Wat violin string?

Question:so. i play the violin. for about 11 years now. im ok at it. not great. the most intense i get is playing in the orchestra. im not a big soloist. i dont really take lessons anymore.
and.

my strings are breaking. ive never had to replace them, because by that time, i usually got a new violin that already had strings, since i was still growing.

so i have no idea wat kind of strings i should get. help?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: so. i play the violin. for about 11 years now. im ok at it. not great. the most intense i get is playing in the orchestra. im not a big soloist. i dont really take lessons anymore.
and.

my strings are breaking. ive never had to replace them, because by that time, i usually got a new violin that already had strings, since i was still growing.

so i have no idea wat kind of strings i should get. help?

Different brands and kinds of strings sound different on different violins, and every violinist or fiddler has his or her own favorites.

If your fiddle is very bright sounding, a perlon core string like Dominants can mellow out the tone nicely.

If your fiddle is warm and dark sounding, a steel core, or steel rope-core string, can give clarity and brilliance to the sound.

Classical musicians often prefer perlon core strings, while fiddlers (bluegrass, Irish, or old-time) usually prefer steel or steel rope-core strings to help their solo fiddle cut through and be heard over the guitar, banjo, bass, etc in the band -- but these rules are not absolute.

As an old-time and bluegrass fiddler myself, with a fiddle that naturally has a warm, dark, rich tone, I really like D'Addario Helicores, which are a steel rope-core string.

Unfortunately the only way for you to know for sure what strings will be best on your violin is to buy a set, put them on, and play them for a few weeks. Do you like the way they sound and feel? If yes, great. If not, buy a different set of strings, put those on and play those for a few weeks. It takes anywhere from a few days to a week for new strings to settle and get "played in" to sound their best so you need to try each set of strings for a couple of weeks.

The only problem with this is that violin strings aren't cheap -- good strings can cost anywhere from $25 to $50 a set.

If you have a violin shop near you, you can bring your instrument in, tell the people in the shop what kind of music you play and ask them to recommend a brand or kind of strings for you.

Hope this helps.

edit: If you play classical music in an orchestra, then you would be a "classical musician". A lot of classical violinists like the sound of perlon strings (or gut, but nobody uses gut strings anymore) but that's not a hard and fast "rule" -- you should use whatever strings make your violin sound best, whether those are perlon or steel.

Like I said, the only real way to know which strings will sound best on YOUR violin is to buy a set, try them out and see if you like them, then buy a different set, try them and see if you like those better. Keep trying different string sets until you find one you like best.

For now, I suggest you try a set of Thomastik Dominant strings to start with and see if those give you a sound you like. A lot of people like them, they're readily available, and they're not too expensive. I know when I bought my current fiddle, it came with Dominants on it, and I didn't like them -- I thought they made my fiddle sound **too** warm and dark, almost muddy sounding. A friend recommended the D'Addario Helicores and I liked the sound a lot better. But that's me. YMMV.

This is like asking a fellow runner what type of shoes to buy... it really just depends on preference. That said, I've used Dominant strings with much success.

I hope this helps.

Perlon is the core inside the string, and it only applies to the wrapped strings. Guess what they wrap the Perlon strings with? Yup, steel! f you are really passionate about playing violin, you might shell out forty to sixty dollars for a set of Dominants. If you were satisfied with the strings that came on your violin however, you will probably be satisfied with a set of Super Sensitive Red Label strings for between 12 and 15 dollars.

My personal favorites are the Anton Breton strings. You can get a set of steel strings for about nine dollars and a set of the Perlons for about eleven dollars (more if the store decides to mark them up above retail) but they are hard to find in some areas. These strings are made by the Saga corporation, out of China, but they come sealed (unlike the Supersensitives) and they do not look like repackaged guitar strings like the Black Diamond fiddle strings or the Old Fiddler strings.

You can't order them from the manufacturer,. but if you find a local retailer who is willing to get them for you, here is the order number
http://www.sagamusic.com/catalog/details...

These are the order numbers for the steel strings
http://www.sagamusic.com/catalog/details...
http://www.sagamusic.com/catalog/details...

If you stick your zip code inhere, you can find a list of people who deal with Saga in your area. It might be worth the trouble to check it out
http://www.sagamusic.com/how_to_order.as...

I am not a Saga employee, dealer, nor do I represent them in any way. I do use their products and have been very satisfied with them, so if you keep them in business I'm kind of grateful.

I'm not sure why everyone suggests Dominants - they're really not that good. If you want a good middle of the road string set try Helicore. If you are looking for a more high end set, try Obligato or Evah Pirazzi.