V.com weekend vote: How many times have you put new strings on your fiddle in the last year?
I just put new strings on my violin, and it's such a nice feeling!
It also gave me a chance to review my string-changing habits, as I keep a little card in my violin case where I write, in tiny handwriting, the dates when I change my strings, and which kinds of strings I put on my violin. In the last year, I've given my violin new strings four times - about once every quarter.
This feels like a normal schedule. Looking back at my list, I can see that the pandemic caused quite a disruption - back around 2020-22 I didn't change my strings for what looks like an entire year, if my record-keeping was accurate! Certainly, I wasn't putting as much mileage on my violin during that time - but that's a long time. I normally would not go more than six months without changing my strings. I think there was also something about the isolation that played a factor!
Certainly, the more you play your violin, the more often you'll likely want to change your strings, as the strings will wear out faster.
Other factors include the kinds of strings you have. For example, if you are a Baroque specialist who plays on pure gut strings, you will definitely need to change them more than you would need to change synthetic-core strings. Also, if you like to experiment, you might change them more often, simply because you are trying different brands.
On the other end of things you might simply overlook changing your strings because you are busy. Or you might just want to make them last as long as possible because of the expense. Modern strings can last quite a long time - they might not sound as good after a while, but the ones made with synthetic materials will not break or wear out as fast as the strings of the past did.
How often have you changed your strings in the last year? Is this more or less than usual? Do you try to make your strings last as long as you can, or do you change them pretty often? Please participate in the vote and then tell us all about your string-changing habits!
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Replies
I change mine when I realise they've lost their responsiveness. I try to make a particular expressive change in tone colour, find it doesn't work as I'd like, so change strings sometime that week or the next, and notice the huge difference. I'm happier with my sound on fresh ones.
Not sure about the last year. I’d rough-guess that a typical string set gives me 5-8 months of playing before I reach 120 hours on it. I split up my practice - currently 90-180 minutes a day - among 3 fiddles; so that’s 30-60 minutes a day per instrument. By playing all 3 fiddles each day, I find that the strings stay better in tune and are less likely to come apart before their time.
About re-stringing: I take care of all of them within 1-2 months of each other. This way, I’m not trying to break in multiple string sets at the same time, and I can then have at least 2 instruments for any given session with strings well played in and stabilized.
FWIW, I use composite-core A-D-G + steel E on all fiddles. Haven’t used gut-cores for 10+ years. As I recall, they wore out faster than what I’m using now.
I voted "twice" even though I've only changed my viola strings once in the last 12 months; I've changed them twice in the last 13 months, and I was planning to change them tonight because I'm in a 3-week period with no orchestra or chamber music rehearsals.
I change my violin strings once every 6-8 years, but I average only about 10-15 hours a year on violin.
Spirocores, man. I used to scoff at steels but I have grown to love them. They sound good until they break, which takes a while.
Cotton, how long do they last?
When I was in high school, I used Tonica strings (with a gold lable E) and I never changed my strings unless one broke. My private teacher never mentioned needing to (or suggesting to), granted that was in the 80s.
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October 20, 2024 at 01:28 PM · My luthier says to change my strings once every 120 hours of use. So, I follow that advice which comes to three or four times per year.