The violin/fiddle thread!

[steve223]

How about a sound clip Dan ...I would love to hear it

[Dan Carey]

Originally Posted by steve223

How about a sound clip Dan ...I would love to hear it

Unfortunately, I can't play...yet. Hopefully my first lesson will be in two weeks.

If you don't want to wait, I can play something horrible if you like...

But seriously, the volume across the board seems to be pretty good, but the curvature of the bridge is definitely off. Probably needs a new nut, too.

[scottishrogue]

I have a question about tuning pegs. The D peg won't stay tight, so I bought a replacement set of 4. When I got them, I discovered there was no hole drilled to anchor the string, and the new peg is thicker than the old peg. Should I reduce the diameter of the new peg to fit the hole on the violin, or should I ream out the hole and leave the peg as it is?

Glen

[posternutbag]

Originally Posted by scottishrogue

I have a question about tuning pegs. The D peg won't stay tight, so I bought a replacement set of 4. When I got them, I discovered there was no hole drilled to anchor the string, and the new peg is thicker than the old peg. Should I reduce the diameter of the new peg to fit the hole on the violin, or should I ream out the hole and leave the peg as it is?

Glen

Violin pegs slip. It is the nature of 16th century tech in the 21st century, but I suspect violin pegs have and always will slip. That being said, there are three potential reasons your peg is slipping.

1) Your peg may be too small. This is the sort of thing that should be caught during set up, bit if the violin was not set up well, it could slip because the peg is too small for the hole. In this case, replacing it with a slightly larger diameter peg is the best choice.

2) Humidity cause changes in wood. If it is very dry, the wood will not seat well. If the peg was fine a week ago but is finicky now, this is probably the cause. Some old-time fiddles will use a drop of alcohol. This isn't, IMO, the best idea. I just a drop or two of water.

3) The most likely candidate, poorly installed strings.
This has a good explanation:
http://blog.kennedyviolins.com/2011/...g-violin-pegs/

I would never enlarge the hole in the scroll box intentionally. Over the years, it will do so of its own accord, no reason to exacerbate or speed up the process.

The first thing I would try (before swapping pegs) is to apply a little inward pressure as you tighten the string, like driving in a screw. A little goes a VERY long way in this case. As you have probably found, minute adjustments of the peg will cause huge changes in tuning. A quarter turn on a violin tuning peg can raise or lower a whole tone or more, so push firmly and turn just a fraction of a rotation.

[Dan Carey]

You might also try a little rosin on the old peg. After years of use, the wood, both on the holes & the peg get burnished smooth. The rosin will offer more resistance.

The reason the new peg is oversize is so the peg can be shaved to fit the holes in the pegbox. The peg shaver looks almost like the tiny pencil sharpeners that kids use. Hardly worth buying one for one hole, though. Do you have a local luthier who can fit the new peg?...Word to the wise, if you do one, you should probably do all of them!

[scottishrogue]

Thanks for all the tips. I noticed the new pegs are longer than the old pegs, so I assume they will need to be trimmed on the end, at some point. And I know the sound post inside is critical and must not be allowed to move. I'm hoping it has been firmly affixed to the back, and the downward force on the bridge by the strings keeps the sound post in place, but I guess I'll find out when I remove all the strings to replace the aluminum tailpiece. A lot of stuff to learn when one is a noob, I guess.

Glen

[Dan Carey]

There's also a wealth of information on Youtube and a hundred other fiddle/violin sites. Do a Google search on both fiddle & violin and you'll get all the info you could wish for!

[Dan Carey]

My Fiddle is finished! I made a few mistakes but my tech/instructor will help me find the mistakes. This build has been a great learning experience!

[harpon]

Here's a great video of a soundpost tool that came out not long ago- I have one and have used it successfully to reinstal a soundpost- I'd recommend spending the extra $3 for the newer "heavy duty" model- as the cheaper older one does flex a bit much

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCOqXdAjaN4

http://www.violinsoundpost.com/our_store.htm


Yes, the new pegs are called "blanks" and generally meant to be shaped. I think you may find some standardization between some of the china manufacturers when dealing with newer fiddles and pegs- but most are not drilled either.

There's a wealth of info on the fiddlehangout on the topic

here's a homemade peg shaper made with a peg reamer and some wood block:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt75XRPvimU

[scottishrogue]

Originally Posted by harpon

Here's a homemade peg shaper made with a peg reamer and some wood block:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt75XRPvimU

I like this idea, and looks very doable too! Save myself big bucks!

