The most popular strings for professional violinists

From students to professionals, every violinist needs to change their violin strings as a regular practice. If your strings are out of date, you’ll notice it when you play. Not only will the sound be different, but you may experience pain or discomfort as a result of putting more pressure on the strings. Therefore, strings should be replaced once a year on average, or else the sound and feel of your instrument will not retain its desired quality. 

Not confident about replacing your own strings? Don’t worry: There are plenty of music shops that will restring a violin for you. But you need to decide which strings they’re going to use as replacements. Here’s our ranking of the most popular violin strings for professional violinists whose instrument could use a bit of a refresh.

Starting from the top

It would be difficult for a professional violinist to go their whole career without playing on Thomastik-Infeld Dominant Pro strings, and there’s a good reason why. Thomastik-Infeld is a pioneer of synthetic core violin strings, and has been developing and producing high-performance strings since 1919. Using the original Dominant core, the Pro strings are exceptionally powerful, and provide a very high level of dynamics with a good balance of brilliance and warmth. 

And with Thomastik-Infeld’s latest debut, the Dynamo string (DYNAMO® set NO.DY100), violinists can achieve a greater depth of sound. These durable strings offer a broad sound with a wide dynamic range and tonal colors to their full extent. 

Larsen Strings, though a relatively new name in the instrument industry, are also highly regarded string makers. Their II Cannone strings have been praised by soloists and chamber music players alike, and their competitive pricing makes them an excellent option for a musician on a budget.

Pirastro has a much longer legacy in violin accessory manufacturing, having created quality strings and rosin since 1798. Their premium set, Evah Pirazzi Gold, has become an instant bestseller, deriving its name from the gold plated G string. These strings offer a rich, warm, subtle sound that is unmatched by other offerings. Though the price is a bit higher than other strings, this is matched by their quality.

Finally, we recommend D’Addario’s Helicore set. D’Addario is a collaborator with several instrument manufacturers and artists, priding themselves on having industry trusted and tested products. The Helicore set has a warm sound and relatively long lifespan, and is a favorite of student musicians. What they may lack in complexity they make up for in reliability, rendering these a solid option for any violinist.   

Finding your perfect fit

You don’t have to pledge your loyalty to any particular brands or products right away. We recommend trying different types of violin strings first to determine what materials and styles suit your music. If you want to shop violin strings online either to bring to a music shop or install yourself, visit Johnson String Instrument today.