A N O T E ON P R A C T I C A L B R I D G E T U N I N G F O R T H E V I O L I N M A K E R
Carleen M. Hutchins 112 Essex
Avenue, Montclair, N. J.07042
The proper f i t t i n g and trimming (or tuning) of a
b r i d g e £or o p t i m u m s o u n d is an e x t r e m el y p r ecise
a n d c r i t i c a l p a r e of v i o l i n m aking, r e q u i r i n g g r e a t
s k i l l as well as s e n s i t i v i t y Co :tie s o u n d q u a l i t i e s
of t h e p a r t i c u l a r i n s t r u m ent at h a n d . I have f o u n d
t h a t some v i o l i n makers are v e r y s k i l l f u l at t h i s
so-called bridge t u n i n g p r o c e s s , w h i l e o t h e r s tend to
c u t a bridge to a g i v e n s t y l e a n d a s e t of
measurements. In o u r shop w h e r e we a r e continually
experimenting, it has b e e n f o u n d b e s t not only to have
t h e maker a b l e to play the viol i n, viola or cello
f a i r l y w e l l , b u t also to have a good pl ayer at hand
30 t h a t b o t h can hear as well as f e e l the way the
bridge tuning e f f e c t s the sound a n d p l ayi ng
qualities In the particular inst r u m ent.
To understand a b i t of how b r i d g e s bend l e t us review
briefly some of t h e s t u d i e s t h at have been done on
b r i d g e b e n d i n g modes under d i f f e r e n t vibrating
conditions.
In 1937 M M i n n a e r t and C. C. Vlam at t h e
University of U t r e c h t u s e d s o f t wax to f a s t e n t
galvanometer m i r r o r of 0.025 grams o n t o a point of
t h e b r i d g e of a violin in n o r m a l p l a y i ng condition.
"A p en c i l of l i g h t , reflected by this mirror, was d i r e c t e d
i n t o a telescope, where the image of some very
narrow pin-holes was formed. When a s t r i n g was
s o u n d e d , each luminous p o in t described a curve,
wh ich d i d not alter in s h a p e as long as the sound
was constant." 1 They could bow t h e s t r i n g and at the
same t i m e look t h r o u g h th e telescope, at photograph
the p a t t e r n s traced by t h e luminous points. In t h i s
way t h e y were ab le n o t July to show t h e motion in
t h e plane of the bridge, b u t also f l e x u r a l and
torsion al vibrations (Fig. 1).
Benjamin Bla dier, in Marseille, studied the
vibrations in several cello b r i d g e s , f i r s t on a
block of c o n c r e t e a n d t h e n on t h e cello. He
concluded t h a t " t h e b r i d g e is c a p a b l e of governing
and m o d i f y i n g the t i m b r e of sound production in
c e r ta i n f r e q u e n c y ranges." 2
W a l t e r Reinicke, at the H e i n r i c h Hertz Ins t i t u t e
in B e r l i n , has done a theoret ica l s t u d y of t h e violin
and cello b rid g e via transmission line t h e o r y using
a circuit w i t h two inpu ts and two o u t p u t s w h i c h is
compared w i t h a c t u a l h o l o g r a p h i c m e a s u r e m e n t s
W h e n p r o p e r l y i n t e r p r e ted, t he holograms of a
.
violin b r i d g e w i t h rig
idly s u p p o r t e d f e e t show a r o t a t i o n a l mode of
the b r i d g e top at a b o u t 3 , 0 0 0 H z (Fig. 2A).
Those of a second mode at about 6 ,000 Hz indicate
that: the h o r i z o n t a l members connecting t h e middle
of t h e b r i d g e to t h e f e e t act like s pri ngs ,
on whi ch the u p p e r p a r t of the bridge bounces up
and down (Fig. 2B).
R e i n i c k e ' s holograms of a rigidly supported c e l l o
b r i d g e show b e n d i n g modes at 9 4 5 H z , 1450 Hz and
2100HZ. At 985Hz the u p p e r and m i d d l e port i on s
s w a y on t h e s u p p l e l e g s . At 1450Hz t h e r e is a
b e n d i n g of t h e m i d d l e of t h e b r i d g e w i t h s o m e w h a t
less b e n d i n g of t h e legs. At 2 1O O H z t h e r e is a
r o t a t i o n of t h e u p p e r p o r t i o n a b o u t an axis near t h e
heart similar to the f i r s t mode of a violin bridge
(Fig. 3 ) .
H e l m u t M u l l e r , who t e a c h e r a c o u s t i c s at the
G e i g e n b a u s c h u l e , M i t t e n w a l d , d i s c u s s e s t h e motions
of t h e violin bridge as indicated by Reinicke a n d
i l l u s t r a t e s the e f f e c t s of c h a n g e s
Flexural and torsional bending
Figure 1
(after Minnaert and Vlam)
 16
>>
3060HZ
6100KZ
Violin Bridge
Figure 2
bending modes
(after Reinicke)
in going from a b r i d g e blank w ith
no holes to a "properly cut bridge"; also the
effects of extreme trimming of the arch between
the feet and of enlarging the heart. He compares
the effects on tone of an aluminium bridge to a
normally cut wooden bridge. He concludes by
saying that "Nobody will ever discover the
'ideal 1 bridge, but there is undoubtedly for any
given instrument an ideally suitable bridge,
which is also partly determined by the taste of
the player." "*
Max Hacklinger in Gauti ng, Germany, has re-
ported on his practical experiments showing that
the total energy transfer through the bridge can
be significantly influenced by the "proper"
combination of strings and bridge adjustments 5.
The following indicates a method whereby my
associates a n d I have been able to "tune”
satisfactorily the bridges of many violins,
violas
Figure 4
Areas where bending occurs Bridge blank uncut
JUS I 42, November, 1
2100Hz
985Hz 1450Hz
Bending modes In the
Figure 3 cello bridge (after
Reinicke)
a n d cellos as well as those of the new OCTET
instruments.
Let us refer again to Reinicke's findings
which show three areas where bending occurs in
violin and viola-type bridges in the range of
1000 to 10, OOOHz. These are Indicated in Fig-
ure 4: A, across the top section; B and C, be-
tween the heart and the eyes; D and E, the low-
er arch near the feet. Areas A, B and C bend
primarily in the frequency range around 3000 Ht
while D and E bend in the range around 7000 Hz.
Studies are being made of higher frequency
bridge modes, b u t are not reported as yet. Also
the effect of the height and shape of the arch
between the feet and the length of the bridge
legs has not yet been measured. However, violin
making practice and experience with many violin
and viola bridges tells us that short legs and
a low arch contribute to improved sound on the
two lower strings.
With the above information as background,
the following steps are suggested for experi-
mentally tuning a violin or viola bridge:
1. Select two bridge blanks, x and y, that are
as nearly alike as possible. Check for
similarity not only of the grain and the rays
(the flat vertical markings), but also try for
similar sound of the two bridges when
dropped on a thick metal or marble slab.
This helps to assess the wood quality.
2. Cut and f i t b r i d g e x as you would nor-
mally do for this particular instrument.
3. Fit the feet of bridge y as exactly as
possible to the same Instrument by removing
wood from the bottom surface of each foot
before finishing the feet to 1 mm t h i c k at
the edges (Fig. 5 B) .
cut feet
Shape top (dotted line)
Figure 5
12, November. 1984 17

