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Regulars
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I'm getting so much rosin buildup on my A string it's like it's growing bumps. Too much rosin on the bow? I'm not getting much, if any, white powder on the violin but the lumps on my A string keep showing up. The rosin is Fiddlerman's Holstein premium.
Since the buildup started, I've been getting a scratchy sound from the bow for about 4 inches at the heel. It's only for those 4 inches and only when I'm fingering the strings, long bows don't scratch (they bounce in the middle third of the bow). Related or bad bowing technique? It didn't start scratching until after the rosin buildup began.
Regulars
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@RDP -
Wipe your strings down with a cloth after each time you practice.
I only need rosin every couple days - you'll have to experiment with yours.
Regulars
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String cleaning is a bit technical, so I wouldn't like to write out any instructions. Have a look on youtube how to do it with or without alcohol and see what you can come up with.
Yes, you should really wipe them with a dry cloth every time you play. I'm too lazy, though.
Andrew
Verified human - the ignominy!
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Well, I watched a few videos and cleaned my strings until there was nothing left on them. Yuck they were dirty. Played around with it for a bit but my fingertips are sensitive so leaving it alone for a day or two.
I did discover that the mute totally destroys my intonation. Without it, I have clear tones with both open strings and fingered. With it on, any fingering on the strings is nasal sounding. So, no more mute and the neighbors can throw all the shoes they want.
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RDP said
the mute totally destroys my intonation. Without it, I have clear tones with both open strings and fingered. With it on, any fingering on the strings is nasal sounding.
That's normal. The mute affects tonality as much as or more than it does loudness.
Intonation means pitch perception. Mutes shouldn't affect that.
Andrew
Verified human - the ignominy!
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@RDP
I'm lucky as I am always creating lots of fine cotton fabric scraps so I use them to wipe my strings and violin after each time I play. I use a different cloth for each.
I hate my violin mute too, I make my family suffer instead.
Regulars
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Microfiber cloths can be bought by the dozen - I haven't run out of my first batch yet.
I've also got a dozen of those old-fashioned yellow cotton dusters which I use on the violin.
Andrew
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Gordon Shumway said
RDP said
the mute totally destroys my intonation. Without it, I have clear tones with both open strings and fingered. With it on, any fingering on the strings is nasal sounding.
That's normal. The mute affects tonality as much as or more than it does loudness.
Intonation means pitch perception. Mutes shouldn't affect that.
I always equated intonation to acceptable tone quality. I don't know if we're talking the same thing with different words or not. What I do know is that without the mute I can make horrible violin noises. With it, I can make quieter horrible violin noises. 
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Yes, as suggested above, wipe the strings after every session. However, you'll first have to remove that excess rosin build up from your strings. My suggestion is that you protect the body of your instrument first with a rag or similar, then use alcohol on a cloth (not an excessive amount) and rub the string back and forth till it's clean. Obviously we don't want to do this very often but it's the best way to clean it when it gets to this point.
The big buildup might be an indication that you are using too much rosin. It's not a problem except for that it makes a mess.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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