Anyone out there tuning your fiddles down to C or B to play with pipes? What strings (on a normal sized violin) are you finding work well for this?
Hi, Tom!
I keep a second fiddle tuned to Bb, although unfortunately nobody here in San Diego plays pipes at that pitch. I just use standard strings, and I find that even without a mute this fiddle is quiet enough to play late at night without disturbing my family or neighbors.
I have tuned my “concert-pitch” fiddle down to C or B to play with flat pipes on occasion, but I don’t like doing this often because I have to adjust the bridge each time, and it takes a while for pitch to settle after each change. I suspect that frequent tension changes are not too good for my strings either.
If you want to have a dedicated fiddle just for flat pitch, go with heavy strings. The choking effect and strain normally a concern would be negated by the lower pitch. In addition, you won’t have the flabby, unresponsive feel that med. guage strings have when tuned down.
meemtp - do you have any recommendations of brands of strings for the flat pitched fiddle?
I’d go with steel strings since even with the heavier gauge, tension wouldn’t be too bad. That is unless your fiddle is older and not completely healthy. D’Addario Helicores are my fav (cheapest too!), but Pirastro Flexocore and Thomastik Super-Flexibles are all nice full warm sounding steel strings, giving richer tone than the cheapo chrome-steel varieties. You could probably also get away with heavy gauge Pirastro Evah Pirazzis, but being synthetic, they wouldn’t last as long. Their tension is also almost as much as steel so that wouldn’t make much of a difference.
You could also get a viola. Then you’d have a dedicated instrument to play with flat pipes but could just go with standard strings. CGDA tuned.
tanks!
good question- it does make a good case for a 2nd fiddle. Don’t EVEN think of making a pun out that! 
Fel -
If you have a flat set and you want to play with a fiddler who is in regular tuning - I guess you could feed a mixture of helium into your bellows so that the pipes end up at a higher pitch.
Laughing gas might work too, but don’t get it near the flute players!
- t