UPDATE: I've been doing a TON of research, ordered most of the tools I will need to do a proper violin setup, ordered extra parts I will be needing to upgrade my purchase, and last (but not least), I found a suitable violin and snapped it up!!! I pulled the trigger on a Saga Cremona Maestro Series SV-1750 Antonio Stradivari, 2nd Special Edition. I bought it from a liquidator, brand new with hang tag, pristine condition...with no dings or scratches. It came in a Travelite case with built-in hygrometer, but without a bow or rosin. And the first thing I noticed was the bridge was not in the correct position and the sound post was not installed correctly. The top is aged (100 year old) Alpine spruce, carved and graduated and perfectly bookmatched, with a one-piece highly flamed maple back with matching sides. MSRP is $3995.00, my cost was under $500! Right place, right time, and right price! Doing research has it's rewards, I guess.

Glen

[Teleman52]

Just an update:

I actually ended up giving up and ended up getting a mandolin instead, it's a lot of fun and I'm doing surprisingly well with it. But I still have the urge to play the fiddle. I know about 15 tunes on the mandolin now so I'm hoping I can try and transfer them over.

This is also a good opportunity to get myself a real fiddle with a good setup, instead of violin setup (poorly) for classical music from sam ash.

So I'm going with this one from the folkmusician, who I know does good setup work.

http://www.folkmusician.com/Scotti-F...tinfo/FMF%2D3/


I'm also taking a slightly unorthodox approach this time, I've ordered my violin with a 3/4 bow. I have no intention of playing classical and I always felt that the standard bow size was just too long for me, I felt like It would be much easier to progress with a shorter one. Not sure if that's a common thing to do, but I've noticed the majority of old time fiddlers choke up on their bow anyway.

Wish me luck as I try again! I'm also going to buy one of the beginner DVDs from homespun, if anyone has a recommendation as to which one that'd be great. I like homespun because of the direct download so I'll most likely order from them.

[Dan Carey]

That's what happened to me!
Wanted Fiddle...got a mandolin, then finally got the fiddle while recouperating from knee surgery.

[Teleman52]

Originally Posted by Dan Carey

That's what happened to me!
Wanted Fiddle...got a mandolin, then finally got the fiddle while recouperating from knee surgery.

i feel like it was a good decision though. With the mandolin ive been able to actually focus on the music, since i picked up the "how to play" aspect of it up pretty quickly. So now i know what kind of music i want to play, and a general idea of where the notes are, and also how they should sound.

I really like the mandolin and dont plan on giving it up, but im probably going to take a break from it for a little while so i can focus on the fiddle.

[Dan Carey]

Originally Posted by Teleman52

i feel like it was a good decision though. With the mandolin ive been able to actually focus on the music, since i picked up the "how to play" aspect of it up pretty quickly. So now i know what kind of music i want to play, and a general idea of where the notes are, and also how they should sound.

I really like the mandolin and dont plan on giving it up, but im probably going to take a break from it for a little while so i can focus on the fiddle.

An added plus...the tuning is the same! Lotsa little ditties to practice!

[Aaron Smith]

Been playing violin for about 5 years now, with about a 1 year break in the middle. I inherited my grandfather's violin (he was a concert violinist); turns out that it was actually a very nice old instrument, but needed a lot of work. I bit the bullet and paid to have it fully restored, and it is amazing now.

I was self-taught with YouTube and books for the first four years. In the past 6 months I started taking lessons every month or two. I've learned more in the past 6 months than I did in the previous 4 years. I also had to un-do a lot of bad habits. Taking 4-5 lessons put my playing into warp drive, no joke. Having a good teacher get you through the basics of bow hold, straight bowing, arm and finger posture, and a few other things is so critical. I think it's very difficult to figure this stuff out on your own, even from online videos. You need someone to watch you play and give guidance. If I lived in a remote area, I would find a way to get a few lessons online with Skype. It would be well worth the time and money.

I'm also lucky to live close to a world-class violin shop, Atlanta Violins. These guys earn their money. It is almost impossible to determine the value of any violin without expert help; it's not like guitars, where you can be fairly certain of the provenance of the instrument, and the market price. Also, having somebody close by that can do an expert setup makes a huge difference. A $300 violin that's properly set up will play and sound better than a $3000 violin that's poorly set up.

I'm in the process of buying my first decent pernambuco bow. Atlanta Violins sent me home with 4 of them, and gave me a week to evaluate and choose my favorite. It really makes a difference compared to just buying something used and hoping for the best. Besides, bows really need to match the instrument you're playing. It's not an accessory like a guitar pick; it's an integral part of the instrument. A certain bow can work great with one violin, and poorly on another.

I had been using a $60 carbon fiber bow from Amazon for the last two years, and thought it was pretty good. When I started bow shopping, I wondered if I was an advanced enough player to notice the difference between better bows. Well, I don't have a wonder any more. A decent bow makes a WORLD of difference; I play much better, and it takes almost no effort to pull great sound from the instrument. I was working waaaaay too hard with the cheap bow, much to the detriment of my playing.

So, what I've discovered. Lessons are worth more than they cost. Paying a little more for a violin and bow from an established shop is the cheaper option in the long run. Good advice is worth paying for. Things that are cheap or free are usually worth exactly what you paid for them.