I just happened to found some interest in violin years ago and my dad bought me one, but i din find a violin teacher...but i do my best to play out songs with violin (since i know how to read notes, why dont i?)

i broke my D string last week and ask for a repair, then i know there are different "types" of strings with different standards and prices, of cos for a beginner, i take the cheapest.

What is the different between strings with different standards? Izit the sound quality? how do I differentiate it? (i thought every sound made by violins are the same-depends on the violinist?)

thanks!

The sound produced by a violin will largely depend on the quality of the instrument, the quality of the strings and set up and the quality of the player. Once you get beyond basic beginner's instruments and into handmade fiddles which are correctly set up, the player factor becomes more important.

You should, however, try to replace the strings with the same brand that is currently on there - what are the other strings? If you don't know, can you describe the windings to us at tail and peg ends?

But not if they are rubbish to start with!

Well if they are, then presumably the original poster will be changing them all, and not just the D, nor would they be looking for 'the cheapest' available.

I have no idea on the other strings that come with the violin..but they look more...metalic..(silver?) compared to the newly replaced one(which is, rather 'gold')...but the thickness of the D (new) is almost same (or thinner?) then the original A string, which is, odd~[obviously, strings of different brands]

pegs ends....erm..just like a normal one, black pegs...i am not good at descriptions(English is not my 1st language)......

Is there coloured string wrapped around the strings on the violin?
If so, what colour is this string at the peg end? And what colour is it at the tailpiece end?

Different brands use different colour codes (for example, Spirocore cello strings are all purple at the peg end, but the four different strings are different colours at the tailpiece end so you can tell them apart if they fall out of their packets )

The "windings" are the colored threads at the end of the strings - usually you can tell what brand the string is by the color of the thread on the strings at the top end of the fingerboard, where they are wound around the pegs.

Now look up the string on a chart...e.g. Black thread at the peg-end on the a-string.... maybe it's some type of Pirastro string?

Violin string color ID chart

Now look at the color of thread used on the "bottom" end of the string, near the tailpiece and chin-rest is different for every string.

E.g. A string has black thread on peg-end of string, but blue-black thread at the tailpiece end - Violino (synthetic string, should be warmer and smoother sounding). Black peg end, but dark green thread at the tailpiece end - Chromcor (steel string that sounds quite bright and hard). If I were buying strings in Asia, I wouldn't buy Chromcor in humid weather.

Strings that are the same brand will still look a bit different - don't worry about exactly what color the metal on each string is, or how fat or thin it is.

Ok, mine:G string-black, D string-green, A string-blue, E string-purple. is the same for the 'windings' and the 'tailpiece'...i m sure the violin is from china..

I guess it's easy to tell the difference between "bad" and "good" strings - the bad strings break, or the windings fray, or they go rusty, or sound thin and squeaky.

But a good string depends on what kind of sound you like, and what kind of violin you have.

Also, it's best to choose a type of string you can buy locally and afford to replace (say once a year if you don't play very much!) There is no point buying really expensive strings and leaving them on for years and years!

I think that players in Asia seem to replace their strings more often than in Europe - maybe it's the humidity?

AmandaL recommended Violino (made by Pirastro), and Dominant (made by Thomastik) are both reliable and not too expensive.

Some people use Zyex strings because they last a long time and are not too exepensive, but I think they might be uncomfortable on your fingers if you are not used to playing violin yet - the strings are quite hard.