pete_fiddle - Posted - 08/23/2025:  10:53:56

Well it's getting better anyways.



I have recently been paying attention to the noise i am making with my fiddle. And have found that i need to play nearer to the bridge and at right angles to the strings, with the right bow weight, and not let my bow wobble about aimlessly, or bow "round the corner" over the end of the finger board. i am even getting rid of my constantly whistling E string by playing it with conviction nearer to the bridge and with the right amount of bow weight at a right angle to the string.



Mind.... it's only taken me about 3 or 4 decades of "getting away with it" before i am finally addressing the problem....i may even buy some fancy strings to celebrate!

ChickenMan - Posted - 08/23/2025:  12:02:15

That last bit made me chuckle in commiseration. Good on you for addressing it, maybe I should too.

pete_fiddle - Posted - 08/23/2025:  12:21:28

Seems like if i announce my fiddling problems to the world, i am obliged to take my own advice from that point on. So i suppose i will be addressing the problem until i can't anymore....Instead of just learning another tune.

Lonesome Fiddler - Posted - 08/23/2025:  19:41:00

Ya know, I honestly can't remember how I finally conquered the curse of the whistling E string. It took a long while, though.

wrench13 - Posted - 08/24/2025:  06:14:00

I play with a lot of A-E string double stops and the chance of whistling out the E string on those is even higher - you have to balance the pressure/ attack on BOTH strings. And your angle for the bow only has a few degrees of leeway. I find changing e strings more often than the others helps w/the whistle.

Mobob - Posted - 08/24/2025:  07:54:23

a wound e string helps some folks, several brands on the market.

farmerjones - Posted - 08/24/2025:  10:29:25

I assume Graham Clark is still among the living. He was the the Master of the Church of the Long Slow Bow. I swear it cures everything from phardts to mumps. Indeed, I have recently reverted. And behold! I sit here as a new man! I mean, until I pick up a fiddle. Then I'm much the same, but, what was the question?

pete_fiddle - Posted - 08/25/2025:  00:07:03

Yep been a disciple of the long bow on and off for a while. But it didn't teach me much. apart from the fact that i have to push my bow hand away from me at the tip, and pull it in a bit nearer to the frog. (And how shaky my bow arm is)

I tend to only use about 1-6 inches of bow during a tune, so i just think of the bow in 3rds, like tip, middle and frog.

i am learning to keep my eye on where the bow is on the string now, and the angle of the bow to the string and adjust accordingly. If i don't do that, everything tone wise, starts to go pear shaped again.

farmerjones - Posted - 08/25/2025:  05:00:32

quote:

---

Originally posted by pete_fiddle

Yep been a disciple of the long bow on and off for a while. But it didn't teach me much. apart from the fact that i have to push my bow hand away from me at the tip, and pull it in a bit nearer to the frog. (And how shaky my bow arm is)



I tend to only use about 1-6 inches of bow during a tune, so i just think of the bow in 3rds, like tip, middle and frog.



i am learning to keep my eye on where the bow is on the string now, and the angle of the bow to the string and adjust accordingly. If i don't do that, everything tone wise, starts to go pear shaped again.

---

You've hit on something there. Mark O'Connor gazes at the point where his bow hits the strings. I think it's been talked about somewhere? I'm sure I'd loose my place if I were to do that. I mean I play from my head, but I don't know if I can handle that much division of tasks.

pete_fiddle - Posted - 08/26/2025:  10:32:00

quote:

---

Originally posted by wrench13

I play with a lot of A-E string double stops and the chance of whistling out the E string on those is even higher - you have to balance the pressure/ attack on BOTH strings. And your angle for the bow only has a few degrees of leeway. I find changing e strings more often than the others helps w/the whistle.

---

Plus each string needs a differing amount of bow "weight"

Edit: apologies i see you have that covered in your post 

Edited by - pete_fiddle on 08/26/2025 10:35:20

Saltcured - Posted - 08/26/2025:  13:28:52

My E was bad to whistle when coming up to it from the A string on the same downbow. Still have to be careful of it, even to the point of working out tunes so as to upbow the A then downbow the E. Could be like you all said, more pressure might help

pete_fiddle - Posted - 08/26/2025:  14:45:16

quote:

---

Originally posted by Saltcured

My E was bad to whistle when coming up to it from the A string on the same downbow. Still have to be careful of it, even to the point of working out tunes so as to upbow the A then downbow the E. Could be like you all said, more pressure might help

---

i hear you.

Also there is the option of the E on the A string. i often use that. But i think i "used to"....(hopefully)... Get frustrated and over play the open E string, which gave me all sorts of frustrating problems. Now i think it just needs paying attention to, in respect of bow weight, angle to string, and sounding point etc,  rather than more "pressure" or speed etc.

just got to figure out what works, and pay attention to it rather than trying to (over) play my way through it. And hopefully that will become part of my playing eventually.

Fancy strings may help...i don't know, but i can even get a decent sound from cheapo Chinese steel strings if i (Edit: "Prepare") and pay attention.

