response 1 of 30:

Sep 20 20:52 UTC 2006

More rosin, check the hair tension, then tune again.

response 3 of 30:

Sep 21 01:31 UTC 2006

Not to anyone with a halfway decent musical ear.

response 5 of 30:

Sep 21 11:33 UTC 2006

Just because he's newbie doesn't mean he lacks a musical ear. And 
contrarily, he would have to have an amazingly good ear to pick out the 
harmonic for the non-tempered third which, although it's slightly 
"out of tune" for those used to the even-tempered scale, is also a higher 
harmonic not nearly as dominant as the fifth and octave (which will NOT be 
perceived as sharp or flat). Yer grasping at straws, Mr. Science. 

For an interesting article that says just the opposite of what you said, 
see http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~jw/harmonics.html which basically says 
plucked strings provide a LESS accurate pitch (in terms of an accurate 
harmonic series) than bowed strings. In other words, bowed strings have 
more accurate harmonics, although bowing also creates a slight inaccuracy 
in the fundamental pitch due to the "slip-stick" action (presumably 
because bowing introduces additional tension on the string beyond that 
provided by the tuning pegs). The conclusion, although not expressed in 
the article, is that he should be tuning to a bowed note and not a plucked 
note.

The difference in pitch is not the RESULT of harmonics, but rather the 
difference in pitch and harmonics produced by bowing as opposed to the 
pitch and harmonics produced by plucking. To be even clearer, if you were 
able to remove all the harmonics, there would STILL be a slight pitch 
difference. The slight greater change in odd harmonics produced by 
plucking merely makes the difference more obvious.

response 7 of 30:

Sep 21 12:40 UTC 2006

I changed the strings and it holds tone much better. I think I'm also bowing
too hard, which I'm guessing increases tension on the string, resulting in
a sharper pitch. Got some good rosin (the stuff that came with it was like
glass- I couldn't get it off the bar) and now I can bow with less pressure.
That's helped a bit too. I may not be one of the Bachs, but I think there's
a perceptible change in frequency when I stop bowing an extra string and let
it resonate- it goes back to the frequency to which I tuned it. It seems from
what I've learned on the web sites and from experimenting during practice that
varying the speed of bowing is better for dynamics than varying the pressure.
Does all this seem plausible to more experienced people? Thanks for your
suggestions, guys!

response 9 of 30:

Sep 21 19:19 UTC 2006

The three "tricks" string players have when trying to exact a
sound is the pressure exerted on the string - how "into it" you
are.  Second, the speed at which the bow travels across the
string.  Third is where on the string you place your bow - closer 
to or farther from the bridge.  There are other variables, of course,
like whether you're on top of or on the side of the string, but
the first techniques are really what you look to first, when choosing
the needed sound.

response 11 of 30:

Sep 21 19:59 UTC 2006

Rane- what I'm describing is a difference of maybe a quarter-tone. I wouldn't
be calling an octave change a "little sharp".  ;)  I think I'll just bow when
I tune instead of plucking. Thanks for your input, all.

response 13 of 30:

Sep 21 22:55 UTC 2006

Dude, let the musicians talk amongst themselves about subjects they know 
about. "Ghost tones" represent pitches heard beyond the notes actually 
played, which I guess is what you were trying to say, in your own 
non-musical way. The point you are missing is that there are at least two 
types of "sharp." Notes with higher frequencies (vibrations) are 
"sharper." However, virtually all the harmonics (which by DEFINITION are 
sharp, or they'd be called SUB-harmonics) and ghost tones generated by a 
stringed instrument are in basic harmony WITH EACH OTHER. Nick is 
describing something entirely different, which only you seem not to see. 
He just mentioned he hears the note a quarter-tone off. Except for 
untempered thirds in the harmonic series, there really are no quarter 
tones played on the classical instruments in Western music. I think Nick 
knows the difference between a harmonic and a quarter tone. Do you?

response 15 of 30:

Oct 16 23:24 UTC 2006

Since this came up in Agora... Nick, would you please enter what the
conclusion was on why your violin sounded sharp by a quarter tone when you
bowed the string but sounded OK when you plucked it? Also, please let us know
what you did to correct this. 

response 17 of 30:

Oct 17 13:04 UTC 2006

I put new rosin on the bow and changed the strings. After that, I didn't have
to press so hard to bow, which helped relieve the problem. I also learned to
apply less pressure when I play, which helped. Finally, I bow when I tune now,
instead of plucking, and I'm happier with the way it sounds. It's not exactly
a high-quality instrument but I'm satisfied with it now.  :)

response 19 of 30:

Oct 17 18:30 UTC 2006

Re 18: Are you suggesting I'm bowing at the exact node that would create a
harmonic in a different octave exactly a quarter-tone higher than the
fundamental frequency? Rane, dude, I can't even keep the bow on the string
half the time.  ;)

response 21 of 30:

Oct 17 19:53 UTC 2006

Well, I'm sure your estimate of a quarter tone was just that - an 
estimate. And, no, I was not suggesting that you were bowing at a 
particular node. I just noted that you must have been bowing slightly 
above the bridge, and the string above the bowing point has a natural 
frequency for that shorter length, which would be also activated at a 
higher additional NONharmonic frequency. I'm asking if that additional 
frequency is noticeable.

response 23 of 30:

Oct 17 20:34 UTC 2006

Again, changing the harmonics ringing above the fundamental will not make
any of those notes sound a quarter tone sharp.