Violin

Discussion in 'Art & Culture' started by Bowser, Mar 21, 2020.

  1. Bowser Namaste Valued Senior Member

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    I've taken an interest in bluegrass music and the violin recently. Purchased an instrument but haven't given it much time, though I have learned a lot in the short time I have had it. The violin produces a lot of sound for such a small instrument. What I don't understand is why the tuning mechanism hasn't been improved over the years. Friction pegs seem so primitive and difficult to use.

    Oh well, it is what it is.
     
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  3. (Q) Encephaloid Martini Valued Senior Member

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    I rent instruments to try before making an investment. I did that with the violin wanting to play some bluegrass as well, but found it too exhausting to practice due to having to hold both arms up for extended periods of time. It gave me a whole new appreciation and respect for those who have mastered it. Currently, I'm working on tenor sax.
     
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  5. Xelasnave.1947 Valued Senior Member

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    I agree...
    Why not put on some decent machine heads?. Maybe not necessary but heck tuning would have to be easier.
    Try open tuning it .. open tuning means you have a cord to start with and any other fretted position will be a cord. . . I don't know but I bet you could make it work such that you will be playing neat stuff instantly.
    Alex
     
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  7. Bowser Namaste Valued Senior Member

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    You can buy special geared pegs for the violin, but they are very expensive.

    Geared Pegs
     
  8. iceaura Valued Senior Member

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    If you want to play bluegrass or old time, you can play it like this (lots of very good fiddlers do this at least some of the time)
    or this, which is not a strain once you learn to relax:
     
    (Q) and foghorn like this.
  9. gmilam Valued Senior Member

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    What are these frets of which you speak?
     
  10. Xelasnave.1947 Valued Senior Member

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    I said "fretted" which you can take as a reference to the appropriate "fretted" position. But your question is valid.
    There are no frets on a violin.
    Alex
     
  11. Bowser Namaste Valued Senior Member

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    I placed tape on mine to mark note positions.
     
  12. Xelasnave.1947 Valued Senior Member

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    I have a fretless cigar box guitar which has some small holes as a guide but I plan to paint a snake around the neck and use it as a reference....should make it easier to play scales.
    My daughter has a violin which she has never touched I might ask her if I can borrow it and see if I can play it.
    Alex
     
  13. Bowser Namaste Valued Senior Member

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    They seem straight forward. The tape is meant to help beginners until they build "muscle memory." Remember to dress your bow with rosin, otherwise there will be no friction between the bow and strings (no sound).
     
  14. iceaura Valued Senior Member

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    30,994
    fiddle tuning trivia, my two cents (a "cent"?: http://www.sengpielaudio.com/calculator-centsratio.htm)

    The fit and friction setup puts wood on wood, and helps maintain the desired resonances of the instrument during long bowed notes - more volume and beauty. It's not an accident, or a qwerty phenomenon.

    That fit and friction depends on the skill and attention of the builder first (materials and precision), but is also affected by other stuff - including how the strings are wound unto the pegs. Skill and materials cost, one reason low end fiddles are often harder to tune than high end ones - as with guitars, life isn't fair; the least capable players end up dealing with the most difficult instruments - but the best way to wind strings is as cheap and easy as any other.

    And check the soundpost position - they move, especially in neglected fiddles. When it's right, your fiddle will be easier to tune and play in tune, both. That noise in your left ear will take on depth, begin to make sense.

    also: imho money and attention to the bow and the bowing returns more than the same to the fingerboard and the fingering. They call it fiddling - they could call it bowing. Between in rhythm and in tune, be in rhythm. Don't sweat the intonation - keep playing and listening and your brain will grow the necessary connections, at about the same rate your fingernails grow, with as much need for focused angst. It's the bow that lifts the dancer's foot.
     
  15. Bowser Namaste Valued Senior Member

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    Love to listen to those who know how to play,,,
     
  16. sculptor Valued Senior Member

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    Try a viol?
     
  17. Write4U Valued Senior Member

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    A Taste of New Country violin.....44 years ago.





    And this happy dance
     
    Last edited: Mar 27, 2020
  18. Write4U Valued Senior Member

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    And this masterful blend of Jazz and South American native drums.

     
  19. Write4U Valued Senior Member

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    Because it is a common folks musical instrument, much like a guitar. They want to keep them as simple as possible, to keep them affordable.

    But a well build and played violin gets better with age. A Stradivarious has the simple tuning pegs, but may be worth thousands of dollars. The sound is in the body and the various thicknesses of the curved plates which amplify the string vibrations.
    https://reverb.com/item/32827885-vi...n=7276534768&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_physics_of_the_violin
    https://www.violinist.com/discussion/archive/19003/
     

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