Break a string - how to halve your practice time without really trying!

So how fast are you?

What holds you up or annoys you the most? Which instrument do you find it easiest to change strings on?

How much "extra" or back string do you leave on the pegs? Do you wish you had mechanical keywinders on peg instruments such as violin/viola etc., or is it not an issue?

(And...what do you do with your old strings, other than stuff them in your pockets so they make a mess in the washing machine, leave them lying around on the floor for your mother to tidy up, etc.?!)

Let me see, we have guitar (nylon strings can be slippery to tie), mandolin (PITA poking those strings through the minute holes), and violin (life is so much easier with good pegs!)...funnily enough, although I'm interested in German concert lyres, I feel absolutely no urge to take up the harp!

I can change violin and viola strings really quickly - probably less than five minutes for a whole set. But I have to admit to being really lazy and if I break a string and am not actually playing in front of an audience at that point - I just go to the luthier's and have him change the strings for me - it means the fiddle gets a nice little check, clean and tidy up too (and I get a lecture about rosin build-up...)

Having seen mandolin players break strings in sessions, I sympathise with you there. It is, however, a great way to learn all kinds of new swear words.

the problem i have with mandolin and guitar strings is the strings are always much longer than they need to be; replacing the string is easy enough, but since i don't like to wind it 20 times around the peg and have a bit left over to poke me in the eye, i usually take off the end with a pair of pliers. and let me tell you, those strings are tough...

LOL rosfrog, I'll tell you off about the build up of rosin too! what is it? laziness??? or do you really love the look of snow on your violin? and why is it almost always you 'fiddlers' that do this? is it about 'fashion'?

on the subject of string changes: on the violin it is very quick for me too, full set in 5 minutes, single, never done but probably a minute??

On double bass have not changed them yet, I only bought it new with new strings 2 months ago

I don't have the time to take the violin to the luthier for string changes so do it myself, I take my violin to luthier once a year though, he/she quickly looks at it and tells me if anything 'needs doing'. Did this 2 weeks ago, and she did a couple of quick things on it (took 10 mins) and off I was (until next year )

I don't know JoJo - I don't let it build up very much, but when I'm playing hours and hours in sessions and concerts, I don't always clean it off right away, that's true - but it never goes snow white - I usually intervene before then!

It's true that many fiddlers don't worry hugely about rosin build up - I don't know why that is! Perhaps they feel it makes them look like they play loads

I do find though that I frequently get lectures from people in session too - usually those that can't play very well at all, but they lean over and say 'you know, you really should clean your fiddle' - the experienced players never seem to say anything!

I'm off to give it a clean it now in shame!

I don't envy you changing DB strings, though - that must be a terrifying experience ! Imagine those little creaks you get whilst changing a fiddle string x the size of a double bass... several pairs of clean pants necessary I feel....

how funny you only get lectures from those that can't play very well, perhaps then they should spend less time polishing the violin and more practicing

I don't know how long before one should change a set of strings on Double Bass, but fortunately I think you can avoid a change for quite a while, even years?

On the violin, if it's Dominant strings, I can change a whole set within 5 minutes. If it's Obligatos, it's more like 5 weeks as I have to crowbar them on. Plus 2 emergency dashes to the luthier and texts to my teacher. Next round I have with them, I shall have a biro pen top at the ready.

If it's old Obligato strings, I usually end up chucking them out of the window in frustration. Then more frustration when I have to go and find them

The moost stressful string changing I had to do was 2 weeks ago while accompanying a bunch of primary school kids exams.
Everything was running smooothly & well on time for the 1st 9 entrants. I then realised as I went from exam room to practice room & back again that the last 3 violin entries hadn't turned up (despite letters to parents saying they had to be there at least 20 minutes before their exam time. Asked other waiting parents to try & contact missing ones by mobile - eventually they arrived and I hurried the 1st in to the practice room to tuneup & warm up.
Now this particular child had told me at the school gate on the Monday (the day previously) that the E string on her violin had snapped on the Saturday & that Mum was going to get one that day. (What about the letter sent out 6 weeks previously reminding them that they each needed a full set of spare strings?).
Not good, I thought, as this child wasn't able enough to spend 3 days immediately prior to the exam without practising. Child said that mum would put on the string (she plays the violin too) & I'd said any problems just phone & I'll do it for you.
So child fishes out violin & proudly says that dad put the E string on the violin........
indeed he had..... he'd taken out the fine tuner, jammed the screw through the loop of the E string & screwed the fine tuner tightly back into the tail piece . I couldn't believe what I was seeing; this child is supposed to be doing an exam now andher violin is unplayable as it it. (Foolishly) I have omitted to bring along my own violin. She can't play 1 of the other children's because hers is fullsize & theirs are 3/4 size.
You can only imagine what I was thinking as I frantically tried to unscrew the fine tuner to get the E string out and put it in its correct place. And how I was thinking it will never stay in tune even if it's restrung correctly. I couldn't even have put 1 of the other children before her because I had to have a runthrough with them & accompany & there was no-one else to fix the string in that time.
I did actually manage it & she played as well in tune as she was likely to do so she was fine about it. Not surprisingly my nerves were in tatters after that....

This sounds like F1 cars at the pits!

Dads can be a mixed blessing! A week or two ago, one of my pupils, on breaking a string between lessons, had Dad put on the new one. Whilst doing it, he also managed to maladjust the bridge, leave the other strings in the wrong places and not in their various "notches" and take a chunk of varnish from the top of the body!

But to answer the question, it doesn't take me long to change strings. Dominants can be a pain - last time I put them on my own violin I had to take a screwdriver to the adjusters to open them up enough to take the string; same problem with Obligatos. I much prefer Helicores, and so does my violin.

I've never had to change a string on my clarsach....yet......

My son moans plenty about changing his mandolin strings. But when a violin string breaks, he just hands it to Mum.....

Such is the huge tension across a double bass bridge, I've seen bridges catapulted across a room when strings have been changed and the player has failed to keep an eye on what angle the bridge is at........ and they go with a fair old bang too. Apart from the shock factor, you could kneecap someone at 20 paces!

PLEEEAAASE JoJo put a vid on youtube of you playing gandalf - or even better, of you changing his strings.

you asked for it!
go to the 'your youtube clips thread' NOW!! HAHAHAHAHA!

ps the one changing strings will come in five years or so (when Gandalf is due a string change LOL LOL )

That's done it now - I HAVE to buy me one of those...