Why won't my violin make clear sound?

Question

I just bought a violin and I want to learn to play it (before you suggest it, i will be taking lessons :-P). I've been playing around with it, but it won't make a clear note. It sounds breathy when I run the bow across a string. I did rosin the bow, so I don't know what's wrong!

Upon trying more, i found that it makes sound when i play with the two or three inches closest to the tip or the two or three inches closest to the frog.

Answer 1

Make sure to rough up your rosin before putting it on- you want powder, don't just rub the block against the bow.

Hope that helps!

Answer 2

You need a LOT of rosin on a new bow. More then you could imagine. That might be part of it.

The bow should be drawn over the strings between the end of the fingerboard and the part holding the strings. Don't be afraid to bear down; you're going to need pressure to get sound out, especially when just begin playing.

Also make sure the strings are tight. That's another factor in sound.

Finally, where did you get it and how much did you pay? If you paid less than $300 and/or bought it online, it's possible it's not setup correctly. The bridge may be in the wrong position or, worse, the sound post may be set incorrectly. The bridge may be easy to fix (for someone who knows what they're doing!), but the sound post may involve taking the violin apart. Ask your teacher at your first lesson to play it for you and give you some advice.

Good luck!

Answer 3

When I first received my instrument (~40 years ago) it was very difficult to make a sound on it. Sound production depends on the instrument and its condition but also on 1) how you hold the bow 2) where you place the bow in contact with the strings and 3) how much pressure you apply when fingering with the left hand. For a clearer sound one plays closer to the bridge. For a softer breathier sound one plays closer to the fingerboard. The higher you play on the fingerboard the closer the bow has to be to the bridge to keep the "color" of the sound the same. So there are many reasons why a new player who has not taken lessons yet may not be able to produce a clear sound. On the other hand, there could be something wrong with the set-up. The strings may not be right for the instrument and kind of sound you want to produce. The sound post or bridge may need adjustment. I would recommend that you take the instrument to a violin shop (perhaps the one where you bought it) and talk over your concerns. If you bought the instrument over the internet you need to find a friendly local luthier to help you evaluate your purchase. The bottom line is that there are so many possibilities to check that the answer to this question can only come with in person with the instrument and you in front of a competent teacher or repairman. Best wishes.

Answer 4

The problem you are running into is weight. There are 4 things that control the tone you make on a violin, viola, cello, or contrabass. 1) Bow placement: bow should be somewhere below the fingerboard and above the bridge. About the middle between the fingerboard and the bridge is a good placement. When playing much higher, closer to the bridge is needed to get a clearer sound. This doesn't seem like it is too much of a problem for you yet. 2) Straightness of bow movement: when using the bow, your bow should remain parallel to the bridge and fingerboard. 3) Bow Speed: if you move your bow quickly across a string, it is likely to get that 'whooshing' sound no matter what you do. If your bow moves very slowly, you might even get the opposite sound: scratchy and abrasive. The right bow speed is very necessary for a good tone. 4) Bow weight: This seems to be your ultimate problem. Weight is the amount of resistance from the bow as you are pulling. The more weight, the fuller the sound, or possibly, again, the scratchier and more abrasive the sound. Bow weight is best acheived with good posture, a good bow grip, and the natural weight of the arm creating the resistance that will give you a good sound.
This, of course, is just a quick assessment without actually hearing or seeing you play, which is therefore quite incomplete. Definitely talk to your future teacher about this, as he/she will be able to better diagnose and help the problem.

Additional: "practice makes perfect" is a falacious statement. It is NOT true. "Perfect practic makes perfect" is a better one, although incomplete. If you continually practice your mistakes, you are going to get better and better and making them. If you practice without mistakes you will get better and better and playing perfectly. How do you play without mistakes? Practice slowly, building up each aspect of the song. Take a small section and get that perfect, and then work it up to tempo very gradually. If you are supposed to play it at 100bmp, start as slowly as you need to get every note and bow stroke perfect, and then work it up maybe 5bpm, maybe 3bmp, or maybe even 1 beat per minute more each time you have played it through 3-10 times perfectly. If it is really difficult, 1 beat per minute with 10 times would be the best. If it is only moderately difficult, 5bpm 3 times would probably be good. Good practice techniques can save you a lot of unnecessary practicing. A good deal of practicing is spent working on changing the habit of making a mistake.

Answer 5

Practice Practice Practice.

Also, a new violin actually has a break in period. Playing it will eventually mellow it out. That is why most violinists seek out the old violins. Like the Strads they are over two hundred years old, and very sought after by professionals from around the world.

Answer 6

The strings might be old, or just dry.

It could also be that if you have new hair on your bow, you need lots and lots of rosin for quite a while before it gets played in -- I would say this is most likely.

Best of luck!

Answer 7

It might be your strings if u bought a cheap violin then it probably came with cheap strings, you might be pushing on the string to hard try running it across the string lighter and that might help, also it might be the bow.

Hope I helped.

Answer 8

You probably need to rosin the bow ALOT more. Also try pressing harder on the string. Once you learn how to play you will get the hang of it. Everyone starts out with no idea. :^P

Answer 9

you might be holding the bow incorrectly. ask your teacher if you have the correct bow hold. also, try pressing down harder on the bow with your index finger. that often helps to make a better sound.

Answer 10

it is supposed to be like that. just wait until u get lessons and u will handle it better. but if it continues to do that, it is prob. the strings that have a problem or something.