How to Change the Strings on a Fiddle

The fiddle is a wonderful stringed instrument. It contains four strings, each of which is a different pitch. The pitches are a musical 5th away from each other. The lowest string is a G, followed by a D, then an A and finally an E. From time to time, the strings of a fiddle snap from the normal wear-and-tear of being played. It is a good idea to re-string the fiddle after a long period of time even if strings haven't snapped.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Fiddle
• G, D, A and E strings
• Pitch pipe or other tuning device

Re-stringing the Fiddle

1. Take the end of the new string that has a gold hoop and place it in the hole on the fiddle's tail piece. The tail piece is at the bottom of the fiddle. If your fiddle has fine tuners on the tail piece, loosen them before placing the hoop in the hole.

2. Pull the string over the bridge. The bridge is a wooden piece that holds the strings up. It is a few inches from the tail piece. If you replace the A or the E string, there, usually, is a plastic cylinder around the string where it touches the bridge.

3. Stick the end of the string in the hole on the peg. The pegs are at the top of the fiddle. Use the appropriate peg for the string you replace. You may need to loosen the string next to the one you are replacing in order to have enough room to maneuver the new string into the peg hole.

4. Wind the peg slowly away from yourself while, simultaneously, pushing the peg inward. If the string slips loose, repeat this process until the peg holds the string firmly.

5. Use your tuning device to signify the pitch of the string. While winding the peg, tune the pitch of the string to the tuner's pitch. If your fiddle has fine tuners, you may use them to complete the tuning after you use the peg to tune as closely as possible to the correct pitch.

Tips & Warnings

• Some people stick a graphite pencil in the hole of the tail piece and the string. This lubricates it and makes it easier to place the string in the hole. Most people skip this step in order to re-string faster.
• While re-stringing a fiddle, replace only one string at a time. Taking all the strings off at once may result in the sound posts collapsing. The sound posts are wooden posts inside the fiddle that cause the fiddle's sound to resonate.

References

• Nathan D. Haase, violinist for 23 years and author of this article
• FiddlerWoman.com: Changing strings on a violin, fiddle; Beverley Conrad; 2001