Most fresh sets of strings have a playing life of about 150 - 200 hours. In general, the thicker the string, the longer its lifespan, which is why A and E strings tend to “go false” much faster than D, G and C strings.

If your strings are unraveling or tarnished, you are experiencing an unresponsive, “dead”, and muted sound; or you have trouble producing rich forte’s, clear piano’s, and resonant harmonics, then you might need new strings.

If you practice: 

- 30 minutes a day = replace every 10-12 months
- 1 hour a day = replace every 5-7 months 
- 90 minutes a day = replace every 3-5 months - 2 hours a day = replace every 3-4 months

In general, the thinner the string, the longer the lifespan. Some violinists change their E-string every 6 to 8 weeks!