Improving tone

[Megan]

Hi all. I’m pretty new to fiddlehed, pretty much a beginner. I was in orchestra class from 5th through 8th grades, but didn’t take the trouble to practice much. Only recently took up my old violin (cheap Seidel, made in 1982, that my folks bought on the installment plan!) and learned a few tunes in D. Really love the fiddlehed lessons! I feel like I want to make the few simple songs I know sound prettier. I can add a few slides/slurs, and if I’m feeling mellow I think I play a little expressively, but I think maybe there is something I just don’t know about getting a prettier tone out of my strings? I don’t even like to play anything that uses the e string much, because the sound is kinda harsh and bright. I don’t think I’m a good enough player to justify getting a better instrument (although I do want to go to this local store and try out a nice used fiddle they have for sale!) but I’d appreciate some ideas about how to get the best possible sound out of a cheap old fiddle and prelude strings! I mean, I’m playing in tune and all!

[jason kleinberg]

Megan, did you watch the video about How to Get a Good Sound on the fiddle? Are you bowing between the bridge and the fingerboard correctly? Are you pushing too hard on the strings? Is there too much rosin? Too little rosin? Do your strings need to be changed? Are you tense when you play? If you don’t like playing on the E string you might be tensing up as you approach the part of the tune that uses it and that will effect the tone. Technique can’t compensate for a violin that isn’t set up right. Is it set up right? Musicians usually know when the instrument needs to be upgraded because they can’t get the sound they are looking for from the one they are using. I would go to a music store and try out violins. How do they sound to you? That would be a clue as to whether or not you have outgrown the violin.

[Megan]

Thank you for the response. I think I will go and try out some used violins soon; I have enough in my savings account to get something a little better and if I hear an improvement on a nicer instrument I think I’ll go for it. Incidentally, I only recently stopped rosining my bow every time I played. I was just curious about how it would change things. Sure enough, I sounded better for a few days, and then worse, so I put a little more rosin on. My violin does need a little adjustment I think. The bridge tilts the tiniest bit away from the fingerboard. Again, thanks for the reply (and all the cool stuff on fiddlehed; my children and husband all sing along when they hear the fiddlehed ‘theme song’!)

[barbjh0709]

Hello,

I too am striving to improve my tone and am wondering about rosin. Is there a type you recommend?

[Author]

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