Violin

Bowser

Bowser

Namaste
Valued Senior Member
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.
 
Bowser said:
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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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.
 
Bowser said:
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.
Click to expand...
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
 
Xelasnave.1947 said:
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
Click to expand...
You can buy special geared pegs for the violin, but they are very expensive.

Geared Pegs
 
(Q) said:
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.
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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:
 
Xelasnave.1947 said:
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
Click to expand...
What are these frets of which you speak?
 
Bowser said:
I placed tape on mine to mark note positions.
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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
 
Xelasnave.1947 said:
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
Click to expand...
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).
 
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.
 
A Taste of New Country violin.....44 years ago.



And this happy dance
This music was written by Guy N'sangue. The inspiration comes from makossa which is typically from Douala in South-West part of Cameroon. Mix of Jazz and African music always something really amazing.
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Bowser said:
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.
Click to expand...
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
The body of the violin acts as a "sound box" to couple the vibration of strings to the surrounding air, making it audible. The construction of this sound box, and especially the arching of the top and back, have a profound effect on the overall sound quality of the instrument. The sound-producing system of the violin body includes the top and back (and to some degree the sides, or ribs), the bass bar that is glued to the underside of the top, and the bridge and sound post. In addition to the resonant modes of the body structure, the enclosed air volume exhibits Helmholtz resonance modes.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_physics_of_the_violin
First question. Yes wood gets stiffer with age, but if it is in a continual state of use(vibration) the wood grain softens. Also oxidation acts on the structure of the fibers to break down the molecular bond. If a good sounding violin is put into storage and not played is tends to loose its tone and stiffen up. Old violins sound less tinny and have a warmer fuller sound if they are good.
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https://www.violinist.com/discussion/archive/19003/
 
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