Squeaking E String
My E string won't stop squeaking and it's driving my insane!! I use Infeld Red E and I heard they tend to squeak...
But maybe it also has to do with the instrument? Also, do they squeak more if they're false? (I've noticed that my E strings squeak right out of the envelope)
So the main question is what to do to stop it? And which strings don't squeak (preferably darker sounding).
Replies (24)
The infamous E string squeak is due to a torsional (twisting) mode of the string. I don't think it should be affected by falseness. It might be possible to change your setup to minimize it. Using more bow pressure also reduces the whistling.
Wound E strings are usually torsionally stiffer than unwound strings and won't squeak as much (Pirastro No 1, wound Eudoxa, wound Dominant, a few others.) I use a heavy gauge Wondertone Solo (not wound) which does whistle (not too badly) but is much more responsive than the wound E strings I have tried.
Kaplan has a special E string to address this problem.
It's called the "Kaplan Solutions Non-Whistling E, number KS311W", specifically designed to solve the open E-string whistling.
Greetings,
sometimes a slight techncial glitch slips into ones playing that causes this. It is possible that the base of your index finger is soemtimes making the smallest contact with the string. Probably not but it is worth checking.
Now what can we do about people who whistle?
Cheer,s
buri
about that kaplan E...how many of you have used that, and does it actually do what they say it does?
You mean the left index finger, right? I noticed that happening before but it usually squeaks without me touching it.
Greetings,
yes.
(sound slike my girlfriend...)
Cheers,
Buri
My friends and I used to have contests to see who could make it whistle the most times in a row... you can practice that if you want, and it may help you never to do it again!
The only string I can't make squeak so far is a plain Dominant E.
Greetings,
I think it was Ted who told that great story of how Oistrakhs e string whistled 17 times during a perfomrnace of the Chaccone. He was so enragedby the end after playing the last note immediatley bashed out open ees in front of the audience,
Cheers,
Buri
17 good ones after. Just re-arrange it in your mind. That would impress me more than playing it better if his count was right.
I usually only have problems with gold-plated e-strings. Has anybody noticed that they squeak more?
The way to get rid of the E string squeak is to angle your bow "in" (frog closer to right arm, tip closer scroll) when crossing from A to E string. Exaggerate it a little bit.
It really does work. Also applying slightly more pressure will help...but the angle is the number one thing.
Hill E's work quite well from my experience....thick gauge
Gold Es whistle on my violin, so I stick with Pirastro Wondertone Gold Label E.
Pirastro's Oliv gold e also whistled for me. It's one thing that led me to switch to gut strings, probably not an option for you. Gut e's may only last a couple of months, but by golly, they don't whistle! :)
Eva Pirazzi also is high-strung--I just changed my sounding point for E notes until it finally wore out.
A few people have mentioned that applying more pressure can help and while it sometimes does, I really don't want to do that because it produces a sort of attack I don't want, especially if I'm trying to play softly.
Enosh, try scooting just a little towards the bridge a couple times, with the elbow just a micro-little further back.. I'm still too green to play almost anything with force or pressure, so the playing softly thing really hit home. Anyway, that's how I started learning about the SP-regions... al
To play softly without squeaking, you can lower the bow speed while maintaining pressure. On the other hand, if you want to win a whistling E string contest, start with the bow off the string and then bring it down on the string with as much speed and as light a touch as you can produce.
The one E string I've tried that I could never make whistle was the Pirastro No 1, but that was the only good thing about it (on my violin.)
I'm glad that I'm not the only one who experiences this sometimes. I usually get rid of it by changing bow direction or the contact point. Sometimes using more pressure works but I agree with you Enosh, it's not always the sound I want either!
Daniel
Thanks, everyone, for your responses. I've been experimenting, and what Albert said seems to work very well. I think the main thing is being closer to the bridge. I so far haven't had a whistle if I play close to the bridge. =)
cool--it worked with Eva.
Well actually now I've gotten a few squeaks even closer to the bridge but it's definitely much better.
check the elbow.
BOW ANGLE IN WHEN CROSSING
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December 13, 2006 at 12:17 AM · I've been using a dominant E and it does the same thing. When I used pirastros it didn't squeak so it must be the strings.