viola buzzing?

Question

my viola started buzzing today out of nowhere. it buzzes only on open G and most fingered notes of the C string. the buzz sound appears to come from the lower area where the chinrest and tailpiece are located. after plucking it many times I have figured out that the buzz seems to stop when I place my hand onto the back of the instrument, and not when I touch either the chinrest or tailpiece. does anyone know the source of the buzz and if I can fix it on my own/ need to take it to a luthier?

Answer 1

2 other oddball sources I have encountered over the years:

1) if you have a chinrest tht is the "over the tailpiece" style, it can sometimes touch ever-so-slightly the tailpiece and buzz; hold the instrument up and look through that little tunnel between the chinrest and tailpiece and see if it looks like it is touching;

2) the tailgut that holds the tailpiece in place has 2 brass fittings screwed on it on the underside of the tailpiece; sometimes those will buzz against the underside of the tailpiece; if so, just insert a small piece of paper or tape behind them to prevent them from contacting the tallpiece.

Also check for any loose hardware on the chinrest, or missing cork cushioning material between the chinrest clamps and the body itself.

Answer 2

Check any fine tuners. If one is screwed too far in either direction it can cause buzzing.



Check the strings to see if any winding is coming loose.



If you have one of those little sleeves where the A string goes over the bridge, check to see if it has come loose.



If you know how, check to see if there are any open seams. Those can be hard to spot - most of the time it's not obvious.



Check your mute if you keep one behind the bridge.



Check your clothes - any buttons, jewelry, zippers, or beads hitting the instrument?



If all of those are okay you'll probably need to have someone look at it.

Answer 3

Have you checked the soundpost? Look inside and see if it seems to shake or move when you play http://adf.ly/pya9l