Wire strings
Strings made of iron or brass wire, used on the harpsichord and other early plucked and keyboard instruments.
What it means
Wire strings are strings made of metal wire, usually iron or brass, as opposed to strings made of animal gut or modern synthetic materials. They produce a brighter, clearer, more overtone-rich sound and were traditionally used on plucked and keyboard instruments.
Musical use
Wire strings are common on the harpsichord, where the hardness of the metal, combined with the plucking mechanism, produces the instrument's characteristic, penetrating sound, as well as on historical plucked instruments such as the zither or certain lute-family instruments of northern European tradition. Early fortepianos also initially used thinner wire strings before thicker, wound bass strings became standard for pianos in the 19th century.
Wire strings should be distinguished from gut strings, which produce a softer, warmer sound and were historically standard on string instruments such as the Baroque violin, and from modern synthetic strings, which since the 20th century have replaced gut strings on many plucked instruments.
Performance practice
When playing historical instruments with wire strings, aim for a controlled touch, since the bright, hard sound can quickly turn shrill if the strings are struck or plucked too forcefully. When tuning such instruments, proceed especially carefully, since wire strings react more sensitively to sudden changes in tension than modern synthetic strings do.