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Violin strings' fingering intervals are uneven?
The strings of my student's violin are uneven for fingering purposes--when he plays a 3 on E, for example, it's higher pitched than it should be based on his 3 on A. The higher the note on the E string, the lower, relatively, he has to play it as opposed to where it should be. The lower strings are the opposite; on G he has to play notes higher than they should need to be played.We have tried having a luthier adjust the neck of the violin.. Changed strings. Checked bridge height. Luthier couldn't find anything wrong, but the finger placement is up to a half step off of where it should be by only third position!
Does anyone have any ideas as to what is wrong or how to fix it? I've tried all the teachers and luthiers I know...
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Replies (15)
What we feel our hands are doing as parallel positions across the strings is all in our heads - and we must never forget that it is the "upper" edge of each finger contact that determines the pitch, not the aiming point our minds envision.
In addition to checking the bridge height, the luthier should check the action for each string individually to ensure that they are correct. He/she should also check that the strings are properly adjusted at the nut, and that the fingerboard is properly planed and scooped.
Checking action on a violin is always important because too high action can also cause serious hand injuries.
If parallel fifths are out of tune, it’s most likely a fingerboard problem. Your description sounds more like the latter, but any additional information you can share might help to isolate the problem.
Sometimes this can happen when different string types are mixed, like a steel string on the A and E, and synthetic strings on the G and D.
It's not the bridge--bridge is perpendicular (and for kicks, we tried it in several un-perpendicular positions) and height is good.
Yes, half a step is really extreme...and that's only in third position. The octave harmonic point halfway down each string is almost a full step off!
From what everyone is saying, the fingerboard sounds like the culprit. George Huhn, that makes sense; thank you so much! I'll ask the Luthier to do that.
Thanks again, everyone.
Could there be some irregularity in the nut?
Have the fingerboard checked out, though. The number of playability issues that stem from that part of the instrument is much higher than you might expect.
Mixing strings is definitely going to be a problem, and mixing Dominants with Red Label is probably the worst, so I'd start with getting a matching set of Dominants on it and throwing ALL Red Labels in the trash to avoid temptation in the future.
Also, the fingerboard scoop could be excessive. Put a straight edge on the board next to each string, one at a time. There shouldn't be more than 1mm of sapce under the straight edge at the center of the length of the board under any string, and less on the E and A.
But I'm betting first on the strings. Also, if they are old, that will throw evernthing off, too.
Thank you!!
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But in any case, the different materials and thicknesses of the four strings, even when brand new, mean that they do not vibrate in quite the same way. For example, the "bulge" of the vibrating portion may not start immediately after the finger-tip, depending on the stiffness of the string.
What type of strings are you using?