Fiddle strings - a newbie question

Crysania · Post by **Crysania** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 8:44 am

I just bought a cheap fiddle and I've never played before. It was recommended that I get some better strings for it as that will improve the sound. Helicores were what was suggested as good strings that aren't too terribly expensive. So I wandered over to a site to see about ordering some and discovered they come in a bunch of different types! They have sets in heavy, medium and light...and then all three with a wound E string. Any suggestions on what a newbie with completley uncalloused fingers should get?

~Crysania

djm · Post by **djm** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 9:05 am

I'm surprised the store you wanted to order from weren't more helpful. Perhaps they weren't very knowledgable. Try another store that has fiddles/violins in stock, or who sell to students. Most trad fiddlers use steel strings. Martin makes some very cheap "bluegrass" strings, but they don't last very long. Other common brands are Thomastik, Spirocore and Dominant. Leave the Pirelli's for the pros.

If you're looking for a good tutor book, you won't go wrong with Matt Cranitch's Irish Fiddle book and CDs.

djm

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 9:09 am

Hi Crysania,

I'd recommend Dominant strings over Helicore, for G D and A, and an Evah Pirazzi E string. I tried Helicores and found them very loud on my instrument. Whatever you get, go for medium gauge, and ball ends.

The non-name factory strings the instrument comes with are indeed not good, and anything will be an improvement.

If you have more questions, Fiddle forum is a great place to ask:

http://www.fiddleforum.com/fiddleforum/index.php?

Crysania · Post by **Crysania** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 11:45 am

Thank you to both of you! The helicores were recommended to me by my ex, a really great Irish fiddler..since we're barely on speaking terms (haven't talked in two months and he just posted in response to my fiddle stuff on my livejournal), I thought I'd ask about the types here. I didn't call anyone to order them, just went to look for them on a website. I think I might go with the helicore suggestion since I do love the way he sounds (as if I'll sound ANYTHING like he does...lol) and try the medium for now.

Thanks also for the link to the fiddle forum...I'll go bother them with my clueless fiddle questions.

I'm sure they'll be THRILLED. lol

~Crysania

Azalin · Post by **Azalin** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 12:06 pm

Crysania,

Is that your real name or nickname? If it isa nickname, where did you get it from?

Crysania · Post by **Crysania** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 12:50 pm

Call it an adopted nickname...I came online and started to use it instead of my real name about 5 years or so ago. Since then, I've met some people in real life who I first met on a message board and they STILL call me "Crys" (pronounced like Chris). I'm so used to it sometimes I forget it's not my real name!

At any rate...I got it from a series of fantasy novels called "DragonLance" (a wonderful series of books!). My favourite character was Raistlin and Crysania was the woman who was in love with him. When I had to pick a name for a board I decided on that one and now it's almost "me." I like it much better than my boring real name.

~Crysania

Unseen122 · Post by **Unseen122** » Fri Jun 18, 2004 1:47 pm

Infeld steelcores soung great on my very cheap Fiddle $26 on Ebay it is a p.o.s but better than nothing.

brad maloney · Post by **brad maloney** » Fri Jun 18, 2004 10:26 pm

Probably too late here, but I liked the Helicore heavy tension best. The lighter tensions just aren't worth the $$. Dominants are nice while they last, but the A string is notorious for self destructing where your first finger goes down long before it should. It's good to note that strings that sound good on one fiddle can sound like cat-sh*t on another. It's best to shop around & see what you like.

Azalin · Post by **Azalin** » Sat Jun 19, 2004 3:01 am

Crysania wrote:At any rate...I got it from a series of fantasy novels called "DragonLance" (a wonderful series of books!). My favourite character was Raistlin and Crysania was the woman who was in love with him. When I had to pick a name for a board I decided on that one and now it's almost "me."
~Crysania

Ahhh! That's what I thought, that's why I asked. The evil mage needed a cleric of good to enter the Abyss, and there was Crysania. She could not see, until she became blind.

