hi guys, i play guitar and drums mainly and recently brought a cheap violin to learn, mainly for my own fun and compositions (i dont expect to get to concert standard)
two questions really:

i was recomended by a friend to try cross tuning to AEAE but am unwilling to try this as i dont think my violin could take the extra strain on the bridge, does it make playing/learning easier? what would you recommend?

also, i noticed you talking about fine tuners, can the strings be tuned entirely from these or should they only be used for a tone either way for example?
any help much appreciated, thanks