I have never touched a string instrument so this hte first time i have handled a violin…have no clue how to get started. I bought it for my sister so she can start learning trad tunes. But it isn’t playing at all. Being someone who isn’t a master at the string instrument how do you actually make sound. Or do I have a lemon?
Thanks!
~Kerry
Did you put rosin on the bow?
That’s about all I know of the instrument.
Well now,
The bridge - that wooden thing that the strings sit on - needs to be in the right place, which is just over the soundpost.There is a soundpost I presume?
It helps if the instrument is in tune.
Posture is very important…keep the left wrist straight..don’t have the hand at a 90 degree angle to the arm - big problem there! - and then ofcourse, make sure that the bow has been tightened and resined.
At all times - this bit is important - keep the bow at a 90 degree angle to the strings, preferably halfway between the end of the fingerboard and the bridge.
Take a deep breath and play the open strings, slowly, with a loose wrist.
That’s how it starts…
Slan,
D.
I got a “beginner” fiddle of ebay once…it seemed like I had to rosin the bow forever before I could get a sound out of it…
I’m sure it was just me though 
Anyone know if there is a fiddle site similar to this site?? Well, nothing could match this site for its veracity 
Try this:
Make sure you resin the bow…and that the strings(if there aren’t any then thats your problem!) and the strings must be taught enough…not over tight or you will bust them…best get a cheap tuner…and get the bridge in the right place…how do I know all these things…I bought my son one when he was a nipper.Les.
You’ve not said how much experience your sister has with the instrument.
Physically, you won’t get any sound if:
#1 can be checked by looking in the ‘F-holes’ - the curvy slots on the top of the instrument. There should be a piece of wood standing perpendicular to the top and bottom of the instrument.
#2 and #3 will be fairly obvious.
I’ve had a few students have terrific success with some of the beginner models being sold on eBay. I got one for my little nephew for $50 with shipping included - case, bow, rosin and fiddle - and it’s obviously not the greatest instrument ever made, but it has acceptable tone and didn’t arrive in pieces. The instruments seem to be shipped in different states of assembly. If neither of you knows much about the instrument, take it to your local music shop. Or if you want to do-it-yourself, just google yourself up a schematic so you get some idea of where things should go.
A model post, thank you ‘toasty’. Not only did you provide the answers the original poster was looking for, but you also managed to do so in an eloquent and charming way. I can hardly wait for your next inspirational missive.
While Mr. Dorans’ stylistic interpretations are certainly open to debate, his site will still be a good visual resource to get a general idea of how to hold the thing.
Cheers.
I suspect the most enjoyment you will have out of that fiddle will be to tune it up and put it in the fireplace and watch it burn. It can be fun watching the strings pop. 
Seriously, most cheapo ebay fiddles are so terrible that you will stunt your learning curve trying to make them work. I suggest you feed your fireplace and go buy a student fiddle from a respectable shop who will offer setup service for it. That way you have a good shot of getting going on it. Otherwise you are starting out in a hole that you might not ever get out of.
It is a similar thing with Pakistani made Uilleann pipe chanters. They actually do more harm than good for a student. (IMHO)
…well, ‘toasty’, considering you don’t actually know me or anything about me, and I don’t know you, your above comments come as quite a surprise. Even vaguely in the context of the subject of this thread, they do not reflect anything like subjective criticism of my music, playing ability or even my site content. They are nothing more than a nasty, venomous and totally unfounded personal attack on me which amounts to slander, nothing more.
If you felt so strongly about me personally, or about my playing or anything else for that matter, you could easily have contacted me through my site. But instead of doing that, you chose to publish your slanderous remarks on a public forum, whilst hiding under a cloak of anonymity. Quite a spinelss and cowardly act, don’t you think?
Leaving aside your ridiculous first few words describing me as a ‘poser’ and a ‘wannabe famous…’ - I’ve no idea why you think that, but calling me a ‘dole recipient’ is nasty, absurd, and above all, totally untrue. You’ve really got a thing about the UK welfare system, haven’t you? God only knows what must go through your mind. It’s so fitting that you should have your occupation listed as ‘Harmony’ in your site profile.
