Subject: Question: string size selection
Date: Wed, 8 Sep 2004 08:56:13 -0500

I have perused your FAQs and did not find any address of the size of string
to select. I am a late start violin player. And while I'm sure that
dexterity will develop with practice, is there some tactical advantage to
string size?

I would just stay with a medium gauge string...they will be a little harder to press down than the softer gauges, however, they will not have as thin a tone...

I have decided to go with an upper-mid-level string (Thomastic, steel core
with aluminum wind on all strings) but I am faced with a choice of size /
stiffness...Stark (large or stiff,) mittel (medium), weich (thin or light).
I guess the question is two fold
1) have I interpreted correctly, and

Yes...

2) what would you recommend, would one give me an advantage as a stiff
fingered, no callus, beginner?

Medium will be fine...you will eventually develop the strength and callouses over time...and, you want a strong enough string that will demand more on your part with less likelihood of breaking...as will the lighter gauge strings.

The most common string gauge being used today is the medium gauge...softer and harder gauges are usually used for special application...other considerations would be the alternative windings between tungsten or silver on the lower strings...

Interestingly, Dr. Thomastik first developed the synthetic violin string in the '60s when looking for a "stable, bright and responsive" tonal range while still retaining the finer qualities of the gut string. Forty years after its introduction, the "Dominant" brand carries forward in being the most popular violin string available today...a well rounded string that works well within most settings...and highly recommended when unsure of which brand to go with. Every violin and every player will eventually find the optimal strings to bring out both the qualities of the violin along with the best response to the player's technique. The "Dominant" brand is a start-off point. Eventually, you'll want to experiment with other brands of violin strings, along with other gauges, to ensure that you do find your optimal strings...you may still find yourself coming back to the medium gauge "Dominants"...

Hope something here helps...Mickey

For want of better guidance I would choose mittel, I would appreciate your
thoughts. Jerry

Date: Sun, 18 Jul 2004 23:08:37 EDT
Subject: strings

hey, i've stumbled across your site again in my search for a violin... and i was wondering what you could tell me about all the different types of strings for a violin. i noticed many come with steel strings... how does that affect the quality of sound in comparison to other alternatives like perlon? also, what is a frog, in reference to bows. thanks.

*jessica*

Greetings again Jessica,

Yes, there are many varieties of violin/fiddle strings...and, today, most are being made from steel. The steel strings seem to project more volume and presence. The gut or nylon-type core strings seem to offer a softer tone with less volume.

The frog, at the bottom of the bow, moves up and down to tighten the bow hair. This up and down movement is adjusted by the clockwise, or counterclockwise, turning of the very bottom screw...the bow hair is attached to the frog at the bottom of the bow...the hair is loosened and tightened by this back and forth motion of the frog.

Hope this helps, Mickey

Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2004 17:49:13 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: Fwd: Fiddle Strings

Rodney,

Steve Perry for Folk of the Wood. Monofilament
doesn't really have the right "tooth" for working with
a bow and becomes quite stiff under tension. Solid
steel is also quite stiff under tension and might well
be more than an old box can handle. So much
engineering goes into even the inexpensive strings
(e.g., D'Addario Prelude) that seeking a just-as-good
alternative seems wasteful of time and unlikely to
succeed.

Straight unwound gut (ala 1700) is really quite
interesting to play on. I've been tempted to make a
violin for gut in the true setup of about 1700. Would
be fun!

Steve

Hey Mickey,

Do you know anybody who has ever used nylon monofilament for fiddle strings? I have an old broken fiddle that I'm "playing" with just for fun and I put a 20 lb test nylon mono string for the "A" and just plucked it but didn't have the time to test it with a bow (it was late and I needed to get some other work done). Sounded like it might work. I'm not talking about using "fishing" line for concerts or anything, but I like to experiment.

Also, I thought about using plain steel for strings on one of my fiddles. (One already has plain non-wound steel for the "E" and "A" strings). What guages should I get for each string? Would it put too much stress on the neck to use this kind of non-wound wire for all four strings? Old violins were probably constructed to use real gut strings which I presume have less tension than steel.

Thanks,
Rodney Johnson