How do you get a violin to not have that "folky sound"

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ironpony
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18 Mar 2021, 9:17 pm

So whenever I look up people doing violin solos on youtube, they have that sound like they would have in a stereotypcial Irish bar setting, if that makes sense? Solos like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEBX_ouEw1I

Or these one still has a trace of that sound it seems:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEbi-7tPaqo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq9-p6Qf_XQ

But then you have violins in movie scores, that sound like this, at 0:32 into this clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_yW7Dv ... w_&index=4

Or like this at 0:38 into the clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtVMokTfBl4&t=56s

How do they make their violins or violin samples perhaps, sound different than that more folky style you often hear?



ocean
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19 Mar 2021, 10:20 am



i dunno


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funeralxempire
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19 Mar 2021, 10:24 am

Might it be a matter of technique?

'Fiddle playing' vs. 'violin playing'?



Fnord
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19 Mar 2021, 10:25 am

One method is to use a bridge-piece that is more rounded at the top, which makes it difficult to play more than one string at a time.  Another method is to not "scuffle" the bow diagonally, but to keep the bow at right-angles to the strings.  There may be more, and I suggest asking an Irish cèilidh-fiddle player for a more definitive answer.


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ironpony
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19 Mar 2021, 10:43 am

Oh okay thanks, i can look more into those, thanks. Do 'fiddle players' use different strings than 'violin players'?



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19 Mar 2021, 10:45 am

ironpony wrote:
Oh okay thanks, i can look more into those, thanks. Do 'fiddle players' use different strings than 'violin players'?
It depends on the musician.  Some use steel strings, and some use organic strings.


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ironpony
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19 Mar 2021, 10:56 am

Do you know which types strings these are here?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq9-p6Qf_XQ

They say that steel string is much more popular, but it seems to me that a lot of people doing violin solos on line are using gut string, unless I am wrong?



funeralxempire
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19 Mar 2021, 11:14 am

ironpony wrote:
Do you know which types strings these are here?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq9-p6Qf_XQ

They say that steel string is much more popular, but it seems to me that a lot of people doing violin solos on line are using gut string, unless I am wrong?


I'm not sure there's anyone who plays on here.

This person might know, or at least be able to get you in touch with someone who might know:

https://www.youtube.com/c/MarijkeViolin/about



PhosphorusDecree
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21 Mar 2021, 12:04 pm

I've known several violinists who played both classical and folk music on the same instrument. So I think it's all down to the musician producing the appropriate sound, not anything mechanical to do with the violin. I have to admit, it's been 20 years since I last played a bowed string instrument, and I was never very good at it. But I've been around good string players enough to watch what they do.

Left hand technique: Classical playing uses a lot more vibrato than folk. Classical violinists avoid using the open strings too much as they sound slightly different from strings stopped with fingers. Also, you can't do vibrato at all on an open string! Folk fiddlers, on the other hand, love open strings and don't mind the difference in tone- it sounds gritty and "authentic" to them. Plus there's the whole thing of using an open string to play a drone under the melody, which is very folk.

Right hand technique: You can get a lot of variation in tone with different bowing techniques. Classical players default to legato (smooth) bowing styles unless the score tells them otherwise. Folk bowing is usually less legato - there's more of an attack at the beginning of each note. I've also heard mention of folk players holding the bow in a slightly different position, but don't I know any details.


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ironpony
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21 Mar 2021, 2:22 pm

Oh okay thanks, that helps. But the two movie examples I listed, are not classical style, are they?



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21 Mar 2021, 6:23 pm

The string playing in the "King Kong" and "Bad Boys" examples sound very classical to me. Worth noting that in both of these, there are a lot of violinists playing at once, which makes a big difference to the effect. In "Bad Boys" there's a range of different bowing styles from the choppy "marcato" to the smooth "legato."


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21 Mar 2021, 6:43 pm

I am no violinist, although i am experienced using synthesizers and samplers / virtual instruments. I also know my way around the recording studio, have a good understanding as to what effects and processors are used to create various sounds.

When it comes to film scoring, in the 70s, the composer may have used an early string synthesizer.
You may have to search for the exact one.

Or if the film was a big budget one, he may even had the budget to have a string section from an orchestra play the parts live in an acoustic space.

On top of that, you have effects such as chorus and reverb that can make things sound a lot bigger.

For emulating string sections, or parts of a string section, such as the violins.
There are quiet a few quality virtual instruments on the market now, as well as older quality sample libraries.

One of those will likely be able to do the job for you.