Make Your Violin Sing: Bridge & Soundpost

The Violin consists of many bigger and smaller pieces of wood most of which are glued together. There are parts, though, that are not glued and that are removable and replaceable. Some of removable parts have no, or almost no, influence on the sound. It is a shoulder rest, a chinrest, a tailpiece with fine tuners or without, and pegs. But there are two small parts that are crucial: the bridge and the soundpost.

The bridge of the Violin - a thin, beautifully carved piece of maple wood, located under the strings and between the f-holes - acoustically serves as the first link in the chain of amplification of sound emitted by a string. In its function and importance, it can be compared to a microphone or pickup in an electric amplification system. The better the mic - the better the sound coming out of the speakers.

The wood for the bridge has to be chosen with care. Not only density is important, but also the structure of the wood: the way the layers of the tree are organised. They should go straight, otherwise the bridge will give in to the pressure of the strings, bend with time and will not be able to pass the vibration to the top plate properly.

The bizarre shape of the bridge is not just for decorative purposes. These beautiful cuts are needed to adjust the frequency of oscillation by reducing the amount of the wood.

The bridge should stand firmly on its two legs, evenly distributing the pressure over the entire area of ​​the bridge's sole. Therefore, the soles of both legs must exactly repeat and follow the shape of the top plate.

Let our luthier choose, carve and adjust the bridge for your instrument.

The soundpost is sometimes referred to as "âme", a French word meaning "soul". Italians use the same term, "anima", for this. Polish word "dusza" has the same meaning. The name speaks for itself. 

Soundpost is a cylinder of spruce, about 6mm in diameter and over 50mm in length, working as a spacer between two plates. Acoustically it serves as another conductor of vibration. No need to reiterate the importance of wood selection. Carving out the soundpost is simple. What is really challenging is installation.

The soundpost is located under the bass end of the bridge. It should be put precisely where it should be and stand absolutely vertically. Both ends of the soundpost should follow the curve of the plates. And this is a real jewelry work, because it has to be done inside of the violin and through the narrow f-holes.

Every instrument is unique and perfect soundpost location for each violin is different. Good luthiers usually spend hours, sometimes days, moving the soundpost around until they find the optimal spot.

Let our highly experienced luthier carve a soundpost and find the place where the "soul" of your Violin belongs.