Oct 11
11
Violin Reviews – Strings, oh strings
An important element when doing violin reviews is the violin strings. Strings: they are so beautiful, and important.
In the end, strings are what can make a real difference in a violin sound. Think of it, what produces sound is not the violin itself. It is the strings.
Cause the string, is the thing that vibrates, and really generates the sound. The violin is the thing around the strings that takes that vibration and turns it into a real nice and pleasant musical sound..
So, the strings must be important after all, right?
What kind of strings are there?
There are several kinds.
Gut Strings
Historically, the older kind of strings, have been the so called Gut Stings. Their internal core is made of sheep gut. Even though there’s the saying that in the past they were make of cat gut.
Meow!
Now, strings are not made of pure sheep gut. At least not anymore. That would be creepy. They have an inner core that is made of gut, and then a wrapping layer, that is made of silver.
Now. Gut strings are the ones with a fuller sound and richer in overtones. They sound wide and nice. So, they provide the best quality. However, gut strings also have a harder time in maintaining their tuning. They are susceptible to temperature and humidity. And they break more easily. They even last much less than other kinds of strings.
So, gut strings require care, and maintenance. But they provide the best sound.
Metal Strings
A second type of strings are metal ones. These are the panzer of violin strings. They last a very long time. They maintain the tuning. And they are much harder to break. However the sound is often a bit pitchy, and metallic. It’s less full. And so it’s not as nice as the one from gut strings.
Many people use metallic strings for studying, or when starting out. And then, for real performance, and when they reach a certain level in their playing technique they switch to gut string.
Nylon Strings
The last kind of strings is a bit of a middle ground. They are the nylon strings. Nylon strings were introduced first in the 1970s. With nylon strings you get a richer sound than metallic strings. They do get close to what gut strings produce. But they don’t have the drawbacks of gut strings. Namely they keep the tuning. They last longer than gut strings. And they are harder to break.
So, nylon strings can be a good choice, especially for studying.