Changing Violin Strings

"I Broke A String – Now What?"

Sooner or later it’s going to happen – you’re going to break a string on your violin (or viola, or cello, or bass.)  And you’re dead in the water until you get another one on there. Here’s what to do.

Before you come in asking for just an A string, consider how old the existing strings on your violin are.  Strings lose their good tone and resonance with use.  If you’ve been playing on the same strings for a while they may be worn out acoustically even if they still look fine.   Most players will replace their strings about every six months.  (Pro players even more frequently.)  If you’re just starting out you can go a little longer, but certainly they should be changed at least once a year. 

Every string player should learn to replace the strings on his or her instrument.  It may seem a little tricky at first, but once you get used to it it’s no big deal.  Knowing how to do it yourself will save you major headaches in the long run. 

When you’re changing a set, change the strings one at a time.  This will keep the bridge in place and keep enough tension on the instrument to prevent the soundpost from falling over. 

The first thing you should do is loosen the fine tuners (if you have them.)  Then unwind one of the pegs and remove the string.  It’s easiest to keep track if you go from top down or bottom up, but if one is already broken, start with that one. 

(Tip:  Once you have the old string off, throw it away immediately.  That way you can’t get confused as to which is which.)

Set the ball of the new string in place (if it won’t fit in the fine tuner you may have to thread it through from the other end.)  Then thread the end of the string through the hole in the peg and wind it up.  You should wind so that the string goes over the top of the peg, and the extra string is wound neatly on the peg without overlapping or bunching up.

When you have the first string in place, tighten it with the peg so that it’s close to being in tune (no need to be exact at this point – just make sure you don’t overtighten or you’ll have to start over with a new string!) and go on to the next.  Once they’re all on, go ahead and tune them up with the fine tuners. 

New strings stretch.  Your new strings will have to go through an adjustment period, during which you can expect them to go out of tune very quickly.  (When you first put them on, you may find that by the time you have the last string tuned, the first will have already gone flat!)  Don’t worry.  This is normal.  After one to several days they’ll settle in and you can tune as usual.

We find that some customers prefer not to deal with changing strings at all.  Our shop charge for changing strings is $10, and we’re happy to do it for you.  But keep in mind that it’s really an essential skill for any string player, and we certainly won’t charge you to show you how.  So if you’re having a hard time with it, or would like some guidance the first time through, feel free to drop in anytime and we’ll be glad to help!