After I sent my violin for repair 2 months ago, I've been periodically getting a "empty" sort of sound when I play the open E string. It kind of sounds like thin air, and it's rather high-pitched and sqeaky. I've been trying to find the root of the problem for quite some time, and even my violin teacher is stumped. Any ideas?

Change the E string and see what happens. Open E strings tend to squeak and make all sorts of other weird noises anyway, but, they also wear out. Changing your strings ONLY when they break (especially the E) is not a good habit to get in to.

Might I suggest Hill E strings - either thin or medium. Not only one of the best available, with a decent tone and tending to be less squeaky than other leading brands, but also still at the cheaper end of the market.

oh yeah... did I mention that my E string has snapped 3 times in 2 months after the repair? This is my 4th E string. I'm getting rather perplexed... I'm using Dominant strings by the way.

I'll try to take up your suggestion Amanda, but my teacher firmly stands by Dominant/Tonica/Pirastro strings.

It seems to me that the tention of your E string is far too high for your instrument to handle. Some violins just don't tend to like high tension and then strings can make funny sounds.

I would recommend using a gut string for your E string - or in fact just by a whole set. Gut strings are much more flexible and have a much better tonal quality.I hear Pirastro Gold, Pirastro Eudoxa and Pirstro Oliv are fantastic Gut strings. I know you can buy them from www.turnerviolins.co.uk, and if you want to buy a single string on its own, then just email them....They're very trustable.

Hope this Helps. By the way what violin do you have? And what strings are you using? And what repair was made on your violin? I might be able to help you more....

okay... thanks mysteryd. I think most of my strings are steel-wound... and what's a gut string by the way?

I have a Singaporean-made violin, a 1999 Synwin. Most people say the sound is magnificent for it's price (S$3000), and I don't want to change it. I'm using Dominant strings, and the repairs made was:

Change of tailpiece
Change of bridge
Change of soundpost
Shifting of fingerboard to remove open A string buzz

And a new set of strings 2 months old (except for the E which is a week old).

Hi
Do you remember where the strings are breaking? If they are breaking in the same place there is a problem at that location, and the luthier that set it up should make good on correcting the problem. At least the one with the breaking strings. Who knows it may correct the other as well
Len

Singapore makes violins? WHOA. Haha. Gut strings are those animal strings. Made from the lining of some animal gut or something. Gut strings are normally used by people at advanced levels of playing because they go out of tune really fast. I haven't been able to find Hill E strings in Singapore. Rai, if you manage to find them, please please tell me.

Dominant E strings are infamous. I have been using Dominants since I started in Feb but has since changed a set of strings. I then bought an entire set of Pirastro Tonica strings. The E string is similar to Dominant but not as squeaky. I used to wince when I played the E string on the Dominant.

gut strings are made from wound/spun sheep gut. If you're vegetarian you probably won't even go near them.

I'm assuming mysteryd intends on steel/silver wound gut, rather than plain gut. Pirastro Oliv or Eudoxa are such strings. Using a Hill soft/thin (low tension) E string might solve the sound and breakage problem, but as others have said, is the string breaking in the same place every time? This could be cause for concern and require a luthier to check the setup of the instrument first - perhaps a different luthier to the one who did the last repairs!

I would not advise using a plain gut E string. I've seen them last all of...well...errr.....10 minutes before breaking!! They are not really suitable for everyday general usage.

I'd just like to confirm that Dominant Es truely suck. They will make your violin sound worse than it is. I strongly suggest using just about anything else. Gold Es sometimes whistle more than is ideal, but really, Dominants are the worst.

Are you sure its aligned proper or the sound post is in the correct place?

yeah aiken. I've not been able to find strings other than Tonica or Dominant easily. But if these steel-wound gut strings solve my problem, I'll order them online.

Well, I notice that the E string has been breaking mostly at the same place; nearly right at the end of the fingerboard. At least 2 of the 3 strings have been snapped at that area.

The luthier who did repairs on my violin is highly recommended by the music teachers and orchestra members of my school and the next (which our school has close relations with). They always go to this luthier and have their instruments fixed up nicely, so I guess mine is probably a one-off case.

I might change my E string to another brand though. Any suggestions? I might get a Pirastro Gold E string. I heard it complements the 3 other dominant strings beautifully.

I am using Dominant with Gold Larsen E. Great response and meaty tone.

Don't just play with those strings to make your violin sound good.... It is best to save your best strings for public performances!...

I'll second Amanda's suggestion of a Hill E - best investment I've made on my fiddle for a long time, and not at all expensive.

WAY better than the Dominant E which is hideous.

Lol... so many people are saying Dominant E strings are quite terrible. I might order some Hill strings now that quite a number of people say they're good. Any other brands that are recommended (for E string only)?

Some companies specialise in making only E strings. I believe Hill is 1 of them. Which school do you come from? I've never heard of a school that has an orchestra. Unless you're from VJC because I know they have a string ensemble.

Surely most schools have a school orchestra? OR is that not the case?

hmm. 'School Orchestra' is not to be confused with 'Orchestra'. They are 2 totally different things.

So if Well's Cathedral School have a orchestra... which one do you assume I 'm talking about?

take the violin back to the luthier as even highly experienced luthiers can make mistakes. My son once had this problem with his cello after having the nut raised and it turned out the luthier had forgotten to check that the nut hadn't been damaged when it was moved and found that there was a little blemish where the A string touched the nut. Not only did he get rid of the blemish but reimbursed us for the string which had snapped.

Oh yes it's true. Most schools in Singapore don't have orchestras. I've never heard of a school with one. Music education isn't as 'important' in Singapore then in UK though I would love for it to. We only have music lessons and it's usually rubbish. We learn to play the recorder and that's all.

