Although the wear and tear of a bowed string is inevitable, understanding its main factors will enable you to better control it. That's why I invite you to discover what determines the life of the strings on your instrument and give you some tips on how to keep them as long as possible.
How long do strings last?
Many musicians have questions about string life. For example, " How often should I change my strings? " or " How can I increase the life of my strings?This is not a question to which a simple answer will suffice. There are many factors that determine the ageing of a violin,viola or cello string.
It has to be said that the very fact of putting strings under tension is already a wear factor, even if it's a tiny one. Those with the greatest influence are in fact mechanical wear, contamination and corrosion. In fact, everything that really influences the longevity of strings depends on how they are handled and used.
Mechanical string wear
The string will wear more quickly where it rubs against sharp or abrasive surfaces. Similarly, changes in angle that are too hard will tend to damage the ribbons...
The main weak points are as follows:
- Firstly, string passages that are too narrow or an inappropriate angle on the saddle.
- Then, sharp edges on the ankles.
- On the other hand, bridge grooves may be too deep and/or too narrow.
- Finally, the fine adjusters and tailpiece notches must not be too sharp.
A string should never break if used in the normal way. That's why, if you have any breakage, you'd better have your instrument checked by a luthier so that the problem can be fixed.
Rope contamination
In the area of the fingerboard, where the fingers come into contact with the skin, contamination is caused by a wide range of substances. These include salts, fatty acids, dirt of various origins, dust and dead skin. In fact, it's much the same type of pollution you'll find on your cell phone or computer keyboard after a while.
All these more or less microscopic elements willaccumulate deeper and deeper inside the string. They mix with the structure and gradually dull the vibration.
Many of us believe that it is actually possible to extend the life of a rope through regular cleaning. However, wiping the entire vibrating length of the rope to prevent contamination and corrosion is not as effective as we might hope.
The structure of a rope is relatively complex and is affected by the deep penetration of numerous detritus during use. At first, you might think that enclosing it in a watertight sheath would be a simple solution to prevent this problem. In reality, however, this is purely impossible, due to the way in which vibration is propagated. In fact, all the windings on the string must retain a certain degree of independence if they are to vibrate freely.
As a result, it's not really possible to protect a rope from contamination. It's not possible to clean the rope thoroughly, even though you'll find plenty of cleaners on the internet that are supposed to do the job.
However, it is still important to remove everything from the surface of the strings. Please refer to my article on how to clean your strings.
Deep contamination
Dirt settles mainly on the outside of the strings. This obviously affects the vibration of the string, but it has an even greater impact when it penetrates under the winding. These deposits can be avoided by simply washing your hands before playing.
In the photo, the string has been presented sideways, as the deposits never come into contact with the fingerboard or fingers, but are pushed to the sides.
When we remove the outer ribbon from the string and look under the microscope, we see debris on the second ribbon. This shows that deposits can penetrate deeply. However, these deposits generally seem to go no further if they are not carried away by liquids deep inside the rope.
If we expose the core of the string, we can also see contamination reaching the heart of the string. For example, if your hands sweat a lot, it's easy enough to affect the proper functioning of the whole string. However, if this is not the case, very few pollutants actually penetrate deep into the string. That's why it's always best to avoid liquid cleaning products, which will only soil the rope more and more deeply. Because it's impossible to clean the inside of ropes anyway.
Rope corrosion
First of all, it has to be admitted that some people have bigger problems with aluminum corrosion than others. And even if hydronalium is a little more resistant to the effects of corrosion, the difference isn't that significant after all. However, silver or stainless steel don't really suffer from this corrosion problem and prove to be a very good alternative. On the other hand, they obviously don't have the same acoustic properties.
It's true that there's a wide disparity between the chemical fingerprints of musicians' hands. Some of them can play for years on all types of strings, even aluminum. Others, just as talented, will destroy an aluminum La string in the space of three weeks.
According to scientific research, the musician's diet has a lot to do with it, but it's also a question of genetics.
After some time of use, an aluminum cord will begin to oxidize and warp. Degradation begins at the joints between the different turns of the ribbon.
Corrosion of aluminum is a problem faced by most string manufacturers. In fact, there is no real alternative today that would have the same sonic characteristics as aluminum. In fact, most manufacturers simply offer other metals that are less sensitive to corrosion.
Situation comparisons with Warchal strings
Here's a comparison of two cases of string wear that I think speak for themselves.
Heavy wear on the strings
It's quite interesting to note the wear of aluminum on Warchal's Brilliant Vintage and Amber D strings. They have a very special and unique structure, which is in fact a combination of silver and aluminum ribbons. Observing this structure makes comparing string corrosion even more interesting.
In this case, we can observe the disintegration of the aluminum, while the silver part remains relatively intact. In addition, there is severe surface pollution.
Low string wear
In this new case, a D Brilliant Vintage string was used intensively for four months by another violinist.
In the image on the left, which was taken on the upper part of the fingerboard, close to the bow area. We can first observe that the silver has been progressively tarnished by the humidity of the environment. The aluminum, on the other hand, remains virtually intact.
In the picture on the right, this is the part in contact with the fingerboard that has been played very intensively. We can see that both metals have been polished by friction, and that there are also a few abrasions on the surface.
Neither metal was affected by corrosion. The violinist is a vegetarian who particularly limits his intake of sugars and salt. Maybe there's no connection, but in any case this wouldn't be the first scientific report to tell us that what we eat has a direct influence on our body's acidity.
In any case, everyone does what they feel is right in terms of diet. In any case, don't worry, you can continue to eat what you like. After all, there are strings that aren't as susceptible to corrosion.
How can you increase the life of your strings?
First of all, if you wash your hands before playing, you can avoid many pollution and corrosion problems. After all, you can always clean your strings later. It' s safer not to deposit these contaminants on the strings in the first place.
If, despite your best efforts, your strings are still melting. You can always opt for the radical solution: change models. By avoiding aluminum- or hydronalium-based strings, you'll simply make the whole problem disappear.
Choose strings with a silver ribbon, which is simply impervious to corrosion. There are so many references using this material that you're bound to find what you're looking for.
On the other hand, you can also opt for a steel A on violins. This is a little rarer, but there are a few references that work very well: Warchal Russian Style, Warchal Avantgarde, Warchal Timbre, Pirastro Wondertone Solo etc...
Thanks to Bohdan Warchal for taking the photos on which this article is based.
Always interesting articles, written by a passionate person. A big THANK YOU
Very interesting! Thank you for this in-depth article.