Even after 25 years of playing, the sound and feeling of wiping the rosin off my strings still goes right through me. In fact it sets my teeth on edge just thinking about it. Has anyone discovered a way of reducing - or preferably eliminating - that hideous noise? Thanks!

Use less rosin?

Seriously though, different brands vary quite considerably in how much dust they produce. Rather than spending a lot of money on different rosin brands before finding one you like, could you arrange to swap rosins for a week with any other musicians you regularly play with , either at orchestra or elsewhere?

My mind boggles as to what you're using to wipe the strings with??!! I use an ordinary soft cloth and it makes no sound whatsoever!

I'm a big fan of the 'less rosin' idea though. There shouldn't be much or any dust on the body after playing, but I've seen some with young snowstorms on theirs!!

Use a little methylated spirit or some sort of alcohol (not any with sugar in it) on a small piece of tissue and then wipe the strings. The rosin will disolve off and you won't get any nasty scraping sounds. Just be careful the tissue doesn't touch the varnish.

Do this at least once a week and on other days just wipe the rosin off with a soft duster.

I agree that some rosins are more dusty than others. Ususally the ones with a softer composition. Using a little less rosin (don't rosin your bow every time it's used) will cut down on the dust anyway.

Thanks for the replies folks. To set the record straight: I don't use a lot of rosin - I only run it up and down the bow twice, and even then only once or twice a week. There is rarely any rosin build-up on the instrument or fingerboard, but it encrusts the strings, especially the higher ones. I always wipe the strings with a soft cloth after I've played, even if it was only for 15 minutes.

I'll have to try using alcohol to get rid of the build-up on the strings, thanks for that suggestion Amanda. The instrument always sounds better before my strings have got to the stage of being thick and white!

So do I , just that I never ever find that said soft cloth makes much, if any, noise! That was what baffled me on this question.

I get that noise. Hate it

HOW???? Maybe my hearing isn't sensitive enough!!

My daughter does use a soft cloth, but the horrible sound still kills me. Surprisingly she is not at all affected by the horrible sound.

I wonder if the type of strings one has on the instrument have anything to do with the noise. Or the way cleaning is done, ie wipe perpendicular vs parellel to the strings.

This might sound really odd but I always, always wipe towards the bridge. I dunno know why, but I can't imagine it working if you do it sideways..... because the winding on the strings goes that way, and to get the rosin off properly I guess I assumed you would need to wipe against the pattern of the winding. But that would make a lot of sense! It makes a lot of noise when I clean my strings (every hour of playing or so, Larsen Tzigane seem really badly affected by even a small build-up), although everyone else in the room tends to get upset by it, it doesn't bother me in the slightest

I've started using a micro-fibre cloth (or an 'e-cloth') and the noise isn't so bad... but it's still like taking your fingernails across a blackboard

I used to hate the noise partially cause i thought it meant i was breaking the strings or something
It doesn't bother me atal anymore...

I saw this last night and although I usually use Brut Aftershave for the strings I thought I'd give it a try.

So I said to the wife, "Have you seen the meths?"

To which she replied, "Is the wine not really hitting the spot tonight then?"

I think I'm going back to the aftershave.

Cheers,

Matt.

Hey Matt. Here's something just for you:

Enery & Kev

if that doesn't drive you to drink.............

Aaaahhh. Classy stuff.

Think I probably need to work out more though.

The stuff doesn't taste bad either.

Cheers,

Matt.

I now use a little lighter fluid (petrol), bought in a can for a pound or thereabouts, squirted on a cloth and rubbed onto the string. Works well. Can also be used to remove dirt from the frog end of the bow. Careful not to get it on the varnish. A tip given to me by a very accomplished cellist.