4 tips to maximize the lifetime of your violin or viola strings!

What is the normal lifetime of a string?

I replace my strings every 2 months. If I use them for 3 months the intonation is bad and they don’t sound good so I really have to change them every 2 months. I use nylon chore strings. But usually amateurs players have to replace their strings averagely around every year. So if your strings are to old to play on after a year, that is quite normal. But I will share some tips for you.

Tip 1: Try to keep your violin or viola in a constant environment

The lifetime of your strings decreases when you change the tension a lot. So when they untune very quickly and you tune them again, for example if the humidity or the temperature of the environment is not the same, so changing all the time, then the tension on your strings will be changing all the time so the life time will be shorter.

Tip 2: Try to keep your strings on a constant tuning

So tune every day, so every time you practice so your strings will be on the same tension all the time. Well, not all the time but as much as possible, that is best for your strings.

Tip 3: After playing clean your strings with a soft cloth

So you just take your instrument, always keep a cloth in your case and clean it all over the strings. So where you play, you clean the rosin of the strings and also where you put your fingers because there is grease and dirt coming of your fingers and that can also decrease the lifetime of your strings. So every time after you practice. Because if you leave the rosin on your strings, then it becomes very hard to clean it.  The sound will not be good because you hear rosin on rosin and that sounds very scratchy. If you then want to clean it, you have to do it with alcohol and of course we don’t have medical alcohol at home. But the alcohol can damage your strings so don’t clean your strings too much with alcohol, just daily with a soft cloth.

Tip 4: Choose good strings!

Better strings have a better intonation, they sound better, the sound quality is better and the lifetime is longer. I will give you some personal string tips, but of course it has to match your sound ideal and it has to match your instruments. But I am just putting a little link below and there you can watch some strings from me.

Is this video useful to you? Please let me know in the comments!

Love,

Zlata

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Click here to buy exactly the same strings Zlata uses on her violin!