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Another thought. Check your bridge to make sure it has a small of parchment paper under the e string (or has an ebony insert) before you swap on a set of heavy strings. The added tension will quickly cause a slice in the bridge otherwise. The tiny plastic tube sometimes found on an e string is a poor substitute. Parchment can be added easily if not already there.
Success is the progressive realisation of a worthy ideal. —Earl Nightingale.
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My bridge has a clear something under the Estring.
I never liked the nylon guitar strings. Felt like I was playing a toy.
I was just wondering what the purpose was of the high strings. If maybe that was what a soloist string was. A minute ago i saw a soloist set in medium so I don't have a clue what the differences are even for. Curious as to the difference in playing the high versus the medium.
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Mine does but the E string is the only string I don't want extra tension on. A single stranded steel string doesn't need the extra tension in my opinion. I'm going to order a medium E, possibly wound.
How are the wound E strings anyway? Seems like they would tame it more but at a loss of some projection.
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Wound E strings tend to have a darker sound, and are much less prone to accidental squeaks and whistles. They lose a little projection, but are still plenty loud.
Re: "soloist" strings, as far as I can tell it's just a marketing term. They can be all over the place. Note, for example, where the Vision Solo and Vision strings are on the chart: Vision Solo is the darkest of the four Vision series string sets, Vision Titanium Solo is the brightest, with the standard Vision and Vision Titanium Orchestra in between. It's not too hard to find lists of strings used by famous soloists; many of them use mid-priced strings that project less than average. But then the violins they play are the violin world's equivalent of Formula One racecars and will ring out over an orchestra even with more subtle-sounding strings. They can easily afford to sacrifice some volume for a richer and more complex tone.
Other than that: high-tension strings are louder, but are harder to play in higher positions because of the extra finger pressure needed. The optimal amount of tension for maximum projection depends on the instrument and its setup -- if there is too much pressure on the bridge, the upper harmonics disappear and the sound seems to "collapse."
I personally don't use heavy strings because my short fingers don't have the leverage to play on high-tension strings when I'm an octave or more up a viola fingerboard. Having to press harder on the strings means losing too much agility in that upper range.
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@AndrewH That's very interesting. After looking at several different strings, i was starting to suspect that Soloist strings were an advertising gimmick. It's better to add fancy names than to say here's some more strings, different than the last batch.
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Hi Chicken. I keep looking for 3rd chair string sets, corresponding to truth in advertising, but I have yet to find a set.
Success is the progressive realisation of a worthy ideal. —Earl Nightingale.
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Chicken, and others. You just have to know where to look for them shrimp. Just pick any bayou around that blown up power plant in Japan and you will find loads of them.
I worked with a electronic tech trained in a submarine. He said that it was standard practice for everyone on board to dab topical iodine on their upper arm in case things got “hot.” I keep some in my medicine cabinet and found myself dabbed about once a year due to various news events. Who knows how many are not reported.
Success is the progressive realisation of a worthy ideal. —Earl Nightingale.
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Another interesting thing regarding strings is months ago I had recommended the FM strings to an amateur orchestral player. I had forgotten this conversation but had spoken with this person recently and they report that they bought and LOVE the strings. I guess I made another customer for fiddlerman.
I'm thinking as I was satisfied with the strings prior and after hearing another ringing endorsement, they're gonna be the strings I order. I'll hone my technique for accents on standard tension nylons, which I should do anyway.
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Amateur said
Another interesting thing regarding strings is months ago I had recommended the FM strings to an amateur orchestral player. I had forgotten this conversation but had spoken with this person recently and they report that they bought and LOVE the strings. I guess I made another customer for fiddlerman.
Yeeee Haaaa, we appreciate it.
Irv said
Another thought. Check your bridge to make sure it has a small of parchment paper under the e string (or has an ebony insert) before you swap on a set of heavy strings. The added tension will quickly cause a slice in the bridge otherwise. The tiny plastic tube sometimes found on an e string is a poor substitute. Parchment can be added easily if not already there.
We put the parchment on all our instruments. The Tower Strings line is ours as well. 
My experience has shown that medium tension strings work the best for most instruments. I suppose if you had an old instrument which was cracked and frail, or you wanted to greatly dull down the volume of an instrument you may want to use light tension strings. More power on a weak instrument can be achieved by raising the projection, bridge or just using a more powerful sounding string type.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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@Fiddlerman and others. The thread has morphed to provide string choices based on a player with profound hearing loss. The bias toward metal strings with high tension would not have been otherwise made.
Success is the progressive realisation of a worthy ideal. —Earl Nightingale.
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Interesting to know about the parchment. Now I need to try the Fiddlerman strings. I just ordered a set to compare.
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Watch it, steveduf. Those strings are habit forming.
Success is the progressive realisation of a worthy ideal. —Earl Nightingale.
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By contrast... I've never understood why anyone who isn't a luthier or aspiring luthier would want to buy a lot of violins and bows. You can only play one at a time, and I would feel guilty about depriving the world of playable instruments.
As far as I'm concerned, if I have one good instrument, one good bow, and a decent backup bow, I'm set for life. If I become wealthy enough, I might be tempted to buy one valuable antique viola and a bow of similar quality, but no more than one.
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Andrew
i really get a kick out of fixing an old broken down violin and bringing it back to life... some of my first posts were of violins that we’re almost thrown away.
