Titanium strings

Hi everyone!
I am currently thinking to change my violin's strings because they are too old and sometimes they produce terrible noises . Actually I have heard about some new strings containing titanium (I think only pirastro and infeld sell them). They are advertised to adjust to the violin a lot easier than the other ones . Furthermore, they say that these new chords do not damage the bar, which is a stick all the way under the violin's cap.(actually it is impossible to see the bar, unless you open the violin. However it is very important for the sound your fiddle is producing). Has anybody played with such strings? Are they so special? Are they worth their price? Because the price difference with the other strings is considerably large.

Miltiadis IV

Hi Miltiadis IV.

I never tried titanium strings (are they the Pirastro Flexocor?), but I seriously doubt that any string could damage the violin bass bar... how it could?

Any idea is very welcome.

Best,

__________________
Fabrizio Ferrari, CEO
Virtual Sheet Music, Inc.
Classical Sheet Music Downloads®

They do not damage it exactly. Since they are metallic they produce vibrations which force the bass bar to move down. This movement is very very slow. It falls about half a millimeter every 20 years but still this is important for the sound. I have three friends who bought old violins and had their bars fixed. I 've listened them before and after they were fixed. The difference was amazing.

Ok, now I understand what you mean. Actually that can happen on the long term.

I look forward to know somebody experience about those strings.

Thank you again Miltiadis IV for start a such interesting thread.

All the best,

__________________
Fabrizio Ferrari, CEO
Virtual Sheet Music, Inc.
Classical Sheet Music Downloads®

Ah, titanium. These strings are interesting because, though they can make a cleaner, sharper sound, they don't make the warm, luscious tone that gut strings do. Most strings in stores are now synthetic core, which are similar to metal but a bit more like gut than metal. The synthetic are also better for a variety of styles.

Hope that helps!

It sure does. Have you used titanium strings? Well, what I don't know about them is if they really adjust to the violin quickly. When you put other chords on the instrument you usually have a problem with tuning for days. Titanium strings are advertised not to have this problem. They fit fom the first day.

That's true(first day, not first tuning!). For a violin it's not as big of a deal, really. For a cello, the nice, warm sound is what you LIVE for.

I was actually talking about the tuning of the first days, not just first tuning. Well, it IS a big deal for all string instruments. Violinists care as much as cellists do. Sound perfection is every classical string instrument player's target. The same music piece might be played be thousands of violinists all over the world but their difference is that everyone has his one unique sound. We try to improve our sound quality everyday and give a personal style to it. By the sound you understand how good a player is. This is not an exclusive characteristic of cellists. I think that this is the freedom, the excellence, the magic of string instruments. We all LIVE for it.
Anyway, I would like to thank you for the information you gave me. When I' ll have to change my strings, I' ll try the titanium ones.

Oops, that may have been my natural inferiority complex regarding violins.

I know. I feel it for both cellists and violists!
Just kidding