V.com weekend vote: How many times have you put new strings on your fiddle in the last year?

By Laurie Niles: I just put new strings on my violin, and it's such a nice feeling! It also gave me a chance to review my string-changing habits, as I keep a little card in my violin case where I write, in tiny handwriting, the dates when I change my strings, and which kinds of strings I put on my violin. In the last year, I've given my violin new strings four times - about once every quarter. This feels like a normal schedule. Looking back at my list, I can see that the pandemic caused quite a disruption - back around 2020-22 I didn't change my strings for what looks like an entire year, if my record-keeping was accurate! Certainly, I wasn't putting as much mileage on my violin during that time - but that's a long time. I normally would not go more than six months without changing my strings. I think there was also something about the isolation that played a factor! Certainly, the more you play your violin, the more often you'll likely want to change your strings, as the strings will wear out faster. Other factors include the kinds of strings you have. For example, if you are a Baroque specialist who plays on pure gut strings, you will definitely need to change them more than you would need to change synthetic-core strings. Also, if you like to experiment, you might change them more often, simply because you are trying different brands. On the other end of things you might simply overlook changing your strings because you are busy. Or you might just want to make them last as long as possible because of the expense. Modern strings can last quite a long time - they might not sound as good after a while, but the ones made with synthetic materials will not break or wear out as fast as the strings of the past did. How often have you changed your strings in the last year? Is this more or less than usual? Do you try to make your strings last as long as you can, or do you change them pretty often? Please participate in the vote and then tell us all about your string-changing habits! You might also like:

• Review: Perpetual Cadenza Violin Strings by Pirastro
• Review: Dynamo Violin Strings by Thomastik
• Review: Larsen 'Il Cannone' Soloist Violin Strings
• 27 Sets of Violin Strings Compared

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