How to Change a Violin String

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By Yevgeni
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(11 Ratings)

My violin

Have you snapped a violin string and don't know what to do? Don't worry! I'm here to help! The technology found on most violins is almost 400 years old; these instruments are surprising simple to maintain and no matter what the guy at the music store says, you can do it yourself with ease!

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

A violin
New string/s.

Step 1

It could be that you've snapped a string or your strings are old and dull. Whatever the reason, the first step is to remove your old string/s. I would like to add that many violin instructors tell you to NEVER release the tension on all of the strings at once; to do so could unset your sound post or worse, snap the instrument in half. In my experience, this never happens. But, if you want to play it safe, only release tension on one string at a time. Don't say I didn't tell you so!

(However, I've seen instruments exposed to temperature changes have their strings all spontaneously go slack to no adverse effect.)
Step 2

A tailpiece with four fine tuners

You must determine your tailpiece setup. Most student violins will have four fine tuners on the tailpiece. Many higher-end student and conservatory instruments will have only one fine tuner on the high-E string. This is to accommodate a "loop-end" E string. A lot of violins will also have no fine tuners whatsoever. Each of these configurations works best with different types of strings.
Step 3

Next, you must determine what type of strings you have. If you don't already know, it may be better to start with a fresh set to avoid having one or two odd strings that will make your tone unbalanced. If you have all four fine tuning mechanisms, you probably have steel strings. If you have one tuning mechanism, you probably have synthetic/gut strings with a steel E string. If you're using high-end gut strings, there are most likely no fine tuners.

As far as the actual strings go, you can buy individual strings or sets of strings, and they range in cost from $5 a set to over $100. Be informed about what strings you're buying.
Step 4

A Pegbox

The actual re-stringing is not that hard. Place the ball or loop of the string into its appropriate place and run the other end of the string through the hole in the appropriate tuning peg. Consult the picture to see which string goes with which peg. Make sure the winds of the string are nice and neat. (Note: while the tuning peg is still loose, now would be a good time to apply some peg grip compound. It'll keep the peg from binding up, but will also hold it in place with friction.)

If the peg won't hold tune, just gently push it inward a little. It doesn't take much.
Step 5

Tune the string to pitch! If you left tension on the other strings, this shouldn't take that long. First tune at the peg, the use the fine tuner (if applicable). You're done! Enjoy your newly strung violin!

Comments

thedogshrink said

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on 1/6/2009 Great article! 5* You described everything very well, clearly. I played violin and more often, viola, many years when I was young, in school. By the way, I have seen the problems you mentioned when all the strings were loosened at once! The sound post, I mean, not the instrument breaking in half. However, that happened on rather low quality instrument - don't know if that makes a difference.

lynnhsmomof2 said

on 1/6/2009 Very informative article! 5*

showpup said

on 1/6/2009 I bought my husband his first violin (fiddle) for Christmas a couple years ago. Nice to know I can do this myself should the need arise... and trust me, the way he attempts to play, it might! 5 stars