Playing Strings: An Explanation
PRIM brand strings are made by an old Swedish string manufacturing company. Their fiddle strings are popular among folk musicians, and are available widely in the US. Their nyckelharpa strings are basically the same as their cello strings, except that they are the correct length for nyckelharpas instead of about a foot too long. The A and C strings come in two different gauges, but the lower two only come in medium.
| Note | Diameter inches |
Diameter mm |
Gauge 0.05=mm |
| A(1) Soft (Blue) | .018 | 0.45 | 9 |
| A(1) Medium (Green) | .020 | 0.50 | 10 |
| C(2) Medium (Green) | .036 | 0.91 | 18 1/4 |
| C(2) Orchestra (Brown) | .038 | 0.97 | 19 1/2 |
| G(3) | .045 | 1.14 | 22 3/4 |
| C(4) | .066 | 1.68 | 33 1/2 |
| PRIM STRINGS | Members | Non-Members |
| Full Set | $77 | $87 |
| Prim A(1) | $15 | $17 |
| Prim C(2) | $18 | $20 |
| Prim G(3) | $20 | $23 |
| Prim C(4) | $24 | $27 |
Resonance Strings: An Explanation
The three sets we offer can be called “6+6″, “4+4+4″, and “12-step”. There’s actually some logic there:
“6+6″ is
- 6 wound strings .021″ (0.53 mm) in diameter
- 6 plain strings .014″ (0.36 mm) in diameter
“4+4+4″ is
- 4 wound strings 0.24″ (0.61 mm) in diameter
- 4 wound strings .021″ (0.53 mm) in diameter
- 4 plain strings .014″ (0.36 mm) in diameter
“12-step” is
- 12 strings, varying from .025″ (0.64 mm) to .014″ (0.36 mm), by steps of .001″. The lower 6 are wound, the higher 6 plain.
