There's virtually no tension on these! Pressing down is almost effortless. I've used other silk & steel strings, but wow these strings are soft So if that's what you're looking for, you found it. That said, the sound was solid but not quite my cup of tea Didn't feel very articulate, bit muddy on the bass, bit thin-sounding on the treble side, volume low, but that's about what you'd expect for such soft strings. Might try the plain Soft strings next.