First, thank you very much for the reply, it's much appreciated.

I only thought of the 'callous' thing from instruments I've played in the past that caused them. I didn't stop to realize the lower/softer string action more than likely wouldn't produce the same callouses & I was struggling for an answer to my problem here. Your comments regarding a lack of callouses from the violin make sense as my violin action is much lighter than the guitar & other stringed instruments.

I see what you're referring to regarding the angle of contact on the surface of the fingerboard & I've experimented a bit. I believe you're on to something here. If nothing else you've helped me find a nuance to work on & you may have found my problem. I'll play with it some more & keep you posted.

& yeah, not sure my elbow was meant to bend so far that direction lol

Thank you again!

At the moment I have the D’Addario Kaplan Amo's equipped across the board. I'm actually very happy with the sound I get from these. Even with my limited 'violin ear' & experience they seem to be pretty versatile as I'm able to get power & volume when I want it & also, with some practice & effort, can get a very consistent soft tone as well.

I'm still at a very basic development stage with my skills so I'm more inclined to believe it's something to do with a lack of skill development at this point as opposed to something to do with the instrument or an adjustment. Once I play/practice a bit longer & I'm confident I've done all I can do physically to improve/address the problem I'll be more comfortable with looking into instrumental adjustments. As I mentioned, it's only on the 'G' string and then only on the lowest notes but not on open 'G'.

I actually have very strong finger muscles (sometimes too strong, it's from playing a certain sport most of my life when younger). So while I don't think it's a strength issue perhaps a control issue. I'm having limited success experimenting with different finger contact angles on the notes in question. So again, I'm inclined to believe therein lies the answer (thank you Charles), perhaps in my posture or something else that affects that particular maneuver/arm contortion. Stretching my elbow further under the violin helps considerable but it's at it's limits. I just want to be careful not to get into trying to train my arm/fingers to do something there that's so uncomfortable for them to accomplish it's impossible to play for any length of time, particularly if there's a simpler answer I'm missing.

Thanks so much for your input on this. It helps me make sure I'm considering every angle & possibility... this is why I love this place!

I can't thank you guys enough for your input here, I think I've found the problem. While I've developed a good bow grip & found a comfortable positioning for my instrument on my shoulder I realized I was holding both my bow and violin so tightly I think I was absorbing or transferring the bulk of the vibrations from my G string (my tight grip got even more tight when reaching for the G) causing/leaving the tinny sound coming from my violin. Once I relaxed my shoulders & arms & focused my grip in my fingertips instead of my wrist & whole hand, the sound from my instrument/G string became full bodied w/no tinny sound. The difference was immediate & light night & day.

There may have been some other factors involved I havn't narrowed down yet that came into play as for now I'm still having to make an effort to relax so results are intermittent. but I've confident I'm on the right track. This solution requires less effort, not more, making it easier to stretch my arm underneath. So I'm thinking it's my getting used to relaxing into playing that holds the key. I'll keep on it & let you know.

Thanks again!

I played Foosball (aka table soccer) professionally off & on for over 30yrs. Most people don't think of Foosball as a sport but at the professional level it's very much a precision sport, demanding both physically and mentally. In fact, ESPN2 used to cover many of the higher level events (World Class, Masters, etc). I won the 1985 World Class singles event against people from all over the globe along with more State Championships, local tourneys than I can count. And you can bet after 30+years of it I developed an unbelievable grip, lol.

Sweet! Anyone that loves Foosball is akin to my heart lol. It doesn't surprise me you were good at it. You have that quick & creative mentality it takes to think on the fly one has to be able to tune into to really accel at that game. I don't play much anymore, at least not competitively. I have COPD & the fast movement makes it breathing difficult but I still love the game & always will. People just have no clue the level of precision & skill that game requires. We'll have to go play some & have a beer when I visit Florida & come see you guys, I'm sure we'll have a blast.

Thanks for the grats... & btw, while I did win several State Championships, it was the 1985 World Class I mentioned & that's my crowning achievement. I don't normally brag but to be the best in the world at anything, if even for one moment in time, is worth being proud of in my humble opinion.

Sadly no. In truth, I wasn't even planning on going to the World that year, had family responsibilities to worry about. Money was tight & it's normally held in Dallas & a bit of a drive (I'm in Tulsa, OK). But the day before the event my son's mother left me, with no warning & taking my son with her. So my best friend at the time said, "Screw this, let's go to the tournament & party for the weekend, you need it."... off we went. I won 2 major events that weekend, Amature Singles & Expert Singles the same day. It was such a spur of the moment thing I wasn't even ready for it let alone think to take a camera lol. I wish I would have though.

Thanks BillyG!

Thanks for asking!

My lower notes are sounding consistently clearer as I'm slowly getting used to staying less tense. Who would've thought it would be this difficult to just relax. lol