Bridge

What is the quality of the bridge?

Majority of bridges found on violins now are made of maple wood. 4, 10, 11 Maple wood is known to be a hardwood and is needed for this component especially because it needs to be strong enough to handle the tension of, and vibrations made by, the strings. 4, 10, 11 A bridge’s density, stiffness and way it is cut and shaped determines the resonance frequencies it can produce.4, 25 The shaping of the bridge must be that it tapers down where the E string would sit for the player to not touch 2 strings whilst playing.25

How does it affect the instruments performance?

Positioning of the bridge is crucial to allow it to fulfil its requirements to the best it can. 3, 4, 10, 25 It is normally placed on the highest point of the belly, with the little nicks in the sound holes (f-holes) aiding as guides. 3, 4, 10 The type of bridge used (low or high) can actually determine the type of strings to be used. The bridge has 2 purposes 3, 6, 10, 11 Its first is to support and elevate the strings above the fingerboard. 3, 6, 10, 11 With its second purpose to transmit the vibrations produced from the strings, to the belly. 6, 9, 11

Sound-post & Bass bar

[3] Farga. F, Violins and Violinists, 1950

[4] Stowell. R, The Cambridge Companion to the Violin, 1995

[6] http://illumin.usc.edu/73/the-violin-the-art-behind-the-sound/, 2005

[9] Ammer. C, Dictionary of Music, 2004

[10] http://www.violinwizard.com/violin_parts.html, 2012

[11] http://www.theviolinsite.com/history.html, n.d

[25] Kulafrone, Ruth. Updated Research Project Questions. 2015. Email