Mackenzie is my 14 yo daughter who loves the violin. By getting her interested she is learning all about the ins and outs of an instrument beyond playing her violin.
Mackenzie has worked with me fixing and then she does most of the set up of numerous violins that she has donated to the school music program.
She just donated a 50’s Karl Herrmann (Sheryl and Roth) violin for a raffle at one of her Orchestra events, along with a nice bow.
Mack has also given three violins as birthday presents to her friends that play in her High School orchestra and Chamber orchestra. She had a hard time choosing which violin to give them so she would invite them over, set four violins and three or four bows on the table and let them play them all and choose their favorite as their birthday presents.
we are also starting to rehair bows for the school program.
yeah ... it’s an obsession, but we have fun doing it.
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steveduf said
Andrewi really get a kick out of fixing an old broken down violin and bringing it back to life... some of my first posts were of violins that we’re almost thrown away.
Mackenzie is my 14 yo daughter who loves the violin. By getting her interested she is learning all about the ins and outs of an instrument beyond playing her violin.
Mackenzie has worked with me fixing and then she does most of the set up of numerous violins that she has donated to the school music program.
She just donated a 50’s Karl Herrmann (Sheryl and Roth) violin for a raffle at one of her Orchestra events, along with a nice bow.
Mack has also given three violins as birthday presents to her friends that play in her High School orchestra and Chamber orchestra. She had a hard time choosing which violin to give them so she would invite them over, set four violins and three or four bows on the table and let them play them all and choose their favorite as their birthday presents.
we are also starting to rehair bows for the school program.
yeah ... it’s an obsession, but we have fun doing it.
That would be the "luthier or aspiring luthier" category, I think! Hobby luthiers are still luthiers.
In my case, I'm still early in my actual career (graduated law school in 2013) and still in an apartment, so I don't have space for a workshop. And I'm spending most of my free time playing my viola anyway because my long-term goal is a hugely ambitious one for an adult learner-- it's to be competitive in professional orchestra auditions (don't have to win the seat, just want to be good enough to get past the first round of auditions) by age 40.
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Gentlemen, please read the rules you agreed to when you joined this forum.
Bob in Lone Oak, Texas
Chicken,
So sorry about your homeless situation.
I’m sure we all want to help, especially at Christmas.
Is it okay if we set up a GoFundMe page?
It’ll get better I’m sure. Have you tried playing your violin on the street for donations? Most cities allow busking.
Let’s all help, and get his spirits up again, so that he won’t have to attack others and can feel dignity again.
When I read about General Motors and Ford closing more factories, I was thinking about the welders losing their jobs, but I think all of that work is done by robots today, so are you in construction?
Maybe someone here could help with a job lead if we knew more about your situation. It would also help with the GoFundMe page if you could do a little video clip.
Thanks for letting us help, and keep your spirits high.
P.S. Andrew — I’m sorry you were attacked.
P.P.S. Both of you have friends here. Lots of us. #ShareTheLove
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Bob said
Gentlemen, please read the rules you agreed to when you joined this forum.
Thanks Bob.
I removed a few posts from two members. We don't need to discuss it but let's try to be extra civil.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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samropin said
Chicken,So sorry about your homeless situation.
I’m sure we all want to help, especially at Christmas.
Is it okay if we set up a GoFundMe page?
It’ll get better I’m sure. Have you tried playing your violin on the street for donations? Most cities allow busking.
Let’s all help, and get his spirits up again, so that he won’t have to attack others and can feel dignity again.
@samropin I appreciate it more than you know, but I brought my situation upon myself and I will have to get myself out of it. I first broke my back in the service, recovered. I was always an overachiever, trying to become a legend, in every field I tackled, over confidence was my downfall. I had an accident that ended my driving career, Breaking my back and refracturing my hips, causing a bit more brain damage than already existed,
and now, according to uncle Sam, I am crippled, physically and mentally. I don't hide it, not proud of it, it is just a matter of fact issue that I will have to deal with. I believe that nothing will be put on a person that is greater than they can handle.
Sam, just for you to mention making an effort to help, means more to me than I can express. Truth is there are many people in this world that are a lot worse off than I am. I have the mindset to change my stars and I will, one way or another. Others can not. Forgotten and lost, hidden in the shadows of the darker side of every major city in the world. Some are lost there because they couldn't find a way to cope with reality, some because life has a habit of sitting on your chest until you just want to give up.
I am lucky to have friends that look out for me. Friends that know my history, even the ugly side of it, and still speak to me, still listen. I don't consider myself to be a horrible person, but I have done horrible things, in my mind I am just paying off a debt.
As for Mr Pierre Holstein, Sam, he is one of the finest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. He sees me for who I am, not who I was. He met me on my level, with humility, one human being to another, speaking to me with respect and kindness that I don't normally get from people in these days. In his words alone, he has done more to help me than any VA shrink could have hoped to do. I owe Pierre more than I can ever repay in this lifetime. It is possible for you to see in some of the forum posts that I refer to him as hero. For me, to me, he is a hero. He knew exactly what to say at a time when I was ready to give up and quit. I never told him, but, he saved my life, put me back on track, there is no one better than Pierre.
I have started to ramble on, again, thanks Sam, I appreciate you.
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