I see from your previous posts that your slander (masquerading as an opinion) is also directed at other fiddle players - Pete Cooper, to name one. Here’s the thread title, just in case you’ve forgotten : http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?p=421810&highlight=#421810
That same thread, near the end, also contains statements by you about your fiddle playing ability - for the world to read. Yes, all that after what you said about my ‘fuddle’ skills.
A word of advice for you - please think before you post on a public forum, and stick to things you know at least a little bit about. Try being a bit more
positive about music and musicians, instead of attempting to verbally shred them just because you don’t agree with what they play, or how they play it. Go on - one day you’ll feel better for it. I know you will.
I’m glad I came across your orignal slanderous post on this forum - at least now I know who’s been writing the nasty and venomous comments in my site guestbook. You obviously failed to read the other 30-odd genuine positive comments from other users of my site.
If your intention was to belittle me, then you have failed miserably. Since publishing your remarks, my site traffic has increased greatly, as has the
site’s Google rankings.
Jim Dorans
To be honest, for a fiddle I recommend talking to a real live fiddle player in your local vicinity.
Even if you have a no-brainer instrument like a concertina (push button and squeeze,) you as a newbie are not very qualified to gauge its quality or the shape it is in.
For example, I assumed for years that my accordion-reeded concertina had a bland sound owing to its accordion reeds. It wasn’t until I took a class that I realized that was my fault.
Caj
or the Fiddle and Atl. strings Forum - http://www.fiddleforum.com
Not a very nice thing to say about Jim, by the way…
mark.
ditto
Sorry. Some clumsy moderating on my part. Given that Jim had a chance to respond to toasty, I probably should have left the original post, for now. I’ve unlocked this thread but remind member of the expectation that they will avoid personal attacks.
Thanks Dale for deleting “toasty’s” slanderous post against Jim Doran. Perhaps his remarks against Pete Cooper should also be deleted.
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=32812&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0 and http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=30207&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15
Thanks
Mikk
I tried Fiddle once, I decided to stick to Flute. Pete Cooper’s book has a great selection of tunes is the best I can say as I am not a Fiddler and have no real knowlegde on the subjdct of bowing and such.
There are several ones. The best one is http://www.fiddlefork.com then there’s also http://www.fiddleforum.com. World Fiddle Music is the best instruction site on the net, and now it has also a forum, even if there’s not so much activity yet: http://worldfiddlemusic.co.uk/wfm-forum/index.php
Good luck!
Make sure that..
You have rosined the bow
That the fiddle isn’t cracked somewhere (don’t know what that would do to the fiddle though)
That the strings are where they should be and the bridge in place
That the sound post is in place (a stick on the inside of the fiddle)
The price of gas being what it is, you might not want to travel too far from C&F, so you could try the new trad strings forum at http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewforum.php?f=11 first for general questions.
Hi- I bought what is probably a similar instrument from a fellow C&F’er. I knew I would have help getting started as I had already told my dulcimer teacher that I wanted to start learning to fiddle, to which he replied, “Well, if you want to play the fiddle, you probably shouldn’t wait any longer.” Hmmm- I’m only 48…
Anyway, the first lesson was spent setting the instrument up & tuning it. One string had to be replaced but the rest were fine as were the bows. Oh and some of the replies mention tightening strings but it’s not just the ones on the instrument that need tightening. Did anyone tell you that you have to tighten the bow strings before you play or the whole setup won’t work? My teacher, who’s primary instrument is the fiddle, showed me how to tighten them (the bow strings, that is) to play and loosen them when I was done so that’s what I do and the whole set up works surprisingly well considering what I paid for it. It didn’t hold a tuning well at first, but now that I’ve been working with it for a few weeks, the pegs seem to hold better and it stays fairly well in tune.
I will say that me and my fiddle had a love-hate thing going at first but things are starting to be more comfortable and I’m starting to enjoy it.
Robin