I’m going to cut the fluff and get right to the heart of the matter. If you are looking for the best violin strings for beginners, then don’t buy something cheap. Don’t buy violin strings that come in packs of 16, don’t buy violin string sets that are cheaper than a family meal at a fast food restaurant.

Good quality violin strings make an immense difference in tone and ease of playability, as I will show you. The best violin strings can make playing much easier. Even if you have a great violin, having a cheap set of strings can make playing difficult especially for a beginner. If you are playing on a cheap set of strings, you know that ugly, scratchy sound you’re getting? Yep, that might not be your fault. The strings may be the culprit.

If you want an honest review of the best and worst violin string sets for beginners, intermediate, and advanced players, then read on!

What Violin Strings to NOT Buy

Be wary of any violin string set under $20. If you are going to take the time to change the strings on your violin, you want something that will at least sound good when you are finished. So avoid these brands!

Red Label—Far from the best violin strings! The king of cheap strings.
Cecilio—get 16 strings for the low price of $15.00…Don’t fall for it!
Vizcaya Universal—an even better scam. 16 strings for $12! How does that even pay for the paper to wrap them in?

How to Buy Violin Strings for Beginners

Ball End versus Loop End Violin String

You can buy violin strings separately, but it is better to buy them as a set which will include each of the four strings. Make sure the string set matches the size of your violin. Next look at the tailpiece of your violin where the strings are attached to the fine tuners. Are the ends a metal loop? Or are they balls hooked into the holes on the tailpiece? When purchasing the set of violin strings, choose ball-end or loop-end to match what you have.

Tension on violin strings vary from light, to medium, to heavy. But the vast majority of beginner and intermediate violin string sets come as medium tension.

Best Violin String Sets for Beginners

I’ve played all of the violin string sets I’m going to tell you about. I put them on the same violin, let them stretch out for about a two week period, and then made recordings of the same excerpts of songs so you can hear the differences. Okay, here’s my picks for the best violin string sets for beginners!

Ascente Violin Strings Review

My #3 Choice for Beginner Violin Strings

These are the cheapest violin strings for beginners I would purchase. I’m recommending them with a caveat!

When I first put these on my violin, I wasn’t expecting much. However, I was extremely surprised at the resonance of these strings. I’m telling you, they RING! They are bright and lively with a clear, focused tone. While the Ascente violin strings sounded great, I found I had to be on top of my game to make them sound cleanly. If you listen to the sound samples, notice how many times it took me to play an open G string with a clean start. It’s not that hard, but these strings made it more difficult. I put these strings on an EXPENSIVE violin and still had issues, so keep that in mind if you are putting them on a cheaper violin.

Buy the Ascente violin strings if you are…

Buying for a very young child that sounds scratchy anyways…
On a budget
Want a decent set of backup strings

Don’t buy the Ascentes if you are…

Buying for an older child or adult
If you can afford to pay a little more

Pros

Clear, bright, resonant sound

Cons

Difficult to make clean starts
Not as responsive as other strings

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Helicore Violin Strings Review

My #2 Choice for Beginner Violin Strings

Helicores are a good string set for beginner or intermediate players. I put these on my violin after the Ascentes and I found them to be quite a contrast. The Helicores had a warmer sound, not quite as loud and bright as the Ascentes. They were also easier to play on, a little bit more responsive, and didn’t produce as many extraneous noises. The strings were fairly even sounding, although the G string leaves something to be desired. It lacks a richness of tone and doesn’t quite project the way I feel it should. While the tone on all strings was warm and even, I did find myself missing the complexity and brightness of the Ascentes. Helicores are a good middle of the road kind of string. Responsiveness isn’t bad…but there are more responsive strings out there. Tone isn’t bad, but it’s not phenomenal. Keep in mind, I’m comparing these to my usual strings (keep reading to find out my favorites).

Even though Helicores fell short of what I would call a perfect sounding violin string, they will suit beginners and intermediate players just fine.

