Many of us have quite a large "string collection" in our cases or stashed away for safe keeping. We have used strings, new strings (both inside and outside of packaging), and perhaps even damaged strings, saved for that special emergency when we have broken a string and don't have anything else to replace it with. But once a string is out of it's packaging and becomes an "unidentified" string, it can be very difficult to figure out what type of string it is, let alone whether it is an A, D, E, or G string.
Every string manufacturer individually labels its strings at both the peg and the ball/loop end. These labels take the form of colors on the windings, sometimes solid, sometimes stripes. Sometimes the colors are the same at each end, and sometimes they are different. For each manufacturer, each string set usually bears its own, unique color scheme where every string within the set has a different combination of colors. To further complicate matters, sometimes even the different tension strings within string sets have their own color scheme as well. As you can imagine, there are quite a few combinations!
Although there are string identification tables available on the internet, these are often difficult to use and sometimes even misleading. But because they can be useful when you at least know the brand and name of the set (for instance you are certain that you have a pirastro Obligato set but you are unsure which string is which), you might be able to use a
string identifier to save yourself a trip to the shop.
After all, string identification charts depend on our ability to define color, which is not always consistent from person to person. For instance you have concluded that your unidentified string has a blue peg end and a yellow ball end. But are you sure that it isn't blue and yellow, or blue and gold, or light blue and yellow, or light blue and gold? (rest assured all of these possiblities do exist!)
It is usually the case that thinner strings are higher in pitch and thicker strings are lower in pitch. The thicker string allows less tension and thus a lower pitch for the same string length. However -- and this is a BIG however -- since strings use different metals as windings as well as different cores, (not only between string sets but also within them), it is sometimes the case that the D string is THICKER than the G string! A "wound" E string might appear larger than an A string. A high tension A string from one string set might appear thicker than a light tension string from another set.
Thus, (and especially if you mix string from different set) you cannot always determine what type of string you have based solely on it's thickness.
So why does all of this matter? What is wrng with putting on the wrong string?
Suppose our questioner were to put a G string on his D string peg. Since it was thicker, he was convinced that the D string must in fact be a G string. But a G string is not built to be tuned all the way up to the D a fifth above. The extra tension this would cause on the instrument and bridge could be enormous -- enough not only to cause the bridge to collapse and possibly break, but also to cause a crack in the top of the fiddle, most likely over the sound post. This crack, called a soundpost crack, is very bad both for the sound of your violin and also for it's value.
Therefore, I highly recommend against putting any unidentified strings on your violin or viola. And, even if you think you are able to identify them, using a chart or internet tool, there are, in my opinion, too many different strings that look very similar for you to ever be certain you have made a correct identification.
For unidentified strings, prevention is probably the best cure. Consider keeping each new string securely in its labeled packet prior to installing it. If you keep the packaging, you can put your used strings back in their properly labeled packaging should you wish to keep them. If you lose the packaging, consider tying a label to the string before it is stored that fully identifies the string.
To the questioner: I would suggest that you take your strings and his violin to a good violin shop, where they should be able to indentify your strings and help you to install them, if necessary.
A few other remarks on installing strings: It is best to install the strings one at a time. If you are replacing an entire set, it is a good idea to examine the bridge before and after installing each string to make sure it is still straight. It is important to take care not to tune any of the strings above their proper pitch in order to stretch them. Most strings go through a breaking-in period where they will need to be retuned frequently. Attempting to stretch the string puts added tension on your instrument that could potentially damage it.
