Category: String Selection

String Types:

5/20/2015

String types can effect the volume, responsiveness, and tone quality of your violin. Sounds and effects of different strings will vary amongst violins and your preferences may change over time. The only real way to find the best fit is to try a variety of strings. Below are the different types and gauges along with a recommended brand for beginners/intermediate violin players.
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3 GENERAL VIOLIN STRING TYPES:

1) Gut Core Strings - These strings are not seen or heard often in current symphony orchestras, but in Baroque music and before the 16th century strings were made of sheep gut! Yes, you heard me right, material from the stomach of a sheep. Some orchestras and musicians who play Baroque period music prefer these strings for their full sound. Some gut core strings are wrapped with aluminum or silver

Pros- Produce rich overtones for a warm sound.
Cons-Strings go out of tune easily because they constantly stretch and are very sensitive to temperature and humidity changes.

2) Steel Core Strings - Steel core strings have thin fibers of roped/spiraled steel and are wrapped with a variety of metals: aluminum, chrome steel, tungsten, silver, and titanium. Different brands and different metals produce unique sounds. In the 20th century steel core strings came about to combat the drawbacks of the gut core strings.

Pros-Stay in tune longer
Cons-Not as much complexity in tone, often bright and thin sound.

3) Synthetic Core Strings - In the last couple of decades many musicians have started using synthetic core strings. Specifically, Perlon (a type of nylon).

Pros- Stay in tune longer along with having some of the tonal characteristics of gut strings.
Cons- Not as much complexity in tone as gut.

3 STRING GAUGES/THICKNESS:

1)Thick (Stark) - require more tension to tune, produce more volume but slow response.
2)Medium(Mittel) - most musicians use medium gauges
3)Thin (Weich) - require less tension, produce less volume, but greater response.

For beginner/intermediate players I would recommend:
Dominant (synthetic core strings) Medium Gauge

Information from this post obtained from following source:
http://www.violinist.com/wiki/violin-strings/

Happy Hunting!
Larissa

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