Buy Helicore Violin Strings if you are

Buying for a child or for adult or teenage beginners
If you want a decent set of strings without a big price tag

Don’t buy Helicore Violin Strings if you

Want a richer sound
Are a little more advanced
Have a more discerning ear
If you don’t mind spending a little more for a really nice set of strings

Pros

Warm Tone
Stable, easy to tune
Easy to play on

Cons

Dull sound compared to more expensive violin strings
Not as responsive as they could be

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Dominant Violin Strings Review

My #1 Choice For Beginner Violin Strings

Dominants have a name for themselves as the standard in beginner violin strings. I was interested to see if these violin strings held up to their name—and they do! It did take a few days for Dominants to settle out. For the first few days, they sounded like a tin can. But after that, these strings mellowed into a warm sound with a clear, projecting tone.

Dominant violin strings are responsive, even sounding, and pretty resonant for a beginner-level string. They produced a good, solid tone for those students starting to really focus on producing a clear, rich sound. When doing advanced bow strokes, like colle at the frog, these strings made it more difficult than a more expensive set of strings (like Evah Pirazzis). Quick notes in the middle, like in Swallowtail Jig, produced a little background noise that I don’t notice in nicer strings. I felt that the A lacked a little brightness and resonance compared to the other strings. And the G string, alas, still doesn’t quite meet my standards for something that is truly remarkable. Those are my only reservations. For a beginner or intermediate violin student, these strings fit the bill perfectly!

I would recommend Dominant Violin Strings for ALL beginners, not matter your age! As long as you can afford it, skip Helicores or Ascentes and buy these strings!

*I purchased these violin strings as a set with a Pirastro Gold Label E and found the combination quite enjoyable.

Buy Dominant violin strings if you are

Any beginner or intermediate level violin student
Own a violin under $500

Don’t buy Dominant Violin Strings if you are

Starting to experiment with more advanced bow strokes
Looking for an even richer, more projecting tone
Have any violin over $500—if you are paying that much for a violin, spend $30 more dollars and get a great set of strings to match your violin’s potential.

Pros

Easy to play
Warm sound with projection and resonance
Responsive strings

Cons

Takes a few days to settle in
Not great for advanced bow strokes

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So...what’s my absolute favorite set of violin strings?

Evah Pirazzi. Hands down. I’ve tried even more expensive violin string sets and I always come back to these gems. In fact, I never realized just how easy they made violin playing until I started trying beginner violin strings! Evah Pirazzis, and other violin strings of similar quality, are so much more forgiving than cheaper strings. Not only do they make advanced bow strokes easier to execute, you don’t have to work as hard for a good tone. The sound is beautiful, sweet, yet clear and projecting.

The only downside? They are a little more pricey (but only around $30 more than Dominants). And they tend to lose their brilliance after a couple months. However, I have been known to keep a set on for over a year and still found them enjoyable.

You might not think of a $75-$80 set of strings to be beginner level. BUT if you have the money and are serious about the violin, why not? No one says a beginner can only purchase beginner quality equipment. Nor do you have to play at a certain level before you are “worthy” of more expensive strings. If everyone started on Evah PIrazzi violin strings, you would know very quickly what a good tone sounds like and how enjoyable it is to just play open strings!

Buy Evah Pirazzi Violin Strings if

You want the best sound you can get
You want violin playing to be as easy as it can be
You are playing on a violin over $500

Don’t Buy Evah Pirazzi Violin Strings if

You are buying for a very young child or a child that just doesn’t give a hoot
If you are playing on a cheap violin. Even Evahs won’t help you if your violin is a VSO.

Pros

Beautiful, clear, sweet sound with brilliance and projection and resonance. Need I go on?
Easy to play
Forgiving of imperfect technique (cheap strings aren’t!)

Cons

A little more expensive (around $70-$90 depending on where you buy them)
Start to lose their brilliance after a couple months

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Strings can make such a difference in your playing. They can make the difference between looking forward to practicing, and avoiding practicing all together. So pick out violin strings that are worthy of the time you spend practicing. You want regret it!