Open D sounds like a B. Why?

February 2, 2011 at 08:00 PM ·

It's winter and pegs can slip quite drastically.  This last Sunday at a jam session it took 4 songs with me saying "wow! that sounded bad!" for me to figure out that a peg had slipped and my D was now sounding like a C.   I was in tune when we started the session but half way through - twang!  It was really bad!  I ran out, got my tuner, turned the peg until I had a D again and was fine for the rest of the session.  Dry air and change of temps from room to room can really wreck havoc with your tuning!

February 2, 2011 at 08:28 PM ·

Can you hear if it's tuned properly?  Most of my beginners couldn't tune their own violins and have to wait until their lesson for me to fix their strings.  I try to teach them as soon as possible to recognize what their strings are supposed to sound like.  In your case, if it reads B natural, and if it sounds lower than your A string, then you need to gradually twist the D peg up. If you can't move the peg, pull out on it as you untwist it, which should loosen it.  If you can't get it to stay put, you may need to press in firmly as you get it where you want it in order for it to stay there.  Unfortunately, many pegs on less expensive violins are difficult to keep in place even under the most experienced hands.

As you twist the peg, pluck the string and keep checking the alphabet letter on the tuner.  It should be gradually moving up the alphabet.  Keep moving it up until you get your tuner to call it a D.  At that point, push the peg in and you can turn the small fine tuner that's on the tail piece until you get the arrow/light where you want it.

If, on the other hand, your D string sounds higher than your A string, you should not tighten the peg, but loosen it down the alphabet (B, A, G, F, E, D) until you find D.

If you can't tell if your D string is higher or lower than your A string, then wait until your lesson and your teacher will fix everything.  Don't worry, they'll keep helping you until you can do this on your own.  Tuning a violin can be tricky!

(If everything I wrote doesn't apply to your situation, then please forgive me if I overexplained.  I can't tell how much you know about pitches and tuning just by reading your description, so I tried to be as detailed as possible.)

Let us know once you get it fixed!

February 2, 2011 at 09:34 PM ·

Steve - just read your profile.  I am 42 and starting learning the violin last summer.  In fact, my husband is learning the guitar at age 61 and we meet with a group of middle age plus folks every Sunday for a jam session.  For the most part. everyone has learned their instruments in the last 5 years.  What's funny is that in a room with 3 guitar players, a mandoline, banjo, bass, dulcimer, another fiddler and two singers - no one pointed out to me that I was out of tune!   So either no one was listening or we are sooooo bad, that no one could tell  :-)

Emily is right, violins are hard to tune.  Between the violin in 4th grade and cello in the 6th grade, I had maybe 6 months worth of lessons as a kid.  No one ever attempted to teach me how to tune.  That was advanced stuff.  Turning a peg can be intimidating.  If you are not careful, the whole peg will let go and the string will go flying.  When this happened to me, the string broke as I tried to tighten it.  Not a big deal.  Nothing was harmed but I couldn't play until it was replaced.  THAT was a travesty!

February 3, 2011 at 12:43 AM ·

Electronic tuners can sometimes be a little difficult, especially the chromatic type. For simplicity I recommend a simple four-note pitch pipe, or a tuner that generates audible tones. Then tune to match the sounds. I started with a pitch pipe 25 years ago and still use one for quickly tuning after repairs, even though I can get within range without one. Usually not perfectly accurate but they are cheap and don't need batteries.

February 3, 2011 at 01:12 AM ·

Some people cannot match sounds when they first begin.  If you can, then give yourself credit for having a natural ear and be happy!

February 3, 2011 at 01:39 AM ·

Hmm. If you can't match sounds I don't see how you would have any chance of playing in tune. Back when my ear was terrible I could still match sounds pretty close. And in this case he doesn't have to be perfect, just separate the open D from everything else.

February 3, 2011 at 02:33 AM ·

Maybe your violin has dyslexia?  ; )

February 3, 2011 at 02:57 AM ·

Lyle, you'd be surprised at the number of people I've taught to match pitches.  Not everyone that comes to me can do that, but they can learn it.  You definitely have to learn it if you want to play in tune, that's for sure!

February 3, 2011 at 03:06 AM ·

If the G sounds good on an open string, try a D on your GF string, then the same on the open D. Tune the D to the G. Then check your A aginst an A on your D string. If it doesn't sound good, adjust the D (not the A).

If you have a good ear, get a tuning fork for A=440, or A=442; Tune the A first, then the other strings to the A in that manner.

February 3, 2011 at 03:08 AM · probably's a tuning issue as everyone above's saying, but every once in awhile an instrument has very strong overtones and a note in the series reads on an electronic tuner instead of the primary tone. Longshot...but possible. If it's the case, it should go back to close to the primary note if you alter tone just the slightest bit.

February 3, 2011 at 12:27 PM ·

Lyle and Emily - in his bio he says that he played a brass instrument for many years in high school so he should be able to identify or at least match sounds/notes. 

February 3, 2011 at 06:15 PM ·

Well, not necessarily. 

I can't help but notice he hasn't responded since he posted this.