I spent my highschool reading most DragonLance books, at least those written by Margareth Weis and Tracy Hickman, and Raistlin was my favorite character, too. The marketing sentence behind the Legends books was about the fact that it was a quest to save a soul, it was very interesting to find out it wasnt Raistlin' soul they were talking about (which was already lost anyway), but his brother's.

Did you read the most recent DL series, Dragons of Falling Stars, etc? I think it was awesome.

IvanP · Post by **IvanP** » Sat Jun 19, 2004 9:43 am

After this set is broken in a bit, it sounds and feels great:
Dominant strings, weich gauge, wound E, loop/ball end E (depends on your tuners; if they have 2 prongs, use ball, but if it's just 1 prong, use loop.)
I find http://www.sharmusic.com to be even cheaper than my local music shop.

Joseph E. Smith · Post by **Joseph E. Smith** » Sat Jun 19, 2004 8:47 pm

Over the years, I have played any number of different strings ranging from the outrageously priced gut to the absolute basement priced 'el cheapos'. One brand of string of that pleasantly surprised me were the relatively inexpensive 'Red Label' violin strings manufactured by the 'Super Sensitive Musical String Co.'

http://www.supersensitive.com

I find them to be very responsive to bow pressure, in addition to producing a nice tone. Often it is the case, sometimes more so with violin strings, that one gets what they paid for. but with these strings, IMHO, this is not true. Of course, how well the violin is made and maintained, bridge size and shape, and cleaning the fingerboard after playing also contributes to string tone and performance.

FJohnSharp · Post by **FJohnSharp** » Sat Jun 19, 2004 10:11 pm

The violin maker (notice I didn't say fiddle) I bought my daughter's from only recommends Dominant. I don't know if they are good for folk though but they sound good for classical.

djm · Post by **djm** » Sun Jun 20, 2004 5:43 pm

I asked about this, too. The violin shop where I buy mine told me that only a really good player can bring out the difference in the higher end strings, so you're better off buying from the popular brands in the middle of the pack. If it sounds good for classical it usually sounds good for fiddle, but some fiddlers want a much brighter sound. A brighter sound is easily accomplished by playing a bit closer to the bridge.

djm

Karina · Post by **Karina** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 1:34 am

I've become rather attached to Obligato strings, I find I can manipulate their character better than other strings. It depends on the character of the instrument, too, though, as to what is the best type of string. If the fiddle tends to have a quieter or darker tone, it's often good to get brighter sounding strings to balance the overall tone. To find the right strings for me, I ordered several different brands of strings and tried them all. I used to use regular Dominants, then switched to the Infeld Blues, never tried the Red. I also tried Corellis somewhere along the line. Then I tried the Evah Pirazzi vs. the Obligato and fell in love with the Obligatos. I took classical violin lessons for years and one teacher said my violin had a naturally dark tone and needed bright strings, and then I switched teachers and the other said the exact opposite about the same instrument. They were both excellent teachers, too, ones that respected each other's opinions. So blah blah, anyway, my point is, I think you have really just got to try for yourself and figure out what you like. But I have really found that for me, anyway, it is worthwhile to pay a little more for the better strings.

Lorenzo · Post by **Lorenzo** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 7:34 am

The different types of winding that come on violin strings (aluminum, chrome, silver, tungsten, etc.) can add to a varitey of tones--above and beyond the type of core. I used Thomastik-Infeld Spirocore and Dominants for years, but switched to the D'Addario Heliocores on the recommendation of a great fiddler.

During his concert, I noticed that he was sliding up and down on the A and E strings quite a bit. I could never do this w/o causing the winding on the A (notorious 3rd position) and E strings to come undone after a couple months. He said he changed strings about once a year and never had a problem with Heliocores coming unwound.

I've been using Heliocores now for about 3 years and have had no problems. I use the medium gage, and no winding on the E. Heavies might sound better but that's because they put more tension on the violin top...which can be good or bad, depending on the quality of your violin.

Just Strings -great prices and fast service.