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Good Strings for an Average Violin

From Maren Svare
Posted April 23, 2012 at 10:24 PM

That said, "cheap" dominants ARE NOT cheap at all-there are MANY other more affordable options, and also, Dominants are proven synthetic strings (why many soloists stick to them to this day, and so do many professional players.) Indeed, the main reason I am not interested in trying Dominants again at the moment, is because they do not seem (to me) cost-effective, much like Evah Pirazzi-I cannot afford to change strings all the time (even if I would want to-I am ALWAYS curious about trying new strings/old classics.) They don't seem to have the best longevity, which doesn't mean they sound bad or are "bad quality", nor "cheap" strings. Your violin may not work its best with Dominants, but they could very well be excellent for it-they are certainly not "cheap student strings", no matter how popular they (rightly) are with students.

If your budget is not limiting you, try as many strings as you can, understanding that the most expensive won't necessarily be the theoretical "best match" to your violin and/or personal preferences. For instance, Warchal has several low cost options that are excellent, and the most expensive sets might not work after all for you. It's also good if somebody could either listen to you and/or play your instrument for you, so you have a more exact idea of how your violin "really" sounds with the current Dominants. Then it's all a matter of experimenting with the brands/gauges/ etc. that better fit the sound concept you aim for, until you find the desired tone and playability, within the constraints of your violin's natural tonal palette and limitations (and of course, a great setup always helps as well-no matter how "cheap" your instrument may be, it should sound/respond at its "best.")

I don't recommend Obligato if your violin is sounding dull with dominant, it'll only get worse.

Lots of people put on Evah Pirazzi on their not-so-good violin to get better sound out of it but I can only say it won't make much of a difference except "louder is better" - with big compromise on being very stiff strings, affecting both left hand finger pressure and under right hand bow pressure.

I use dominant set medium tension (even the stock E string although a little thinner and brighter than the rest), and find no problem with them although they last about 4~6 months before the sound become dull. I love them not just because of very balanced tone it's very easy to manipulate the dynamics and tone colors.

Just like to say that it was quite a privilege to attend all of the seven concerts given by the Pacifica Quartet here in London recently. Wonderful Shostakovich cycle with new insights into the scores, great playing, and lovely people to talk to. I hope to attend their next concerts here at the same venue which I think they told me would be in May.

EDIT: Just so that no one is confused I have given out some mis-information. Whereas I thought they were playing in May, I'm dissapointed to see that I must have misunderstood, as I've looked at the website and it's certainly not before September. So maybe they meant May next year (2013). Pity as I was looking forward to hearing them play Ravel (hope I got that right!!)

Cheers Carlo

Some previously posted about Corelli Crystal. They're about half the price of Dominants. Zyex are also cheaper and they last longer too. But you will have to try them to see if they produce the sound you're looking for.

If you're willing to fork out for Obligatos, can also consider Warchal Brilliant or Larsen Tzigane. They're in the same price range and each has its own qualities depending how you want to balance your sound. The last time I used Obligatos they barely last me 3 months and youd dont get much value from them IMO.

The thing with strings is that its a recurring cost. You can be spending from $75 to over $400 a year depending what strings you get and how often you change them. So if you can get away with cheaper, longer lasting strings, it will help save you money.

Go to a luthier get them to look at your setup. A lot of student violins have cheap wooden tailpieces with heavy fine tuners and cheap bridges. Having it replaced with a wittner tailpiece and a decent bridge cut will cost you about $100. But you'd only need to get that done once and it should improve the sound of the violin by quite a bit. They might even re-position the sound post to optimize the sound.

Another thing to consider is a re-hair. Many students/teachers overlook the condition of the bow hair. When you have good hair you dont have to "work" your bow as much to pull a good sound and dynamic range.

Zyex composite strings are also pretty good, and not too expensive. People who like Evah Pirazzis tend to like these strings as well, which I prefer for their lower tension, lower price, and longer life span.