just need to find a teacher to help you learn how to play it.
A beginner with a new violin will always sound scratchy. I bet even Itzhak Perlman and Sarah Chang sounded scratchy at first.
Partly it is due to cheap strings,cheap violin, cheap rosin and too much rosin. But mostly it is due to the player not applying the right amount of pressure with the bow and not bowing correctly. (at a 90 degrees to the string)
Be patient and you will eventually sound better but I hope you have a teacher to help you. It is almost impossible to teach yourself the violin.
Here is a good site with useful tips : violinmasterclass.com
http://violinmasterclass.com/mc_menu.php
Watch the videos on right hand and left hand.
PS After a few months of practise I would replace your strings with something better like a set of Dominants and replace the rosin with Pirastro Piranito rosin.That will help quite a bit with your sound.
PS Buy a chromatic tuner from the music shop.This will help you to tune your violin. They cost about $20.
You should find a teacher to help you. You don't want to push down TOO hard on the strings, but you want to push down enough to get a good, strong sound. You may need to add more rosin. It is a wonderful instrument to play, I think you will really enjoy it. Good Luck!