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The piece I'm learning just now (Bach minuet 3 in Suzuki book 1) requires a slur from D on A-string to open E.
But 6 times out of 10 I get a horrible high pitched squeek on the E string.
Any suggestions on how to prevent this?
Thanks
Ian
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First I would play the E on the A string but your finger might be touching the E string or your hand. Work on crossing over from A to E string. Make sure you are not playing both the A and E the same time. I believe a slight lift of the bow while crossing over. If you play the E on the A string e slur will be nicer.
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Try timing your note change with the bow change and practice it until you get the timing down perfect.
I agree with Kevin, sounds like you might be catching the E string with your finger slightly. Be sure to apply enough pressure, the E string is a solid wire and opposed to a wire wound string as the others are.
Sometimes the lack of rosin will allow a skip or squeal on the solid strings and won't do it on the others.
I do cross overs all the time like you describe and ocassionally I get the infamous squeal and it's usually my lazy posture and finger placement, keeps you on your tips whne that happens.
"If you practice with your hands you must practice all day. Practice with your mind and you can accomplish the same amount in minutes." Nathan Milstein
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Thanks the the replies. It could be the rosin thing. I still dont really know when to apply it, and how much to apply. I practise about an an hour a day, 2 at weekends, but only apply it approx once a week.
The sound you get when the finger on A string is accidentally touching the E string is different, and I'm aware of that when it happens (you can feel it in the offending finger).
The squeal I get also happens when I go from open A to open E. I suspect part of it is also to a totally straight bow.
Ian
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I is also possible that you have too stiff of an E string. If the tension is too high the string will be powerful but not as active and with the E string it could squeak instead of sounding.
High tension strings are good for projection and power.
Low tension strings give faster action time.
More than 90% of the time the medium tension will be the perfect combination.
Also, I find that many people have similar problems with the gold plated strings. D'Addario makes a Kaplan "non-whistling" E string that you can get at Fiddlershop.com
Also, as Kevin mentioned, you may be touching the E string with the inside of your hand without even noticing it ever sooooo slightly.
Make sure that the string is clean from rosin, grime and sweat....
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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I don't believe you said whether the squeak is momentary or sustained.
How high is the bottom of the E string above the fingerboard? Can you measure that with a ruler or a depth gauge? It should be near 2.5 to 3.0 mm.
When my bow is starting to need rosin, I notice it on the E string first. It won't grip the string, and the sound is weak and erratic.
Does it depend on the bowing pressure? How about the angle the bow makes with the face of the bridge---are you bowing square to the strings?
Does it feel like the bow is just slipping and not gripping when it happens?
I guess if you can make it happen on purpose, you will have your most of your answer.
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iwilson16 said
Thanks the the replies. It could be the rosin thing. I still dont really know when to apply it, and how much to apply. I practise about an an hour a day, 2 at weekends, but only apply it approx once a week.The sound you get when the finger on A string is accidentally touching the E string is different, and I'm aware of that when it happens (you can feel it in the offending finger).
The squeal I get also happens when I go from open A to open E. I suspect part of it is also to a totally straight bow.
Ian
I used to think that once a week was enough. I used to think not enough rosin caused squeeking. Im not saying it doesnt or its not either.
I have a cake of rosin that will take me a year to go through and cost me $15. I have spoken to alot of diff types of players and have come to a conclusion(s).
Too much rosin isnt a bad thing necessarily, Im not trying to look like Im cleaning erasers with a cloud of dust while Im playing but if a little extra is there its no big deal.
I find that much of the squeeking I do with string changes is the string not sounding right away. Im finding that bow control is a very tricky thing when playing quickly.
I put rosin on my bow every day I play that I can remember to do so. I dont worry about it, four swipes of the rosin somedays, ten swipes others, a couple days inbetween with no rosin added, eh no big deal.
Violinists seem to use dustless rosin and are more intune with string feel. Fiddlers seem to prefer a dark stickier rosin, play very aggressively so alot gets knocked off hence the pile of "cocaine dust" they like to decorate the fiddles with. But, both get their jobs done.
So, My advice to you is "fuhgetaboutit"! You have to be in tune with your bowing technique, how each string and finger placement feels while playing, how the bow is grabbing based on which technique you are using or style you are playing. Then you have to experiment and figure out what works for you. Jakefiddle said he had a bow for classical and a bow for fiddling with two different amounts of rosin on each.
Not enough rosin and it wont grab the strings very well so add more just to be sure.
"Please play some wrong notes, so that we know that you are human" - said to Jascha Heifetz.
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My violin teacher even got some squeeks out of my violins E string today, so she reckons part of the problem might be the strings.
Not sure what strings are on it. The string colors are (bridge end, scroll end):
G silver (or white) with black spiral, yellow/blue
D silver (or white) with black spiral, purple/blue
A silver (or white) with black spiral, black/blue
E yellow, green
Its possible they are Corelli strings ... ?
Ian
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Some good news! You can change your E string with the E string of a different brand inexpensively enough, then you can see if you have improvement or not. If you have a Vi shop near you take it to them and they will even switch out the string for you.
"Please play some wrong notes, so that we know that you are human" - said to Jascha Heifetz.
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