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Okay, just got a new violin, and I can't seem to get the G string right. It just makes this really horrible sound like the hairs aren't making strong contact. I've tried it a hundred different ways, but it consistently makes this sound. The other strings are okay, but the G sounds terrible. Its also only when I'm playing notes with a finger down, particularly C. I know that sounds like it would be a problem with how firmly I have my finger down, but it doesn't really seem to matter. I guess it's an intonation problem, but ugh it just sounds so terrible and the only way I can seem to correct it is if I play really slow and hard on the bow stroke and even then it still makes that sound if I'm not really careful. Also, it's completely different to how I play on the other strings. I'm wondering if it's just me or the string or both.
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A video would help the most, audio would be second.
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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Regulars
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It can be several things. There are some G strings that have a tendency to "growl". Maybe the rosin or the pressure added is not enough since it's the string that demands a little more than the others to get a good sound. So like Uzi said an example would be very helpful in order to help you 
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Most likely a vibration somewhere on the fiddle. The G string gives the widest vibrations and in your case there is a good chance that the wide vibration is causing something on the violin to make a bad noise. As Uzi said, we might be able to help if we could hear and see it on a video.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
I have also the same problem with my old violin, and i don't know if this is the same case as yours but I noticed that there's a very tiny opening on the side body of the violin, it's like the wood glue is gone so I guess that's making the bad noise. It sounds awful when I strike the G string especially adding weight.
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Video / audio would help - sure hope it doesn't sound like this though -
LOL
I seriously recommend not copying my mistakes. D'oh - 
Please make your own, different mistakes, and help us all learn :-)
Regulars
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I thought I might know what a wolf sound was and that cool video really helped. That is what I was thinking. Thank goodness I don't have that problem.
In the video she said it was the violin but why wasn't it making the wolf sound every time she tried if it was the violin? She seemed to have to work at it to cause it.
Violinist start date - May 2013
Fiddler start date - May 2014
FIDDLE- Gift from a dear friend. A 1930-40 german copy, of a french copy of a Stradivarius. BOW - $50 carbon fiber. Strings - Dominants with E Pirastro Gold string.
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@Schaick - I *guess* is is partly due to the energy required - and the very specific frequency to hit - I noticed she was carefully "pulling in" to the specific frequency where it occurred - but it was there - and that's the point. The other side of the argument is the "energy" passed into the instrument - play that very same note very softly, and it will (probably - I've never seen it) be OK - but give it a bit more "welly" - the more mechanically substantial parts of the violin may start to resonate. ( Like the Tay Bridge and Tacoma Bridge disasters - you hit some "natural frequency" and once it starts, it gets worse and worse until the mechanical excitation is removed )
As I say - never observed this directly - I *thought* I had - but it was a simple "internal, and natural body resonance" which made, around C or C# on the A string sound "louder" than it should. This is "relatively normal", being close to the resonant frequency of the violin body cavity - if it "bothers you" ( LOL - talking about myself ), you learn to play a little less heavily there ( just like you have to do if you're still using open strings in the first position, and not stretching that pinkie out onto the lower string to avoid the heavy resonances you always get from an open string...
These were just my thoughts about this and related issues - I'm WELL up for correction and enlightenment... LOL
I seriously recommend not copying my mistakes. D'oh -
Please make your own, different mistakes, and help us all learn :-)
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Actually it's about conflicting tuning between the note played and the natural resonating frequency of the instruments body. Not all instruments have it and fewer high frequency instruments compared to cellos. Not sure about Basses.
It's more a question of finding the exact frequency (pitch) and not landing directly on it when you want to avoid it. You actually don't need to press that hard, just find the tone and it will come.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Haha, well, I was going to put some audio up, but I discovered this morning that the string just unraveled on me. I wonder if a fault in the string could have had anything to do with it. Well, as soon as I get it replaced, I'll see if there are any changes in how it plays.
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My guess is that it was the string.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Okay, guys, here's some audio that I hope helps. Since replacing the string, it seems like it occurs higher on the string than before. It's now mostly in the B range, a little in C, absent in A. Before, it was mostly in the C range. Now, I'm a beginner, so there is some shakiness, but I don't get anything like this on the other strings or even other notes on the G. Any advice or incite is appreciated and thank you for previous replies.
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Though there is obviously a problem and it's obviously worse on the notes you mention, there are ways to overcome that sound.
Experiment with bow speed and pressure. Make sure your finger is pressed down enough that the string is touching the fingerboard. Not to too hard though for the well being of your finger
Also, your instrument might have a sound-post that is too tight. That could keep it from vibrating freely.
Because of a wolf tone, we had a 5 stringed Realist violin returned to us from a customer in Hawaii in which we could not replicate the wolf tone and shipped it back to David Gage (the Realist Maker) to have a look. They could not find anything wrong with the instrument either, however, one of the guys is very familiar with the climate in Hawaii in which the instrument was shipped to and "humidity proofed" it somehow which helped. The customer kept the instrument after that.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Is that what it is, a wolf tone? I tell you, I've tried playing every which way on that string. My finger is pressed firmly, I bow straight. I've tried going lightly and I've dug in, too. When I play with greater pressure, it seems to alleviate it a somewhat, but playing that way inhibits speed and makes fast string crossing really awkward and difficult.
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Have you tried adjusting the tension on your bow? On the bow that came with my Cicilio, I have to tension it just past the point of being visibly loose and no tighter. If I go any tighter, I get more bounce and awful sounds out of it much like that. Since it is also not well balanced, I find myself choking up on the bow a little which helps. (sliding hand further up from the frog until I get a better balance. NOT ideal, but it helps until I replace my bow.
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That makes sense reed but if you tighten a bow too little the hairs will wear against the wood in the center of the bow and not last that long. Also, it will be difficult to get a powerful sound when needed.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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One thing I've definitely noticed is that since replacing the string, the problem notes are lower. Before it was pretty much all on C, with a little on D and B. Now, it's virtually gone on C and is entirely on B. I might try upgrading the strings, but first I'm going to see if there's a local place I can take it to just to have someone with a little more skill play and see what they think.
Regulars
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Sounds like a cracked body or the base bar is loose or cracked.
"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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Any thoughts on what I could do to correct it?
Regulars
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have you tried using a small flashlight and shinning it in the F-hole in a dark room to see if any of the seams are open? have you tried a new g-string or a wolf eliminator?
With violins there is no fretting over the music.
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