Violin Answers

How to produce beautiful warm sound?
How to prevent bow jumping?
How to prevent wonkiness?
How to produce a warm sound even while playing at a high speed?
What are the factors involved in perfect bowing?

I started violin last month, & have been having the same problem! My teacher is getting frustrated (and of course I am too). He thought me how to hold the bow & how to bow using the wrist, & not the arm. But I can’t seem to get the hang of it. For example, when my wrist goes upward during an up-bow, the bow ‘floats’ away from my pinky & when my wrist goes down for the down-bow, the bow ’slips’ inwards & it rests on the 3rd joint of my index finger, instead of the 2nd joint. All these leads to the bow ‘running’ about. So when I try to hold the bow steady, my bowing switches to ‘arm’ mode, instead of wrist movement, which my teacher calls ‘rowing’. Any advice please? This problem seems to be my main obstacle from progressing as I can already read notes & such. Thanks!

ONEFOOTNA
posted this question 5 months ago
“There is a painting that many women in my family have had & I really want to find it. It is a picture of two girls/women. There is one playing the piano & the other one is playing the violin. There is a really pretty winding staircase in the background. I was told that the painter was possibly Frederic Mizen. I want to know where I can find a print of it. ”
I HAVE THIS PICTURE TOO
Did anyone ever find out the name of the artist & if so who is it?
I inherited this picture from my great grandmother for the life of me I cannot find anywhere on it the name of the artist if anyone knows please answer.

When I look at my bow by tightening or not, the top of my bow is bent to the right. Is that correct? I asked a similar question but didn’t specify what I meant. If you’re hold the bow, hair toward you, should the top of the bow be turned to the side?
Thanks,
Linda

If you are a complete beginner than all the strings are going to sound bad. LOL
Everybody sounds like rubbish for the first six months on the violin. I don’t think it would matter too much which string you put on during this initial learning period.
After you learn how to produce a reasonable sound on the violin you can try some Dominants. They are a very good string used by intermediate & top class professionals alike. (Although the professionals usually substitute the Dominanat E string with a Jargar or Gold Label E string )
Dominants only cost about $40 per set in the US so they are quite cheap. (Here in Australia they cost $75 per set)
You will find the Dominants much easier to play ; they are more forgiving & don’t have the harshness of the cheaper strings. But I really would stick with the cheap stuff for a few months just so you can appreciate the difference.
Other good strings to try are Pirastro Piranito ($25 per set) & D’Addario Helicores ($30 per set) but the Dominants are better quality.
PS Make sure you get a good quality rosin too ; it will also make a difference to your sound. Throw away the cheap stuff that came with the violin. I use Pirastro rosin.