Wolf tones on a viola

July 19, 2007 at 01:10 PM · The F# is an odd place for a wolf tone...usually they're on lower notes, though I to have a Chinese viola in my stable that is magnificient, now...after three years of getting accustomed to northeastern USA. Do the other F#"s also boom ??Sometimes it's just a matter of breaking in..sometimes new strings help...does the wolf persist with a mute aboard ? Have you checked the fingerboard, nut, saddle and tailpiece for irregularities ?

Another thing to try is lengthen/shorten the tailgut or space from tailpiece to bridge...and finally, check the position of the chin rest...my viola is very fussy about being certain the chinrest clamps are not contacting the surface of the viola top....If none of these work, play the heck out of it, top end dynamics...get it vibrating fully and see if things are better....humidity and temp are also varieables with which to reckon...good luck !

July 19, 2007 at 03:45 PM · My wolf is on F#--I thought that was the usual note. My worst problem is a double-stop F#/open A...both notes go white.

It comes and goes, depending on the setup (for one thing). I had the bridge recut and a new tail piece installed. They tamed the wolf a little, but he's still there. It may just be my imagination, but it seems that seasonal changes cause the wolf to come and go.

Wolf notes are supposedly a sign of a good instrument.

You can buy a "wolf eliminator" that attaches to a string between the tailpiece and the bridge.

Some cellists place a cork between the tailpiece and the body (almost all cellos have wolf notes, so you might talk to a cellist).

July 19, 2007 at 03:55 PM · "Wolf notes are supposedly a sign of a good instrument."

Ive heard people say that before and I don't see how is statement is true or makes any sense. I've even heard luthiers say it. It's not that a wolf is a sign of a good instrument, it's that many good instruments are plagued with wolfs (wolves?) A wolf is the natural frequency of the instrument, so when you play that note, the instrument vibrates wildly and makes weird sounds. Because wood is a natural medium, they are extremely hard to avoid. Good instruments have wolf tones, bad instruments have wolf tones. Please don't use wolf tones as an excuse to call an instrument good.

July 19, 2007 at 04:28 PM · I said "supposedly." I don't necessarily share that opinion, beyond the fact that they are an indication of resonance.

July 19, 2007 at 04:26 PM · "Some cellists place a cork between the tailpiece and the body"

I've never heard of wolf tones. Apparantly, I don't have them on either violin. I'm pretty sure I've got cork on both sides of the clamp on the chin rest on each instrument...would that possibly work as nicely as between the tailpiece and the body, or do I just not have wolf tones?

My private instructor used to tell me that if I ever got too good for my violin, it would start mooing like a cow. I asked her what she was talking about and she said mine wasn't doing that, and I would know when it was. Is this the same thing?

July 19, 2007 at 06:38 PM · Thanks for the answers! Yes all the F# also vibrate widely, and now since 2 weeks the natural F on 3 strings have started to vibrate too...but when I had the soundpost changed last october, the wolves completely disappeared...and came back in May! I have had the rest checked too,but my violin maker said it was all OK...just can't believe it!!My teacher advised me to go to Paris and show it to s.o else..but I was also told that because it's a chinese viola,nobody will want to have a look at it!

In a way, it has a wonderful sound, just all those F and F# vibrating make me crazy, and I doubt I can do any audition/competition with that bad sound!

July 19, 2007 at 09:36 PM · Maybe you can bring to a luthier and they can tweak it. Someone can re-set it up, or even re-graduate the inside. Then again, that may wind up costing you more then the viola is worth itself. It may be more cost effective for you to forget about this instrument and look at another, especially if you are considering recording or performing..

July 21, 2007 at 05:11 AM · I used to have a violin labelled Scarampella (actually a Gadda) that had such an appalling wolf-note at C# that eventually I sold it - I couldn't stand it any longer.

Now I have a Pedrazzini that has the same problem on C natural, but it is such a beautifully resonant violin generally (probably designed to make lots of noise in the pit at La Scala) that I rather forgive it this imperfection.

Incidentally, I have played three different Lucci violins and they all had wolf notes.

However, my experience of most modern Italian violins that are of accurate Stradivari modelling (unlike the more individualistic modelling of Scarampella/Gadda and Pedrazzini) is that they are usually quite "even" and less likely to shriek on particular notes.

July 21, 2007 at 09:35 PM · Interesting that it seems to be a saesonal problem, May and October. Might have something to do with humidity changes and shrinking/expanding of the plates?