If he re-alligned the fingerboard he would have moved the nut as well (that is the part that the strings rub on before they go into the pegbox), or he may have installed a new one. Before you put any new strings on check where the strings fit for any sharp edges, or for too tight a fit. It should also transition smoothly into the pegbox. Too sharp a corner and the strings will snap there. If everything looks good rub some graphite from a pencil in the groves before you put the strings on. This will allow them to slide easier. It's also a good idea to do the same to the bridge. Hope this helps.
Len

Well, I'm from hwa chong institution and we have a string ensemble. Just the whole of the string family. I'm quite proud to be from there because recently 2 of our cellists scored 144 and 145 for their grade 5 cello exam, and the bass section leader got 137 for his grade 7 bass exam. I'm taking grade 8 violin myself next year, so I hope my violin would be all ready by then.

FYI our school also has a band and a chinese orchestra. I believe NYGH also has the same?

Thanks for your advice stringmum, but I brought my violin back there once and had it checked twice by my violin teacher from SSO (singapore symphony orchestra). It seems to be all right, but I was used to having the bridge "lower", since it was bent last time. My teacher said the new bridge might make playing a bit harder, but it's the standard.

Thanks for your advice as well lemie. The lutheir commented that my pegs were a bit tight, and recommended that he oil them for me. But I decided to remove all my adjusters on all 4 strings (I know, bad bad me) and replace them with a tailpiece with the same capability to fine tune the strings.

Actually Aiken, music is becoming increasingly significant in Singapore. For example, my school just introduced 'A' level music for next year's JC 1 intake (my batch) in HCJC. Most parents in Singapore think that getting good grades is all that matters in obtaining a place in a good university. Maybe that's why most friends I know just take grade 5 piano and happily pass with 100. In primary 3 or 4 we learnt the recorder, but that was rubbish because... they weren't even proper recorders. Recorders should be made of wood right? Ours was... cheap plastic.

i agree too...

parents always stress on good acadamic results, nothing else... if i were to pass with only 100, i wont be happy but i will cry instead... lol... even though i love music, but i'd always hated music lessons in primary school... they are far too boring and i learn almost nothing throughout the lessons, only playing cheap recorders...

btw, did you take music as an O level subject last time? i would like to know how it's like...


ShArOn

Music lessons were really boring. I totally agree. Singing the same few songs over and over and over...

My school doesn't offer 'O' level music. We're an IP school, so we just take 'O' level Higher Chinese. Some people do take MEP (music elective programme) though. It's an exam + composition of short pieces and other stuff, according to my friend who takes it.

Oh! You're from HCI. That's nice. I have a close friend from HCJC. Yes, I agree it's becoming more popular now but why wasn't it in my time?! Grr. I recently went to a primary school to help the kids who signed up for the violin club to get fitted with violins.

I agree the recorder stinks. You can barely play an octave with it. Haha.

My violin teacher took A level music and got an A I think. I had a classmate who took O level music last time. She told me it's really tough. I guess it depends on how committed you are and how talented. She dropped it. Too time consuming. Are you considering on taking it Sharon?

By the way rai, where did you buy your violin from? I'll be getting one soon and my teacher has told me he'll be taking me to Gramercy and Synwin.

Oh wow... you help out with kids in the music area. That's nice.

My violin was bought in 1999, when I was 9 years old. It's a synwin, and it's pretty good. You've got to try as many violins as possible, and shortlist a few and pick from there in the end. I've heard that most people try out the Tchaikovsky violin concerto (the one starting with 3 Bbs) on a new violin to check the quality.

You might want to visit Svaboh at 89 McNair Road too. Your teacher should have heard of him, he's quite famous in the musical arena for quality string instruments and repairs to them.

well... i've already signed up for the O level music in September... but right now, because we have to choose subjects for next year, so my parents forced me to take triple science and one humanities which is geography... and i've submitted the option form... so suddenly i came to the thought that if i choose triple science without music, i heard that it's kinda quite stressed as there's many things to memorise for biology.. so if i add music, WORSE!! 9 subjects!! others took 8 and they're already so tired and stressed out...

btw, do you mind helping me ask your classmate and tell me more about the subject... eg. the various sections in the exam, what you have to do for O level, what do you learn in this subject etc.

ShArOn

Haha, I think you're taking the same subject combination as I did. Triple science, double maths, social studies + geog elective? If you need help in those subjects I can offer some help. PM me for my friend's email address.

Thanks rai, I'll ask my teacher about him. You bought your current violin when you were 9? How old are you now? 9 year olds wouldn't use a full size lol. My teacher says he's bringing me to Gramercy and Synwin. Are Czech violins any good?

Anyway, how's the problem on your string? All ok now?

Actually it was my brother's. But after he got his grade 8 violin he stopped taking lessons, and I "inherited" his violin when I was around 11-12.

I've heard that only SOME czech violins are above average. The rest are just slightly better than china-made violins. Probably your teacher should try the violins out for you, then ask you to try them as well. This will ensure you get a violin that both of you agree on.

And yeah, the Larsen gold E string sounds fantastic. It's really much better than Dominant.

Cool, where did you buy it from? I currently use a Pirastro Tonica. I feel it's better than the Dominant. Then again, it could be because my bowing has improved.

I bought it from Gramercy @ Tanjong Katong, which is having a sale now. The larsen gold was bought due to a recommendation of rosewood.

Ah yes, I heard they're having their anniversary sale cuz I emailed the guy. Sigh, I won't be back till the 26th so no sale for me! *wail* Congrats now that you've gotten your problem solved.