Table of Contents
How are violin bridges made?
A violin’s bridge is a simple piece of maple wood with feet that sits on top of the violin. It’s positioned several centimeters after the fingerboard ends, holding the strings above the fingerboard and guiding the strings to the tailpiece.
What makes a good violin bridge?
The violin bridge must have a good curvature that carries the four violin strings at the right height for playing. It must also separate the four strings evenly so the violin can be played with ease. The thickness of the bridge do make a significant difference.
How do you shape a violin bridge?
The shape and placement of the violin bridge are critical for maximizing the instrument’s potential. The bridge feet should be centered on the f-hole notches. The crown (top) of the bridge should be the same shape as that of the fingerboard. The feet must be completely flush with the face of the instrument.
How thick should a violin bridge be?
In a perfect world every full size violin would have a 41.5 mm – 42 mm bridge that overhangs the bass bar exactly 1.5 mm, but violins are generally far from perfect.
Can you play a violin without a bridge?
Is it serious if the violin has no bridge? If your violin doesn’t have a bridge, it is just not playable. Don’t even try to wind up the strings to tension. The instrument is not designed to hold the tension between the neck and the tailpiece alone.
Why do violin bridges have holes?
The openings on both sides of the body of the violin that are shaped like a lowercase “f” are appropriately called f-holes, and these serve to transmit to the outside air the vibrations within the body caused by the body’s resonance, ringing out with a rich tone.
How much does a violin bridge cost?
Basic Repair Prices (see below for Bow repairs) Prices do NOT include parts. Violin Viola Bridge – refit or fix warp $25 $30 Bridge – replace (labor only – see below) $45-60 $45-60 Bridge Pricing $10-80 $10-80.
Should a violin bridge have notches?
In order to best transfer sound from the strings to the body of a violin, a bridge should be fitted with notches. These notches are cut into a violin’s bridge so that there is one notch for each string on the violin. The primary reason for cutting notches in the bridge is to set the string heights correctly.
Which side of a violin bridge is higher?
A violin bridge is a small piece of wood. The bottom of the bridge is usually a straight line, while the top is arched slightly. When you’re examining your bridge, you’ll notice one side of the arch is slightly higher than the other. The lower side is the e-string side, and the taller side is the g-string side.
What do you do when your violin bridge falls out?
If the bridge falls, loosen the strings and place a soft cloth under the tailpiece to protect the top from the tuners. Pop the bridge back in place, putting its lower side under the string with the highest pitch. The center of the bridge foot should be aligned with the center of the inner f hole notch.
How much pressure should a violin bridge have?
Their vibrations are transmitted to the violin body through the bridge, which is a light piece of wood with two feet that stand on the violin belly. The total tension in the four strings is about 50 pounds, about 20 of which is directed straight down into the bridge.
Can you glue violin bridge?
You might already know that the bridge is not glued onto your violin or viola. When it would be, it wouldn’t be able to transfer the vibrations (sound) from your strings to the soundboard. Glue would block the vibrations and work like a mute. This means the bridge has to stand loose on the violin or viola.
Are all violin bridges the same size?
The height, thickness, placing, shape and top curve of the bridge are all vital to how the violin will work. Bridge blanks come in different sizes. A standard full-size bridge is 41.5 millimetres wide, but a narrow violin will require a smaller bridge.
How long does a violin bridge last?
If properly cared for, they can last a lifetime—or several lifetimes, in fact. I see bridges cut 50 years ago at the long-shuttered Wurlitzer, or even older, from the Hill shop.
Who invented f holes?
The earliest examples of f holes are on the earliest violin family instruments by Andrea Amati (mid 1500s) and Gasparo da Salo, and Pietro Zanetto ( both from Brescia, mid to late 1500s). These makers used fairly wide f holes, with the Brescians’ being very long as well.
Why is the violin shaped like it is?
The answer, according to a study published this week in PLOS One, is that the modern violin owes its shape to mimicry, genetics, and evolution — the same forces that guide the formation of biological shapes. The earliest violins appeared on the music scene in the 16th century in northern Italy.
Where should bridge be on violin?
It should be straight and parallel to the fingerboard and centered between the f-holes. The feet of the bridge should lay flat with the belly of the violin. Since your instrument and the bridge are made of wood, they both can expand and contract, causing the bridge to lean.
How tall should a violin bridge be?
The bridge should be around 33 mm high for a violin. This corresponds to a fingerboard projection of 27 mm. There is a relationship between how wide the bridge is and its height, and standard bridge models are designed to work best within this relationship.
