Every fiddle I've spoken with says variety is the spice of life. Negative effect? Well, that sounds like something "standard tuning" folks like to say.

On a serious note, tuning a G and D up to A and E does put more pressure on the top. I would say it really depends on the fiddle and how structurally sound it is. I think 90% of the time there isn't much to worry about. For myself, I prefer to go low (GDGD) because I like a more mellow sound, but will do AEAE if those I'm playing with prefer that. I do use ADAE for D tunes as well.

I play in alternate tunings, often. GDAE, AEAE, ADAE, ADAD, and AEAC# in both 440 and 415. While some fiddles are “happier” in some tunings than others, it’s just got to do with the resonance of that piece of wood, under that tension, at that frequency more than anything else IMO. I could see damage possibly happening if you took it higher than AEAE without using some sort of extra light string, but that’s about it.

The only “negative” to retuning that I’ve seen is that it sometimes takes a day or so for it to stabilize, so having a second (or third or fourth) instrument to play in scordatura(s) if you switch back and forth between several tunings in a set is helpful.

My fiddles don't talk to me a whole lot, but when they do, they seem to tell me they feel happier at lower pitches, within reason. Mine don't feel happy in Dead Man's Tuning, with the low and floppy D, but they feel happy and content in GDGD instead of AEAE, and in GCGC, instead of ADAD. Besides, standard tuning is very friendly for playing A tunes and D tunes...so...maybe my fiddles are telling me the truth...ya just never know for sure, though...mine seem strained at higher tunings.

There's no question that the tuned up strings feel distinctly tighter under my left hand fingers. It's something that always make me a little nervous about how the fiddle, itself, is handling it. Ironically, though, my only fiddle that's let go of its neck is the one I've never tuned above standard, and that I never used with steel-wounds.

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Originally posted by Strabo

But, I have always heard that fiddles do not like to be retuned and they are somehow happier when left in one tuning. But is that really true? How do we know that? What evidence is there that retuning has a negative effect? Or is this just something that everyone likes to believe?

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I am unaware of any fiddles I play, psychological state or it's feelings; if it's happier or unhappy with what I do or play?

Asking, how it sounds in different tuning; or about concern potential strain/damage?

In either case, I don't think can make a blind universals blanket statements; as there are other individual aspects regarding build, each is using a different pieces of wood, thickness, carving, and joinery. As well the strings used and set up will affect the sound and tensions placed on the instrument. The how it sounds part though is easy enough to evaluate... just listen.

I cross tune often and never have a problem, however my one rule is to NOT leave my fiddle in AEae tuning once I'm done playing..I truly don't know if it makes any difference though..

Environment plays a role as well. 

Temperature and humidity of instrument, both the room/space.

How it sounds can change, affected by those; but as well the perceived sound (tone and volume) is affected overall dimensions of the room/space, reflections, ambient sounds/noise, and how fits in mix with what other instruments.

I never use alternate tunings in daily playing or performances - way too much of a PIA retuning back and forth. I don't think it does the fiddle much good with the higher tension.

In most cases, retuning isn’t going to be a problem. If you’re tuning up and leaving the violin under higher tension for a sustained period, it might have an adverse structural effect eventually.

Bow response and the feeling of the strings under the left fingers change with retuning, but that in itself is not a problem for the violin. I agree that it can take some violins a little longer to settle into a different tuning, especially if the tuning is different enough.

Heinrich Biber wrote a set of sonatas that are almost all in scordatura. One of them even requires that the D and A strings be crossed in the pegbox and at the tailpiece. When I played them I practiced them all on one violin and simply retuned it for each sonata. I was using gut strings and I bought a collection of extremely old gut strings online just to use in practice, expecting that I’d probably go through most or all of them before the performance. I had some high quality new gut strings to put on a week before the performance, and if all the old strings broke early I’d order more. But oddly enough, the old strings were in such good shape that only one broke despite retuning them up to twelve times a day. When it came closer to the week of the performance, I selected six different violins to use in the performance just to minimize pitch instability. We were tuning to A415 except for one where we had to use a church organ that was at 454. That one felt like it was torture on the violin, and I made sure the violin I used for that sonata was in perfect structural shape to withstand it.

My only word of caution is that steel strings are the highest tension strings on the market, so tuning them up is a lot more severe on a violin than using synthetics. Since gut strings come in different gauges they can also potentially be pretty high tension. Proceed with some caution.

I don’t cross tune very often, I feel like it unsettles the instrument although it may be good for the pegs to keep them moving. One thing for certain if you cross tune back and forth pay attention to your bridge. Cross tuning can move it around. AEAE will twist the low side forward and make the foot lean. Make sure to tweek it back.

I just keep my inexpensive old German trade fiddle cross-tuned in G. There's nobody else on this island that does OT anyway, and the fiddle sounds better in G, to boot.

I cross tune both of my two fiddles. They don't seem to mind ;)

For quite a few years my AEAE tuned fiddle always dropped 1/2 step when I would take it out of the case a day or two later. I don't know if it's in the strings, or is the fiddle trying to tell me something. It does sound better 1/2 step lower.

At 44 minutes
https://getupinthecool.fireside.fm/32

Returning bad? Returning from what?

Lol.

The only negative thing that might have resulted in retuning is - a string broke on a fiddle once while retuning. And I'm not sure how much "blame" to placed on cross-tuning. Just happened. I'm sure folks who only play in standard have had a string break on them. Probably broke for the same reason mine did.

I play cross-tuned exclusively - can't remember the last time I tuned to standard. ...for no other reason than - I like it, I don't have issues learning tunes. But I can see where someone might have a little more struggle, if they don't play cross-tuned regularly. I've got to believe it gets easier - the more you do it.

