I need to get Gemmy a new set of strings as spares - and in particular a new A string. He is a Gliga Gems and until now he has been strung with Dominants. The A string has just gone and my 'spare' turns out to be something used and ancient - and would be more at home in a fuse box! Any suggestions for what make (or combination) I should get that won't bankrupt me?

W

helicores are popular with violas - will sound a lot louder though.

Liz

You could replace it with another Dominant A. Other than that, Larsen or Jarger might be worth a try. Larsen are not the cheapest of strings, but they've got a nice tone. Be aware that they come in different tensions. Most people go for 'medium'; but that doesn't suit all instruments or personal tastes.

Different strings suit different instruments, so what works on one viola may not sound too good on another.

On my viola I use Evah Pirazzi C G and D strings which seem to work well. I wasn't completely happy with the Evah Pirazzi A so have changed that to a Larsen A, which has a good tone.

I used to use Dominants, but found that they muffled the tone of my viola considerably. I also found that in particular the Dominant C was very thick, unresponsive and hurt my fingers.

The Evah Pirazzi strings aren't cheap but I emailed Pirastro explaining my problem with the Dominants and that I wanted to test various strings, and they very kindly sent me a free set to try

Wow! Nice one!

This is actually an ongoing offer - albeit one that they don't broadcast. If you can email them and explain what you're currently using and why you don't think it works, then tell them what string you want to try and why, they will send you a free set along with a questionnaire so you can evaluate the string. Very kind of them, it is too - and it means, if you're happy, they get a new customer.

It's how I started using Oliv's (which would have been too pricey to buy if I weren't certain!)

Give it a go if there's something you'd like to try!

Ooooh now that's something to know.....

Indeed!

*grin*

I've found the same thing with the Dominant C string - I just assumed it was my playing I used to use Jagar strings on my violin many years ago but I can't remember whether they were any good...

Sarah, what do you use on you viola? Yours might be rather similar to mine...

W

Mine still has on it the Dominants it came with. They seem to be OK, I tend to presume that any lack of ring is more due to me I find the tone improves when I play it more - partly due to me actually practising, obviously, but I think also partly due to the viola opening up somewhat when it gets played more. I haven't experimented with strings yet.

I was just wondering if anyone has tried these strings from musicroom, they seem to be very cheap but I don't know if they are any good.

Yup I used to use these as they were all that was available. They're fine at beginner level, and reasonably priced. I later upgraded to Dominants as they do make a better sound.

Ah right, so if I already have dominants (I think I do) then I wouldn't want to buy a set of those then?

Well, I think dominants are generally regarded as better so yeah, stick with them.

I had no idea that strings were so expensive!

Just a quick update if anyone is interested. Having used Jargar strings on my violin in the past and not being particularly impressed, I finally settled on a set of Pirastro Tonica strings - does anyone have any views on those?

So far I have replaced the broken A and the Tonica sounds a bit less 'brash' than the Dominant. I replaced the Dominant C with the Tonica tungsten etc string which I'm finding a lot more responsive and satisfying. I have left the D and G strings as Dominant which, as far as I can tell, seems to work quite well as a combination. I'd be interested to hear what people think...

W

Willobie

How are you getting on with the Tonicas now that you have had them on for a few days?

I haven't tried them (can't afford to test lots of strings) so I am interested to hear what you think of them. Are they quite stable (ie stay in tune well)? I found that my Evah Pirazzis stay in tune really well.

One of the reasons that I changed my Evah Pirazzi A to a Larsen A was that the string tension was very high which made it hard to press down on the string sufficiently in high positions (above about 8th position). What is the string tension like on the Tonicas?

When I started experimenting with my strings I also left the Dominant G and D on, but I found after a while that I started to notice that although they weren't as unresponsive as the Dominant C, they weren't as responsive as the other strings, so I changed them as well.

I find that now I don't use Dominants anymore, I don't get black lines on my fingers after playing for a long time.

I'm not sure that I really have the necessary expertise to answer this properly but...

Tuning wise they seem to be great. I'm still only using the A and the C - I've left the other Dominants on and I'm quite happy with that.

I'm not sure about 8th position (I don't think I've ever been up there!) but I did try going up a long way on the A and didn't notice any problem with the string tension.

I have noticed a huge reduction in black lines (and I don't play that much) so I'm very pleased about that.

I don't have the experience of other strings to compare but I definitely prefer this combination to the 'all-Dominant' set up. Hope this is helpful...

W

They've not been mentioned on this post, but in my experiance Corelli Alliance are a really good set of strings

Hello all, I could use a little bit of advice please.

I recently got a set of Olympia steel wound strings. I like them a lot better than my dominants because they have a more vibrant sound with a nice ring afterwards (is this good or not?). That is with the exception of the C string. When I play the Olympia C string with any force, it goes sharp in a 'waw' sort of way. So I changed back to the other one which just feels really unresponsive. Any ideas? Shall I email Eva Pirastro and ask nicely for a free set? If so, what exactly do I have to say?

Oh and while I am on the subject, does anyone happen to know where I can buy am ABRSM viola book because I can't find any on musicroom.com. Thanks all.

Boo

Hey Boo,

You'll find Obligato make a beautiful C string for viola (I should say the Pirastro Obligato C for viola is good).

Evah Pirazzi is bright and brilliant whereas obligato is warm and brilliant, it's up to you which one you choose. If you want Evah's write and email to pirastro (info@pirastro.com) and say something along the lines of:

Hi,

My current viola strings are (string brand), I find them too dark on my (include instrument description), I was recommended your Evah Pirazzi strings by a good friend who said they were both bright and responsive and the perfect all round viola string.

I wonder if you would be kind enough to send me a set for evaluation, I'd be very interested to see how they play on my instrument.

My address is:



Thank you.



That's worked for me both for violin and cello.

Good luck.

Allan

Well, at my school orchestra all the violists use Helicore strings. They say it's louder and easier to press. For me as a violinist, I use dominant + a Pirastro Gold E string.

My viola was strung with Helicore too until recently. Now it has obligato on it and it sounds fabulous.

I liked the Helicore, mind you, but I like the darker sound of the obligato - the instrument itself (gliga with professional set up - absolute necessity) is already VERY loud, so the obligatos give a warmth that I love.

Allan

If you are a bit more specific about your problem with the C string and say that you are unsure whether Obligato or Evah Pirazzi (or even Tonica etc) would be best as both have been recommended to you and ask for their advice they may well send you two different C strings to try. I know that has worked for other people who were unsure.

What about those ones that begin with an L (I think...). They're yellow and black at the bottom and are very good.

Helicore tend to be stronger than some others as well (If nobody's said that already).