Good strings for Kids?

September 1, 2005 at 06:27 AM · I would go for Pirastro Violino (or other reaally light strings). I've just switched to that strings from Titanium Vision (heavy gauge) and I am amazed how light they feel under my fingers. They're just pleasent to touch! No problems with hurty fingers :)

Regards!

M.

September 1, 2005 at 11:04 AM · Hi,

The Violino do come in fractional sizes and can be good on some instruments as they can soften hard tones. However, they are more unstable than steel strings, which isn't always great. So far, the best string that I have found for smaller instruments is the Helicore, which is probably the best steel string on the market. They are warmer sounding than most steel strings, not too tense (though more than the Violino), and they hold pitch quite well. They don't last as long as some cheap steel strings, but the improvement in sound is worth the price.

Cheers!

September 1, 2005 at 11:23 AM · Does it really matter to someone on a 1/16th violin who barely can draw the bow 3 inches?

September 1, 2005 at 01:06 PM · I think it really depends on the particular violin. Some little violins are pretty awful in one way or another. They really cannot have the correct violin sound, as the "cavity resonance" is by definition in the wrong place (too high). So they tend to sound "tinny" or "thin" because the lower notes and fundamentals of the higher strings are not supported well.

That being said, the choice of strings can be counter-intuitive. On my son's 1/2 size, he got it used, with a set of "dominants" and it did not sound good. So I took the dominants off, and put the least expensive D'addario strings on--the "Preludes". It sounded much better--the teacher actually commented on it, not knowing that we had done that! When those got a bit old, we put on some D'addario "Helicores" and it sounded better still. Of course all of these in the fractional size. I do not think there were any choices in guage, it is all "medium" in the fractionals.

In a few months, perhaps we will try something else--perhaps even "dominants" in order to see if it was more a matter of "playing in" rather than the strings themselves.

September 2, 2005 at 11:20 PM · Hi again Christian. My thanks to all for your comments. I will try the Helicore if and when I ever see them here in Shanghai. Meanwhile, I found some better Chinese metal strings, and these made a large improvement to the sound. So, my guess is the Helicore will improve sound yet more.

BTW the violin is the best China can produce (highly flamed, tight grain on top), so it appears that even a small violin can be sensitive to strings (which comes as a surprise to me). It was chosen by our prof, so this proves to me the experience needed to choose a good instrument. Another thing I noticed after we bought it, is my daughter is keener to practise now. I dare say she enjoys the challenge to make a nice round sound. So, it does appear a good instrument can make a difference for children, which is what some experts have stated on their webpages. So, I am eager to see what happens when we get even better strings!

September 3, 2005 at 01:49 AM · I have to agree on the Helicores. I just put my first set of Helicores on my electric, but have heard from other players that they sound just as nice on an acoustic. Prior to the Helicores, I had always used Dominants on all of my instruments and trying the Helicores in theory, seemed like a step down. However, I am very impressed with how lively, yet rich and smooth they are. Surprising for a string that is still essentially a steel and not a synthetic or gut core. I think they would be a great step up over the red labels, etc.

They are a good middle of the road string and not nearly as expensive as the Thomastik or Pirastro brands.