Influences of different string types on the perception of violin qualitiesa)

The brand and model of strings used on violins are considered to play an important role in their playability and sound quality. An experiment was designed to test whether and how violin players perceive changes in violin qualities when strung with different strings. Three models of strings were chosen for this study: Dominant, Kaplan, and Pro-Arté strings. Two violins with similar sound and playing qualities were selected and professional and advanced student violinists were invited to play and compare the violins in two locations: Oberlin, Ohio and Montreal, Canada. Both violins were initially strung with Dominant strings and subjects rated the differences between the two (violin 2 compared to violin 1) according to eight criteria. Then, the strings of violin 2 were changed to a different type and the subjects again rated the differences between the two violins. In Oberlin, subjects compared Dominant and Kaplan strings in two sessions. In Montreal, subjects compared Dominant, Kaplan, and Pro-Arté strings in three trials. No statistically significant results in the perception of the string type differences were found in either location except that violin 2 was found to be significantly brighter with Dominant strings compared to Pro-Arté strings in the Montreal experiment.