Strung Up

I have a predisposition to not liking concerts. Regardless of the amount of time I've spent practicing, I never feel prepared. Then there is the inconvenience of time (I'm a routine person) and that lurking feeling that if something can go wrong, it will. I feel that when something goes wrong, it's never something small.

This time, there's a bit of back history to this mishap. Back in January, I ordered a new set of strings for my viola since it was [well] past time that I change them. I changed my strings out the first week of February and only expected to have to deal with slipping pegs (is this a viola thing?) and breaking the strings in. I was pleased that they adjusted quickly, but quite upset when my Jarger A broke after 5 days. Because it was right before rehearsal, I put the old A string (also Jarger) back on.


When I looked at the new string later, it appeared to be fine. I tried to put it back on but soon discovered that it was the loop end that had broken. (In case you don't know, the loop end is the end that attaches to a fine tuner to allow for minor pitch adjustments during tuning. The other end is threaded through a peg which is used for greater adjustments. ) It broke in the spot where the loop pulls on the fine tuner's hook. (see image below)

This is the loop end... ignore the pretentious ornament on the fine tuner. This is NOT my viola. 

I've never had this problem (I don't usually have strings break in the first place because I replace them every 6 months) and I've never heard of this happening to anyone. I was especially surprised, since it was a brand new string. This was only the second time that I'd used a Jarger A, so I am not familiar with the brand. I guessed that either it was a bad string. My old A had been on there for quite a while (April 2012, I think?) and I hadn't had any problems with it. Any ways, I left the old string on there, figuring that it would be OK for a few more weeks (I wasn't going to change it right before a concert) since there wasn't any visible wear on the string.

Well, it was fine until the end of intermission on the first night of the combined orchestra and choir concert, when it decided to break in the exact same spot as the other string had. I ran down to the green room only to discover that while I have 3 backup sets of strings, all three sets are composed of strings C, G, and D. Not a single functioning A string to my name, and the concert is supposed to start back up in a couple minutes. I ran back up to see if anyone had an extra A and thankfully the principle second violin did (bless you Steven!!!). The string ended up being 1/2 step flat but the music was mostly on the lower strings so I shifted up when I needed to play a higher note.

I ordered two new As, but this time I got a Larsen A and a Evah Pirazzi A. The Pirazzi does come with a removable ball end, so I might leave it on as a safeguard. I have to say that I love the packaging for these strings! I use Pirazzis for my CGD because I like the sound and the wraps are green and playability. 

Ooh look at that artsy package cover

The packaging for Larsen strings is also super artsy and makes me feel sophisticated. The seal broke when I opened mine, even though I was super careful.

Classy stuff right here

I'll get over it eventually. I've had other crap happen during concerts and I still perform. I just hope it's a while before anything else happens.

Cheers,

Mary

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"Deep River" from John Rutter's Feel the Spirit --- One of my favorite pieces that we played for the concert set.