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Hey Ya'll!
The E on my violin is very, very shrill sounding. To the point of hurting one's ears. It makes me cringe when I know I have to get close to it.
I have all my strings tuned to the normal 440hz, but the other strings are more \"friendly\" sounding than this darned E.
Question: How do I fix this without ordering new strings? I will order new strings in time, but I need a temporary fix.
Is there a lower hz that I can tune all the strings down to in order to kill the shrill and still have the sound match across the board?
This violin has Prelude strings right now, while my other has the Zyex. Unfortunately, the other is such a crap instrument that it NEEDS the Zyex to make it sound halfway decent. Swapping them out for each other isn't really an option.
I know the main trick here is to stay off the E string, but that's impossible when my fingers seem to be stuck in first position for now. I'm learning second, but I'll be darned if that's not a trick in itself!
Any tips you could give me here are welcome!
Thank you! ![\"doublekiss\"](/forum/the-violin/\"/wp-content/forum-smileys/doublekiss.gif\")
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I would also ask that as you look down the violin from the chinrest end, looking thru the bridge, does all the strings seems to be centered on the fingerboard? ...and centered on the tailpiece as well?
Or is the bridge off to one side slightly?
Have you cleaned the strings lately of any accumulated rosin buildup (if there is any)?
Could you tune it up to concert pitch 446Hz and does the E still sound harsh?
Just a few things to try.
"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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Kevin - The F#, G and A sound ok, but the G# and the B make me feel as if my ears are being pierced by a tiny pitchfork, no matter where I place my fingers within a mm of where the note should be.
cdennyb - I inspected bridge from all angles. From the fingerboard looking down, its straight and in line. From the chinrest looking up, its also straight and in line. All strings sit at equal distance and they are centered on the fingerboard. However, I did notice that the bridge has moved slightly towards the tailpiece and its not perfectly centered with the f-hole notches, which I fixed promptly. The tailpiece also seems to be in alignment with everything else. Strings get wiped down before I hang it up when I'm finished each day. I tuned it up to 446 as you suggested and while the other strings still have that sweet, beautiful, romantic sound, the E still pierces me with the pitchfork.
Barry - That's the conclusion I'm starting to come to.
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Barry's suggestion is good to just change the E string.
Also, just to experiment, move your bridge slightly to the right (E string side) to see if that improves it slightly. If it is better you may consider having the sound post moved slightly towards the G string. Moving the sound post closer to the G string will give you stronger low registers and less high.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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My amateaur opinion is... FM is probably m ore right than wrong so throw that string away and change it. Sounds like something with your current string just doesnt work with your instrument.
Everyone here's appears to be on the right track... good luck.
"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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I seem to also have a screaming E string but only on the open and stops when I put a little more pressure on. I have Zyex. I tried putting a little rosin on as well as cleaning thoroughly, doesn't seem to make much difference, so I'll try some of the tips here.
Hope yours improves.
If you think you can, or you think you can't, you're probably right.
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I'm with Barry, I like the same string, it works for me.
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Just as I suspected, a new string will need to be ordered.
FM - Moving the bridge to the E side didn't seem to make a noticeable difference on that side, but it did bring out the beauty in the G a bit.
Thanks for the tips, everyone! 
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