I recently got a violin for christmas but there seems to be something wrong with the strings that makes them play the same note when i put down fingers on the board. can any one suggest a type of strings to get or tell me why i cant change notes

...is your violin in tune? If the strings were only loosely put on since it`s new, they may all sound the same. I doubt they`re all the same string, but you should be able to tell just by looking at them - they should go in order of thinnest to thickest with the E being the thinnest string on the far right. If they are all the same (which would be really weird), you can probably take your violin to any music (as in instruments) store, buy a set of strings and ask them to string it for you or show you how. :D

And have you got the bridge up?

Liz

Take your violin into a local music shop and ask them to tune it for you. Most instruments come with their strings very loose so that the bridge doesn`t break during shipping. You`ll need a professional to tune it the first time, because it`s very difficult and time-consuming. Once it`s in tune, buy yourself an electronic tuner and learn how to do it yourself. Be aware that strings need time to stretch out and get used to the instrument, so it`ll get out of tune a lot at first.