Mixing Strings Can Offer the Right Balance
for You and Your Instrument
“Strings are more complex than most people realize—they’ve kept me busy for 10 years and there is still so much more to learn,” says Fan Tao, director of research and development at D’Addario and Co. Revered by many as the guru of string science, Tao has spent years working with veteran acoustics pioneer Norman Pickering blazing the trail for string engineering and physics. Tao says that most cellists begin to experiment with mixing strings because they like the lower or upper register of one set, but don’t care for the sound or performance of the other set. “The four string positions on a cello can have very different sounds and responses, and this varies enormously with different cellos,” he says. “To obtain the optimal sound and response may require using different types of strings for each string position.”
Violinists and violists sometimes use strings sets, but “there seems to be no actual ‘set’ of strings that works on the cello,” says Todd French, president of StringWorks and cellist with Los Angeles Opera. “The acoustics for cello lend themselves to much more alteration in construction.
“By copying the technologies used in an A and D string, you might end up with a rather odd G and C string, and vice versa.”
So what’s a cellist to do? Mixing strings—one set on the A and D strings, and another set on the G and C strings—may be the answer. The trick is finding two sets that work together synergistically and sound good on your particular instrument.
Why Mix Strings?
Historically, most string sets used only one type of core technology for all four strings, however, string sets today employ optimal core technology for each string. So, the good news is that finding complete four-string sets as well as good set combinations may be getting easier.
“For the typical style of cello playing today, solid-steel-core strings tend to perform better for the top two strings,” Tao says, while “stranded-steel-core strings are more often preferred for the bottom G and C string combination.”
What sets will work best for you? The only way to find out is through trial and error. Listen to how other cellists sound. Inquire at your local music shop and find out what other musicians are finding success with. Testing is key. “A player should be willing to try a string for awhile before making final judgment,” Tao says. “Different strings may require slightly different bowing styles to get the most out of a string. Another factor is that different strings may require different setups [such as soundpost adjustment] to maximize their performance.
“A willingness to make adjustments to bowing and setup can bring ample rewards in improved sound and response.” —Heather K. Scott
| 
