Is it time for new violin strings?

You may be asking, "Exactly how long do violin strings last?" "How do I know when it's time to change strings?" "What brand of strings are the best?" "How can I make my strings last longer?" You can spend hours searching the internet and find a lot of different answers to these frequently asked questions. And truthfully, there isn't just one simple answer. Answers really are unique to the violinist and dependent on various factors such as practice habits, performance schedule, budget, instrument and personal preference in regards to desired sound.

Confused? Yeah, this can be mysterious topic for sure. I thought I would jot down a few notes and share with you here in hopes that this will take some of the mystery out of the topic and help you to determine what are the best choices for you.

Playing Time

General speaking, strings will last for about 300 hours of playing time. That opens the door to the question of "How much should I practice?" which is a whole different article. But back to the point ... The math here really depends on time spent in the practice room and performing. But the hours of playing time is only a fraction of the equation. If the style of the musician is on the softer/gentler side the strings will last a bit longer than that of a player that has a heavier bow arm or more of a fast and furious style of playing. 

String Care

There are things you can do also to care for your strings that will extend the life a bit. First is to make a habit of wiping the excess rosin from the strings with a clean cloth before putting the violin back in the case. Yes, this can make a horrible screeching sound. While it is somewhat unpleasant it is totally normal. You can also wipe your strings with a tiny bit alcohol to clean them if they become caked with rosin. Personally, I only do this when I know they are at the end of their life, but I'm not quite ready to change them. If you do this, you must take great caution to make sure no alcohol touches the wood of the violin as it will ruin the varnish. 

Dull Tone

Another indicator that you are ready for new strings is if the tone you are producing becomes dull. Also, if you notice that your strings don't tune well and you just can't seem to find the right pitch, your strings are probably ready to be changed. 

Breaking in New Strings

It is important to know that when you first put on a new set of strings it takes a little bit to break them in. They will go out of tune a lot of first until they are done stretching. This usually takes a day or two. With that being said, if you have a performance coming up you probably don't want to change strings right before your performance. I usually try to change mine at least a few days before performing publicly, or if possible a week.

Choosing a Brand

Quality strings can make a huge difference in the tone that you produce. There are a lot of determining factors regarding what string to choose ... i.e. budget, playing level, desired tone, etc. Some strings are more durable than others, and different strings produce a wide variety of tones. I will share a bit here about my own personal experience with strings. Thomastik Dominants are a very popular string. They are durable and fairly reasonable at about $50 a set. They sound good on most student violins as well as some higher end violins. A lot of professional violinists use these strings exclusively. I used to, until I purchased my current violin. The Dominants seemed to produce a very harsh sound and I wasn't happy with that. I have also used Evah Pirazzi and Evah Pirazzi Gold. These sounded awesome on my old violin; but they sound horrible on my current violin. The Evah's are a bit pricey ranging from $85-116 for a set. My current favorite is Obligato's. They are also a bit pricey as well at around $100 per set; but I love the tone they produce. It's a very warm and colorful tone. And they are fairly durable. Below is a chart that Shar Music put together that can be very helpful in choosing strings. I am also available and happy to help recommend strings that I think would be suitable for your situation. If you are a student of mine and need a string change, I am also happy to help change strings during our lesson time. I plan on creating a video tutorial as well for those of you that want to change your strings at home.

I hope you found this article helpful. Let me know if you have any questions or comments. Happy practicing!

Ms Jill
GriffinViolin Studio

Happy Halloween --- Violin care in dry weather

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!  

Caring for violins during extremely dry conditions

Hello my little ghouls and goblins! I hope you all have a safe and fun Halloween! Just a reminder that the studio is still open today and classes are scheduled as usual.

Happy Halloween!

Violin Care during Dry Conditions

With these strong Santa Ana winds our violins need a little extra care. You may have noticed that your strings are out of tune and your violin doesn't quite sound like it usually does. String instruments are very temperamental, and extreme conditions affect our strings as well as the wood of our violins. There are some things we can do to take some extra care of our instruments during these conditions. 

Keep your instrument in the case and in a room with controlled temperatures when it is not in use. You should never ever leave your instrument in your car for long periods of time as extreme temperature changes can be very harmful to your instrument. It is also a good idea to place the case away from a window or air or heater vents. 

Humidifiers

You can purchase violin and case humidifiers such as Dampit. But what I do works just as well. Take a wash cloth and run it under water and then squeeze the water out so it is wet, but not dripping excess water. Then fold the wash cloth and place it in a ziplock baggie with small holes or slits. Place the baggie in the case and keep the case shut. Take extra care that no dampness touches your instrument. Recommended humidity levels for violins are between 40-60%. Some violin cases have a humidity gauge, however they are rarely accurate.

You will also want to take care of the wood on your violin as well by keeping your violin clean and conditioned. Amazon sells "The Original Hill Violin Cleaner and Polish" for around $10. It is easy to use and is safe for your violin. I use violin polish on occasion. However, I find that putting a small amount of pure extra virgin olive oil on a clean cloth and rubbing it on the wood and then wiping with a dry cloth keeps my violin conditioned well and also keeps it looking nice and not overly shiny. You do not want to use furniture polish or other polish products that are not made for instruments as they may contain chemicals that are not safe for your instrument. When polishing your violin be careful to rub very lightly and not to press on the wood as there are areas on the violin that are very delicate and subject to cracking, especially around the sound holes as the wood is much thinner there. Also, use small amounts. There is no need to let polish or oils sit or soak on the wood.

Have a fun day ... take care of your instruments .... practice .... and let me know if you have any questions.

Ms Jill

Griffin Violin Studio