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Hello,
So I'm a brand new violinist with one of those starter kit violins. While I'm bowing the strings make this horrible scratchy noise sometimes. I'm not sure how I'm playing wrong. Is there something I need to do to make the note pure and not like it's nails on a chalkboard?
Thank you!
Op:P
King
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Did you rosin the bow or did it come ready to play? Maybe too much rosin on bow (or strings?). I take a few light strokes over a pencil to remove some rosin if I want.
If you can scratch up some rosin on the strings, you need a rubbing alcohol string cleaning but PROTECT the violin from the alcohol!!
OR, you are pulling the bow very crooked (maybe).
There's more to do but do the simpler things first.
When you come to a fork in the road, take it.
Honorary tenured advisor
Regulars
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There are very few ways to make a violin sound good, but there are countless ways to make it sound bad.
Step 1: Fiddlerman Lessons
Look at Fiddlerman's video tutorials on 1. holding the violin, 2. holding the bow, 3. drawing the bow across the strings 4. how to properly apply rosin to a bow, 5. Learn to play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Practice those until you can make the notes sound right.
Step 2: YouTube Lessons
Go to YouTube and search on:
1. Violin tone production, 2. Violin tone quality.
Watch some videos
Step 3: Practice
1. Practice for the rest of your life.
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. ~Herm Albright
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Welcome to the forum originalpinkpeep,
We'll be happy to help you here. Be gutsy and post a youtube video and we could probably answer your question pretty accurately. 
Experiment with bow pressure, speed and the contact point. Make sure you are drawing the bow as straight as possible.
There is a lot to think about.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
Regulars
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Hi originalpinkpeep,
Assuming everything else is fine, fiddle, bow, rosin, etc, here's a little article from my fiddling colleague Graham Clark. He does a very good explanation of 'the scratch' :
http://www.grahamviolin.com/Scratch.html
Mr Jim 
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Welcome and congratulations to making your debut on the forum Originalpinkpeep!
I think your answers have been delivered to you. 
I am Toni, from Cali, been playing about 2.5 years. Glad to meet you and hope to play and make music with you!!!
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
Regulars
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@originalpinkpeep
Hi Kirsten
We all sound like that at first. It 'will' get better
Its a matter of bowing a straight 90 degrees to the strings, the right pressure, and the right speed. All very easy to say but a little difficult to actually do.
Watch all of the violin 'how to' videos that you can and practice.
It all comes down to practice. Please don't let these first difficulties put you off continuing. It's all worth it.
Seen it all. Done it all. Can't remember most of 
..... What was I saying???? 
Member
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Thank you to everyone who responded!
After some experimentation and implementation with the suggestions provided I came to the conclusion it was a) bowing at and angle and b) failing to apply enough pressure with my left hand fingers on the string.
I'm already getting better!
Thank you again! :3
OpP
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