Edited by - pete_fiddle on 08/26/2025 14:47:32

The Violin Beautiful - Posted - 08/26/2025:  18:20:56

Bridge curvature and string groove depth also play a significant role in whistling. Make sure those are appropriate to save yourself a lot of grief. Non-whistling E strings are a bandaid approach to the issue as they don’t address the underlying issue.

It can really be a matter of bowing as well—especially when the bow is hitting the string at a bad angle or with the wrong attack. Practicing is a good way to avoid this, especially using a mirror to check the bow path.

GeorgeH - Posted - 08/27/2025:  04:46:38

quote:

---

Originally posted by The Violin Beautiful

Non-whistling E strings are a bandaid approach to the issue as they don’t address the underlying issue.

---

Whistling E-strings themselves often are the underlying issue and they are why many violinists discard the E-string that comes with a string set and replace it with a better non-whistling string. For example, Optima Goldbrokat steel E-strings (0.26 and 0.27 gauge) whistle much less than many other E-strings. They sound great, respond well, and last long. They are inexpensive and used by many top violinists. They have a beautiful silvery flute-like tone on many violins compared to a more shrill brassy horn-like tone of many other E-strings. (Note: nothing wrong with brassy tone if that is what you prefer.)

If you're having trouble with whistling E-strings and the E-string grooves in the bridge and nut look right, then I'd recommend trying Goldbrokat steel E-strings first to see if that fixes the problem. If not, then see your teacher to see if it is your bowing technique and then see your luthier.

The Violin Beautiful - Posted - 08/27/2025:  06:30:57

I’m an ardent advocate for the Goldbrokat E and I use it on all my setups. I would say that it responds easily and provides a clear and full tone, but I would not go so far as to say that it is a panacea for setup issues. If the string grooves are not properly placed, even the Goldbrokat will whistle, just as it will if the bow moves at a bad angle so that it causes torsion in the string.

The reasons I don’t recommend changing the equipment to something gimmicky as a first step are that it’s often costly, it usually ignores the root of the problem, and it reinforces bad habits that could be better addressed by a review of playing form.

I have always found gold-plated E strings to be more prone to whistling, but they are alone in that respect, and I never recommend them to anyone because they have several problems. Even so, for customers that do use them, it’s possible to play without an excess of whistling, it just takes a conscious effort from the player.

pete_fiddle - Posted - 08/27/2025:  07:04:57

My original point is that bad tone and whistling e string "in my case", is down to careless inattentive playing. i don't think i need gold strings or anything because as soon as i start paying attention to my bowing the tone and whistling E gets better. Hopefully in future, and with muscle memory it will become automatic. .....But it won't if i carry on playing as i always have done.

NCnotes - Posted - 08/27/2025:  21:18:54

Re: gold Es-
Oh yea, I was never an E-string whistler but once I put on a gold-plated Obligato E, it whistled like mad! Gradually as time went by the whistling died out…I thought maybe the string got old, or maybe my right arm/hand retrained itself? But in my case, it was definitely a string thing! No more gold Es for me! It did have a sweet singing tone but the whistling was hard to deal with!

GeorgeH - Posted - 08/28/2025:  05:30:25

quote:

---

Originally posted by NCnotes

Re: gold Es-

Oh yea, I was never an E-string whistler but once I put on a gold-plated Obligato E, it whistled like mad! Gradually as time went by the whistling died out…

---

The gold plating eventually wears off gold-plated E-strings, so maybe that is why it stopped. 

The Violin Beautiful - Posted - 08/28/2025:  10:42:02

quote:

---

Originally posted by GeorgeH

quote:

---

Originally posted by NCnotes

Re: gold Es-

Oh yea, I was never an E-string whistler but once I put on a gold-plated Obligato E, it whistled like mad! Gradually as time went by the whistling died out…

---

The gold plating eventually wears off gold-plated E-strings, so maybe that is why it stopped. 

---

I wondered about that being the explanation as well. 

pete_fiddle - Posted - 08/28/2025:  11:19:21

A bit like Bacon. Everything is better with Gold.

boxbow - Posted - 09/04/2025:  19:37:23

I get an intermittent whistle if the meaty bit of my forefinger turns out to be touching the E string ever so lightly. Usually goes away as my fingers warm up and resume better form.

The Violin Beautiful - Posted - 09/08/2025:  05:03:03

quote:

---

Originally posted by Scotty road

I follow a lot of these threads but dont usually comment, but I heard someone mention wound E strings. I honestly didnt know they existed, do they have a more mellow tone?

---

Not more mellow, just less dimensionality. By damping the string as they do, they prevent the string from producing the overtones it would if it was a single-strand E. Instead of a warmer sound, they typically make the E much more shrill and strident. 

Edited by - The Violin Beautiful on 09/08/2025 05:05:48

The Violin Beautiful - Posted - 09/08/2025:  16:46:39

quote:

---

Originally posted by Scotty road

Thanks for the reply, was going to try one but think I will stick to my normal ones for the moment. May be something to try out in the future though.

---

A former employer used to say that non-whistling E strings were "great...for slicing cheese."

Mobob - Posted - 09/08/2025:  19:25:14

opinions here are free, and you get your money's worth.