I am trying to get the final part of Sally Garden off pat. There`s a change from D on the A string up to E and back to D. I keep trying but the E (a wound Dominant, so I can`t blame that)screeches. It`s a bit better when I bow closer to the tip but even that ain`t great. Is slowing down the bowing one of the answers?

Hi Jeff,

It might be cleaner in the long run to use your 4th finger on the A string to get that E. A lot easier to flip that finger down and back than change strings, and it should eliminate any scratchy schreechy problem. Putting it in the right place, and strongly enough to get a clean note, only comes with practise.

You`ll want to get you 4th finger trained up for fiddle playing anyway. It`s not used a whole bunch but is useful for things like this - or supposing you need to switch from a note on the D string to an E without hitting the open A. It`s also needed for 3rd finger rolls when you start putting them into tunes.

Sorry, forgot to answer about slowing down the bowing.

I don`t think this is the answer - are you bowing each note separately or slurring these notes together? I have a tune (Duke`s Hornpipe) with a similar D-E slur and it is tricky to get it sounding good and clean. I tend to put some more pressure on the bow with my index finger and almost grind out the notes in a staccato fashion.

Thanks, Martin

Jeff,

That one is difficult and all I can tell you is that I sometimes have the same problem myself, even now, and even with a good E string. The short answer is, that change from D to open E and back again just isn`t something we would normally do.

Liz

Now you tell me!!

Shall we try a question I`m sure you`ve been asked before by people who expect you to answer in the affirmative.

Would it be easier if I had a better violin?

I don`t expect an answer, I`ll practise and I`ll try Martin`s fourth finger alternative.