Ah, the nice thing about the "Bach Bow" I built is its suitability for playing ukulele chords on a GCEA tuned violin. I like the effect, and just switched from twine strand strings to horse hair after the music shop opened after New Years. (Actually, just last night.) I also received that bow I orded from an on-line merchant. It's pretty nice. (4/4 size, no marks, abalone inlay, straight, and just re-haired.)

As some may recall, I just finished building what I thought would be an electric violin, but its loud enough without an amplifier for practice. I began last night to attempt to use the new, standard bow to play in the romantic style. I found "Silent Night" and decided to try the note version. (I had my digital, metronome/tuner out so I'd know if I were at the right spot on the fingerboard as I bowed each note.) Needless to say, the results with the standard bow were pretty much consistent with the stereotype of a person's first enounter with a violin, i.e. "screeeeech".

I worked at it and found that I needed to grip the bow higher than the usual location to keep the 4/4 size bow balanced and light on the strings, given that I play with the violin vertical and propped on the chair just in front of me. (I built it with a very long frame, intended for my knee, but its much more stable with a couple of rubber pads on the base if I place it on the chair seat.)

I found that I need to keep the bow perpendicular to the violin strings to get the best sound. I could get no vibrato by shaking the hand that frets, which I concluded is due to the absence of frets on which to stretch the strings to create the effect (as with my ukulele), so I decided to shake the bow ever so slightly instead, which seems to work, but I'm not very effective due to no solid idea of how to shake the bow to produce vibrato.

I mention these things hoping for confirmaiton relative to bow technique and suggestions for improvement.

Thank you.

(Happy Twelfth Night Eve! Save me a slice of cake!)

Vibrato is produced on the violin by slightly rolling the tip of the finger that is stopping the string towards the nut, slightly changing the vibrating length of the string, the bow plays no part in vibrato.

May I suggest Maestronet forums for feedback on your experiments in violin and bow making. They have many experienced luthiers there for you to share your ideas with.

http://www.maestronet.com/

Ms. Fiddle, I apologize for any affront my description of the tools I'm using may have caused anyone to perceive. I thought it might have some impact on a response to my inquiry regarding technique. (It obviously doesn't if the bow isn't used for vibrato.)

I know nothing about a violin, beyond metrics, some grasp of Stradivarius' significance as a maker, and Sir Yehudi Menuhin's capacity to play Bach's Double Violin Concerto in an outstanding fashion (as well as a recollection of Itzhak Pearlman and, in more contemporary terms, Andre Rieu as great talents with the instrument). I am seeking to evaluate whether this violin I have made is viable as something that can be played with reasonable facility and ease, while seeking to develop a basic facility with the instrument. (I always deemed playing it beyond my meager musical talent, while prizing it's sound in the hands of a master as highly as did Doctor Watson in the Sherlock Holmes' mysteries.) I prefer to confirm this on my own, without revealing the design. (I may seek to develop and copyright plans for its construction.)

I have many questions, some relevant to technique, others associated with more basic considerations, such as: How often should I have to tune a violin? (I used friction pegs for the tuners, and a tailpiece with fine tuners. I'm quite pleased to have the fine tuners, because the "green light" only goes on for a specific note on the digital tuner when I employ the fine tuners. I have to tune every time I use this instrument, even on consecutive days.)

There are a host of other questions that occur to me, such as whether the "Huayin" strings that I now employ are a good choice, merely because they were cheap and advertised to permit easy tuning, or if I should simply continue with my original perspective that tonal quality can best be adjusted by electronic means, using a wire instead of a soundpost to connect to a resonant chamber, and downplay the issue of strings on an electric or potentially electric instrument.

Many questions - none with regard to how to make the instrument. All relevant to how to play it.

My thanks to all who provide answers to these inquiries regarding technique.

You should tune your violin or at least check it is in tune every time you play, how well a violin stays in tune depends on many factors including, what strings are used, how well the pegs fit and work, enviromental conditions the violin is kept and played in, how well the instrument is set up etc. Personally my violin never drifts out of tune by more than a few cents and needs nothing more than a slight adjustment occasionally with the fine tuners.
Even if your violin does stay in tune well however it is advisable to detune enough to give your pegs a turn from time to time to help prevent them and the pegholes going out of round.
I haven't heard of the strings you are using so can't give you an opinion of their merits, if they work for you however then stick with them.
As an alternative a good basic synthetic core string that isn't expensive is the D'addario Pro-Arte or, possibly the most widely used quality, though reasonably priced string set, Thomastik Dominant.

I would still check out Maestronet for additional information as they cover all aspects of the violin family including technique etc.

Also you could check out the fiddle and alternative strings forum,

http://www.fiddleforum.com/fiddleforum/index.php

Thanks!

I worked on my bow technique tonight. (Long notes in "Silent Night" with an attempt at vibrato.) The vibrato method achieved by gently "wiggling" the bow along the length of the strings does seem to work, and I reserve it for open string positions. The finger vibrato is less effective for me in my first attempt. (I'll have to work on it some more.) I am using steel core strings due to the issue of unstable tuning for now. I see that "Huayin" also makes a perlon core string, which I hope to eventually try. (It was around $9.00 for a set of four strings at an on-line auction house.) I like the sound of Nylgut on my ukuleles, and use nothing else. Unfortunately, Aquila only makes gut strings for violin, and I doubt that I'll ever be at a level that would justify that. The perlon core sounds as if it may be similar in concept to the Nylgut ukulele strings, and if I find that I develop some basic facility with the violin, I hope to make the transition. (I'm used to Nylgut strings that stretch a bit before they settle in.) Ironically, for now, with the steel core student grade Huayin strings on my violin for less than a week, my ukulele strings seem more stable and capable of retaining their tuning than those on the violin!

(Happy Twelfth Night! )