On the other hand, if it becomes more noticeable during the full moon, it masy be lycanthopic in nature. Try a piece of silver on the tailpiece.

July 22, 2007 at 12:58 PM · I thought that ALL tones on a viola are wolf tones! Sorry - I couldn't resist!

Seriously, there have already been some good ideas offered. I would take it to a luthier for tweaking, as has been suggested. But wolf tones are very tricky. Sometimes if you squelch one in one place, it turns up elsewhere, or there's some other not great side effect.

July 23, 2007 at 09:20 PM · The reason an instrument has a wolf note is because at this frequency (note) the top is vibrating so much that the vibrations are transmitted back through the bridge to the string, causing it to vibrate chaotically. These chaotic string vibrations throw off the slip/stick of the bow hair until the bow re-establishes the normal pattern. The result is kind of yodeling effect. The way the wolf eliminator on the string behind the bridge works is that the length of string must be tuned to the same note. Slide the weight forward or back until the after-string is tuned to the wolf note, then try playing the wolf note and adjust again. The vibrating 'after length' absorbs the excess vibrating energy. Another strategy is to switch to lighter weight strings. Weather/humidity can effect the presence and frequency (note) of the wolf because the moisture content effects the vibrations of the instrument.

Oded Kishony

Violinmaker

July 24, 2007 at 05:47 AM · Thank you for all your answers. Concerning the wolf eliminator...I have already got one on my C string, and it doesn't help at all.I have tried to put it in different places,but it never changed anything to the sound...The sound is exactly the same with+without the eliminator! What kind of strings would you recommend then? I have evah pirazzi on C+G, Oliv on D and Larsen A.

July 24, 2007 at 03:48 PM · Hi Melanie,

You don't describe the type/size of the wolf eliminator on your string. If it is too heavy or too light it will not work properly. Also from your description it seems that you moved the wolf eliminator rather randomly. Let me emphasize *it must be tuned to the wolf note* or close to it, to do anything at all! Pluck or bow the string behind the wolf eliminator, that's between the bridge and the tailpiece, it should sound the same note (or octave above) as the wolf note. If you can't do this on the C string, try the G string. To illustrate this principle tune your A string to the wolf note, then try getting the wolf note to yodel on the C or G string. Normally, with the A string tuned to that frequency, you will not be able to start the wolfy sound.

If you CAN get the wolf to howl with the A string tuned to it, then search for the true wolf frequency by having someone tune the open A string up and down while you play on the wolf note until the note becomes steady.(no longer wolfy) Then tune the wolf eliminator to the same frequency.

Another strategy for very stubborn or multiple wolf notes is to use the wolf eliminator to move the frequency between notes, again by tuning close to the wolf frequency and using trial and error.

If the wolf eliminator you are using is too large and heavy you can make your own using a lead fishing weight and a piece of surgical tubing or other springy rubber tubing. Place the rubber tube over the string, then pinch the lead over the tubing just tight enough so you can slide it up and down the string.

Oded Kishony

October 13, 2007 at 01:33 AM · I have a Chinese viola and i have a weird wolf. Its on Bb and sometimes B depending on humidity I found

October 13, 2007 at 07:10 PM · I've found that thinner and/or lower tension strings can help to tame wolfs a lot. For example, if you have a wolfy D-string and are using an aluminum wound Dominant string, try the silver wound version.

October 13, 2007 at 11:40 PM · Hi Melanie! I'm mostly a viola maker now... and good violas are difficult to build and to find... It's quite difficult getting a good sounding C string on a viola. The viola sounds an octave above the cello but has a much smaller soundbox, hence the difficult in sound production.

If you have wolves in 3 strings, this is not an easy problem to cure, I think, unles you are using strings that have too much tension in them.

And yes, we never see the same sea, it changes every day, and we never play the same instrument too.

And if are thinking about an audition or competition, yes, perhaps you will have to upgrade your viola.

Ciao!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7875988@N02/

October 17, 2007 at 09:48 PM · Wolf tones are mostly due to incorrect setup. The soundpost is probably just picky as to where it feels comfortable.

November 23, 2010 at 06:43 PM ·

Try the wolf eliminator on different string afterlengths. One reason for attaching it to the C string is to avoid interference with sliding mutes. What you want is for the afterlength with the eliminator on it to be tuned to the wolfing resonance frequency.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfe_Tone

Andy