Is this safe to tune orchestral strings at solo pitch?

[K_Shizzle]

I'm working the Koussevitzky Concerto for my youth orchestra and, when played with the piano, it requires solo tuning. This may be a stupid question, but is it safe to tune my orchestral strings up the step? Or would they be in danger of breaking?

I plan on getting the solo strings later on, it's just i'm under a time constraint right now. Thanks for the help!

[bejoyous]

First of all, congrats on playing the K concerto with your youth orchestra.

No, it is not safe.

1. Depending on what brand strings you are using and the construction of your bass, you may do the bass damage.

2. From my experience of tuning the E down to a D and back up, the string feels wonky for a few days after detuning and it shortens the strings' lifespan.

For rehearsals with an accompanist, better to find one with a keyboard that can be instantly transposed with a push of a button. I know the pianist will complain that it's not "pure" and they'll wimp about the action, but it'll save you 3 or more hours of frustration from changing strings and your instrument resettling.

Change your strings to solos at least a week before your concert so they settle in and and you get used to how they react under your bow. If you have other playing commitments, be a snob and tell them you can't because of some &$^%er invented solo tuning 250 years ago. Or find a bass to borrow. Try to find one that has the same string length as yours or it may mess up the muscle memory of your fingers for your own bass.

[Eric Hochberg]

You might give Velvet Compas 180 Suits a try. They supposedly can be tuned either way without issue. I used them for 6 months at orchestra pitch for jazz and enjoyed them pizz and arco. Don't know how they work for classical playing.

[K_Shizzle]

Thanks for the responses. I'm only at the audition process in the competition right now, i'm not playing with the orchestra yet. Long story short, I found the best compromise was finding a piano part in orchestral tuning. It works brilliantly.

[gillukaas]

hello, I would like to ask the same question here to avoid repeated threads. Though may case is slightly different, I do have 3 of my solo strings and one of them is missing, the solo E String. How risky it is to tune the orchestral D string as solo E? These are pirastro obligato, solo as in orchestral and my bass is a sunrise laguna from lemur...

[Francois Blais]

Best to order a solo E, furthermore if you only miss one string.