AboutDavid Expertise I mainly aim to answer questions about playing techniques--intonation,
vibrato, bowing etc. I am somewhat familiar with Baroque and Classical music, though not as much with Romantic. I am unable to answer questions about advanced music theory, violin crafters/brands or the monetary value of a violin.
Experience I have played the violin about nine discontinuous years. Most of my work has been orchestral, with some soloing throughout. I was principal 2nd violinist of the Disney Honors Orchestra in 1998, a six-time All-State Orchestra violinist, a two-time assistant concertmaster and two-time concertmaster of my All-County Orchestra. I also have perfect pitch, which I believe can be learned (though I do not claim to know how to teach it).
Since starting medical school in 2004, I have had fewer chances to play, but I hope to someday resume on a regular basis.
Expert: David Date: 12/29/2006 Subject: Violin Will Not Play A Sound
Question I bought my 14 year old daughter a violin for Christmas. She wants to learn to play one and I'm all for it. After stringing the violin and tuning with a violin tuner I expected to be able to at least hear a sound using the bow. It barely makes any sound at all. I rosined the bow, maybe too much. Is this possible or can you advise me on what to do.
Answer Hi Greg, there are a number of possibilities here that I can think of.
1) Was the rosin new? (If so, it almost definitely appeared shiny.) It will not work on the bow unless it is first roughened with sandpaper or a nail file, because friction between the bow hair and rosin is needed when you are rosining the bow, otherwise the bow will just glide over the rosin without picking up any of it. This is not particularly intuitive to new players and I would guess it is a common source of confusion.
2) This is a remote possibility: is there a mute on the violin's bridge? A practice mute covers the whole bridge and is typically made out of metal or rubber; it can be easily removed by just pulling it upward. Practice mutes make sound very hard to hear as they are designed for musicians practicing in apartments or other areas where noise is undesirable. A performance mute hangs on the strings between the bridge and the tailpiece (when not in use) and may be either a simple piece of rubber or a more complex contraption of clear (or yellow) rubber and metal wiring. When in use, this mute will be covering part of the violin's bridge. To "deactivate" it, just pull it up and back if it is rubber, or simply slide it back if it is the more complex kind.
3) When you (or your daughter) tries to play, is the bow tightened? If the hair is too close to the stick, there will not be much sound when the bow is drawn across the strings due to insufficient tension in the bow hair. The heavier end of the bow has a screw which can be tightened; tighten it so that the distance between the bow stick and the bow hair at the narrowest point is about the same as the width of the stick. A LITTLE more than that is ok too.
