Source

One of the most common things that people think about when the hear of the violin, is the idea that the strings of the instruments are made of gut. However, this is not usually the case anymore. In the Early Music world, we still use gut strings that have been recreated using similar techniques that have historically existed to produce them.

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It wasn't until relatively recently (recently, for classical musicians) that the complete set of 4 strings were completely replaced by metal. In the 1920's it was still possible to find world-class soloists using even gut on the thinnest E string. In America, the trend was to take to the newer fad of the metal strings, partly due to the fact that it was more difficult to obtain high quality gut for the production of the strings. However, in Europe, it was not uncommon for orchestras to require that players stick only to gut strings.

Are they really cats guts?

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Actually, no. Generally, they were made from sheep or cow (sometimes goat) guts. They were dried whilstbeing stretched and twisted under tension. In many ways, they were produced in a similar way to ropes. Afterwards, they were polished to ensure a smooth surface. Sometimes, to help resist humidity they were soaked in oil or "varnished". Other times, they had a thin metal wire twisted with the gut. This would increase the line density of the strings, thus making them thinner.

Differences to modern metal strings

Metal strings had the advantage of being more brilliant and powerful, characteristics that were useful in the expanding sizes of the concert halls. In addition, they were much more durable and less prone to destabilisation (from changes in heat and humidity) than their gut counterparts.

However, gut strings have a different warmer colour to their sound. They are appropriate for the balance of the music that they were written for. Thus, it is the belief of the Early Music community that the appropriate strings to use are those that were used with the instruments and music of the time.

Perhaps, if Bach had lived in our time he would have written music that was more appropriate for the tools we have now and would have taken advantage of the alternative sounds that were possible.

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