My mother bought me a violin off of ebay (so it could be cheap). I havent played since grade school, so I only remember a few things (I did play for 4 years so at least some info was retained). but this violin makes only a very light sound when I play;I`ve rosined my bow several times and nothing. What else could it be-what am I doing wrong? Thanks to all who can help.

Tara

Is the bridge in the correct position? It should be in the middle (obviously :P) and lined up with the notches in the 2 `f` holes. It should also tilt back slightly.

If it is in the correct poition, it may be your sound post. Look in the `f` hole closest to your `E` string and see if you can see a little bit of wood going from the top to the bottom of the violin. If it is there, it may be out of position. If it isn`t there, then you;ve got a problem!

If the post is there and the bridge is ok, take it to a violin/music shop and get someone to have a good look at it.

Hope this helps

it might also be that you are applying either not enough or too much pressure onto the strings. maybe its your bow!! because (sorry to say) cheap bows can sometimes not work well with particular violins. maybe you have too much rosin on as well or it could just be the violin has not been made right inside.
hope it helps but it probably wont!
funkyk!
xxxx

Old hair doesn`t take rosin very well.

More rosin, more rosin, more rosin. If the hair is completely white with rosin and it STILL won`t play, then you may have a problem.

Liz

i rosined for a good half hour and now it plays! woohoo-now all i need to do is figure out how to tune it right. haha
thanks guys

You know, I have the same problem. My brother got me a new violin for like $200 [without even consulting me] two years ago. It didn`t come with a serial number or a name inside the violin. It doesn`t play very well, especially when I play in the up position; it only makes these scratchy sounds. Maybe it`s the strings, maybe it`s the bow. All I know is that this violin is not top quality! The tuning pegs, chin rest, fingerboard and tailpiece aren`t even made of ebony, and the body probably isn`t even made of maple. For beginners who are planning on getting a violin, test it out first, and make sure they are quality made!!

for a new bow, you need to use a knife to make the rosin to powder, then use your finger to put the powder onto the new bow, so you don`t need to spend half an hour doing that.
www.chineseviolins.com

It will be maple. Chances are you haven`;t got enough rosin on the bow. If the bow hair is totally white and rosin can be seen on thew strings, then it could be just the strings, usually cheap strings are very screechy.

Liz

as a note, please ignore what Bai Li Xing said to do - you should NEVER touch the strings of your bow with your fingers, especially like he/she said to do. it ruins the strings with the oils from your skin and then you won`t produce good sounds until you restring your bow.

what? touch string? I didn`t say that, I said use finger to put the powder onto string doen`t mean you need to touch the string, think clearly, I am a violin maker, of course I knew that, you should know here the keyword is "POWDER" not finger, as many people especially some beginner and their parents don`t know how to put rosin onto a new bow.

Re_Write:

what? touch string? I didn`t say that, I said use finger to put the powder onto bow hair doen`t mean you need to touch the bow hair, think clearly, I am a violin maker, of course I knew that, you should know here the keyword is "POWDER" not finger, as many people especially some beginner and their parents don`t know how to put rosin onto a new bow hair.

Did you scratch the rosin to create a light dust before you applied it?


http://www.chrisbsmusic.com

violin resources

If scratching the top of a tough rosin doesn`t seem to help...you could try a light pass with sandpaper to get that shiny film off...

Hi If a violin is new it does not give a perfect sound. This is because the wood or wathever it is made of perfections during time with the own vibrations the violin makes. I have a German Violin it wasn`t cheap but it had a horrible sound. Now I like it because it is smooth and nice. If for this is not the case it might even be the technique you are you using on the bow. Not all bows act the same on the same violin. Give it a try. Hope this will help thank you.