Yes, geared tuning pegs are a life saver - for both the fiddle and the player. I have a 3rd fiddle getting fit with them now.

I have had only a few fiddle lessons, but I recall one teacher -- more of a violin teacher than a fiddler, if that makes sense -- who somewhat reluctantly accepted the fact that I play fiddle tunes with crosstunings. (I was a paying customer, after all, and I was very clear and definite in what I wanted from the lessons. So if she wanted my business she couldn't very well dump me over that issue -- most music teachers need every student they can get!)

The teacher stated with certainty that retuning is bad for a violin. At the time I didn't have the presence of mind to ask for evidence, and I did think about her comment. But the practical aspects of playing crosstuned outweighed any concerns about harming my fiddles.

And I have never noticed any ill effects from changing tunings. Only recently did I think to ask if others shared the teacher's opinion, and if anyone had experienced damage to their instruments. 

In fairness, that teacher did an excellent job for me, teaching me exactly what I asked for. I believe she was simply repeating a commonly heard opinion about standard vs. alternate tunings. I guess if you grow up playing everything in standard tuning you don't really have a whole lot of experience with scordatura...

Changing pitch itself isn’t a big issue, and violins are durable enough to withstand a considerable amount of constant tension. That being said, a thin wooden arched box under constant tension is bound to undergo some fluctuations over time, even under normal circumstances.

The risks of cross-tuning are mostly similar to those of standard tuning, with a few slight exceptions. First, if tension ends up higher, the strings may have a shorter life. The bridge may also be more prone to warping. Another consideration is that if the tension is significantly altered unevenly, it might have an adverse effect on the bridge. If there’s enough of an imbalance, there’s a chance the arching could deform, however this tends to happen more often because of setup issues with the bridge and soundpost. If the tension is higher, there’s a greater chance for the neck to drop and need correction. This happens to violins in standard tuning as well, but adding tension may exacerbate it.

To sum it up, there are problems to be aware of, but they are mostly the same things to watch for with any other violin. Tuning down lower poses less risk than tuning up. As long as the tuning is not that extreme, the violin should be safe provided you monitor it as you use it.

There is an argument that violins become “broken in” through decades of being played in tune, and many players talk of violins that will sing when played in tune but will scream at the player when intonation is off even slightly. I’ve heard players say that they could tell a professional player had used a violin before for this reason. However, there isn’t conclusive proof of this, and to play devil’s advocate a bit, players can sometimes become convinced that a violin has been played extensively if the setup is good. Because the internal air volume of the violin stays roughly the same, there does seem to be a natural resonant frequency for each violin, and the graduations of the top and the setup influence where the violin speaks most clearly. In some cases, retuning a violin can cause it to speak in a way that’s more pleasing if nothing else is changed.

Scordatura is not a bad thing at all, it’s just not always practical for ensemble playing. Wherever it is, there’s no reason to avoid it.

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Originally posted by The Violin Beautiful

There is an argument that violins become “broken in” through decades of being played in tune, and many players talk of violins that will sing when played in tune but will scream at the player when intonation is off even slightly.

The argument is also made about guitars and mandolins, etc. that older and more played instruments are better. That notion has also been use to sell electric vibrating devices to clamp on your instrument that promise to improve instrument tone faster. My experience, such as it is, is that a new instrument will break in with regular playing in just a matter of hours to a day or two. Some instruments do seem to warm up, or get worse, every time they're played, but I'm not sure if those short-term effects are real or not. In general, I don't think that age or vibrations have the maturing effect that most want to believe. 

Some violins, however, seem to play in tune, or "intonate" better than others. The couple of instruments I have built that seem to do that have a slightly darker or warmer tone than the others, but I don't know if that has anything to do with it. 

I doubt an instrument acquires much, if anything, with age, though I could be wrong. It does seem plausible that re-tuning a violin frequently might have short-term effects.

Retuning good. Fire bad!

Dropping the G down to a D for DDAD might be pretty significant. In an attempt at preservation Ihad a fragile old relic that I kept tuned down a bit but most cross-tunings just aren't that far different from standard. I don't think the relic in question was worth the effort.

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Originally posted by carlb

For quite a few years my AEAE tuned fiddle always dropped 1/2 step when I would take it out of the case a day or two later. I don't know if it's in the strings, or is the fiddle trying to tell me something. It does sound better 1/2 step lower.

At 44 minutes
https://getupinthecool.fireside.fm/32

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@carlb All of my fiddles sound better a half step down (or A=415). Whole step down has them a bit too flabby sounding (although I never play steel core) so I reckon it has to do with a combination of both how the plates were carved and the tension. 
 

TBH, I'm only in 440 when playing with others and/or teaching now. For solo gigs and competitions, I usually have two fiddles with - GDAE and ADAE, both at 415. Makes the green room fun, warming up a half step off from *everyone else* lol

I keep one fiddle in Cajun tuning: FCGD. If you like a slightly slack tuned fiddle, you'll love this tuning. And it's still tuned in 5ths.

Much has been said about top stress, but I've seen a few older fiddles where the pegbox was all woller'd out. Pegholes oblong, etc. I'm thinking I may turn my pegs maybe once or twice in the life of a string. I think the advent of the fine tuner, probably saved many pegboxes, from getting abused, or even split.

I have geared tuners on all 3 fiddles. The eliminates tuning problems. If I were using cross tunings, I would have separate instruments for standard and cross tuning. Whenever I switched to standard tuning, I would just change instruments.
If my wife left me and I acquired a few more fiddles, I would never have to retune.
Cases are costing as much as a decent fiddle used to.