Perhaps one of the most important, quickest, easiest, yet most often overlooked factors when it comes to violin sound is the type of string you choose.
As a player gains in knowledge and skill, they eventually develop a preference as they learn what works for them, and what ‘fits’ their particular instrument.
I’ve found a chart online that I feel is useful. It demonstrates pictorially where the popular brand names fit in the scale of four factors: Warmth, Brightness, Complexity and Cleanness (if that’s really a word).
Following are my observations on some of the more common strings in use today. Note that prices are estimates only and are in CDN funds. Prices will vary, depending on configuration options chosen, meaning that, for instance, you can select gold, aluminum, silver, etc. for various strings in a set. Unless you are an advanced player, some experts advise against using anything but medium tension strings.
*Disclaimer – These are my opinions only*
Synthetic Core Strings:
***** Evah Pirazzi Gold ($200): There’s a reason these are called Gold, both in price and in performance. Lovely strings in every aspect – quick settling, stay in tune, beautiful rich tone.
**** Evah Pirazzi Green: At around $120, are more brilliant than the Gold, but some complain they lack the depth and (expectedly) the warmth of Evah Gold. Some also complain of short playing life.
*** Roby Lakatos: $90-100. I’ve only just happened upon these strings, and I have to admit they’re intriguing. Apparently they were made by Thomastik specifically for Romani violinist Roby Lakatos, who plays his own unique blend of Gypsy/Classical/Jazz. He does a lot of pizzicato, and in his ensemble are some of the most fantastic musicians you will ever see. But I digress…
**** Thomastik Dominant: I’m assigning four stars, mainly because these seem to be the most popular synthetic string for both amateur and professional players. At $80-90, I find them good, but in all honesty, I fail to see the hype. (Sorry, Dominant fans.)
*** Tonica, Zyex, Pro Arte: Very useful synthetic strings in the $40 to 50 range. Truthfully, at my skill level, there’s not much to choose from here. If you’re set on using synthetic strings, but not sure where to go, any of these will give you a pretty good base for future purchases.
** Alphayue, Ascente: Sub $40 price range. Give your lower quality violin a little kick without breaking the bank. I’ve assigned two stars as an entry into the synthetic string world.
There are a great number of applications where steel strings are preferred. My personal experience is limited, but these are a few of the brands I’ve used:
***** Helicore: $60. My go-to for nearly everything steel. Wonderfully stable and great sounding. Used by a great many fiddlers.
*** Prelude: Preludes seem to be the industry standard in the ‘student’ category. Priced somewhere around $30, I recommend them for a lot of fractional violins and beginner violins. They are stable, durable, and play well.
These are only a very few of the vast selection available. I’m sure many players change strings only when they break or show signs of wear. Add to this the prohibitive cost, and the opportunity to try different brands is limited. Hopefully, this will give you some kind of feel as to where to start!
The Prairie Fiddler 