Stentor violin buzzes on the B note

Question

I've got a Stentor Conservatoire violin a couple of days ago and although it sounds really nice when I try to play the B note on the A string the violin "buzzes" somehow and produces a very different sound. I can assure that there's no chinrest problem, so my guess is that the strings may need too change but they seem excellent.

Answer 1

(Answering an old question for posterity):

Violin "buzzes" can be maddeningly hard to diagnose. If in doubt, or if you try the steps below and can't prove that it's something harmless, take it to a good luthier immediately, since it might mean that some part of the body itself has cracked or come unglued. Look for any obvious damage right away.

Why does it buzz only on certain notes? Well, each pitch is a different frequency of sound wave, and maybe one particular frequency matches the size of a gap between two things somewhere, and sets them knocking against each other. In my opinion, the answer suggesting that it's a wolf tone is unlikely. "Wolf tones" are less like a buzz and more like a gargling, yowling inconsistency in pitch, and they're seldom encountered in first position (most often on the G string, and around the range of D5).

To track down the buzz, try to eliminate suspects one by one. If you can make the buzz happen on an open string, you can try to use your left hand to touch some of the things that might be rattling and see whether it solves the buzz (otherwise, you might have to get a helper):

• Try removing the shoulder rest. If this solved it, consider whether the shoulder rest might have been flexing and contacting the back of the instrument, or whether any part of it is loose.
• Examine any fine tuners. Do any have loose screws? Try touching them one at a time. Look underneath; are any of them close to touching the top of the instrument? (If so, you'll have to lower the pitch at the fine tuner and tighten at the peg to make up for it; you might also want to consider a different model of fine tuner that's more compact.)
• Examine the chinrest. Might it be contacting the tailpiece? If you press down with your chin, is there any chance it could flex and touch the top of the instrument? Are its screws loose? Adjust and move it if necessary. (If you're not sure how, let a teacher or luthier show you.)
• Examine the strings (especially the one that's buzzing). Are the metal windings damaged, maybe unravelling? (Replace them!) Is there a little plastic tube, meant to protect the bridge, and has it slipped off the bridge? (Loosen the string until you can slide it back into place.)
• Examine the pegs. I once saw a buzz caused by a small decorative piece of trim on a peg that had come unglued.
• Look inside the belly of the violin. Has the soundpost fallen? (Loosen the strings slightly and get it to a repair person immediately!) Is there any other foreign body that's gotten in there? If something's fallen in, hold it so the f-holes face downward and see if you can tilt and shake it out.
• Put your eye right next to the bridge and look straight down the fingerboard. Can you see any waviness or dips in it? It might be that the buzz is caused by the string hitting the fingerboard when your finger is in a "dip" (meaning the fingerboard needs replaning). Are the strings very close to the fingerboard, even at the bridge end of the fingerboard, even when you're not pressing them down? (Could need a new bridge or nut.)

If you try everything above and don't find a simple, harmless culprit, take it to a repair person to check for open seams or cracks!

Answer 2

In that area of a violin it is common to have what is called a wolf note. You might be able to lessen it by moving the sound post. Also, you can attach a wolf note suppressor behind the bridge, but that can affect the tonal quality of that string a bit.