Figure 8
Figure 7 Trim Inside of eyes and across
Trim arch between feet cop of feet

Figure 6 shape upper

section of bridge face
C u t t h e top of the b ri d g e f o r p r o p e r shape and
s t r i n g clea ra nce above t h e f i n g e r b oard ( F i g . 5 B).
5. Make x-y. c o m p a r i s o n '1 of t h e e f f e c t of :he two
b r i d g e s a l t e r n a t e l y on t h e sou nd a n d
p l a y i n g q u a l i t i e s of t h e i n s t r u m e n t . ( H e re is where
y o u r e x p e r t i s e as a p l a y e r as w e l l as that of a good
performer can be enormously helpful).
From here on t h e p r o c e s s of t h i n n i n g a n d t r i m m ing the
b r i d g e is e s s e n t i a l l y t h a t of r e d u c i n g is and s t i f f n e s s .
In working with these two concepts it is well to r e m e m b e r
t h a t t h e f r e q u e n c y a bending v i b r a t i o n d e c r e a s e s as t h e
t h i r d power lowered s t i f f n e s s , w h i l e f r e q u e n c y i n c r e a s e s
as (first p o w er of r e d u c e d m a s s . Figure 9
Open eyes and heart
6. Remove wood f r o m t h e top of b r i d g e y (on the s i d e
f a c i n g t h e p l a y e r ) in a s m o o t h curve f r o m j u s t below
t h e h e a r t to t h e u p p e r edge and trim the Inside points
of the eyes to suit your t a s t e , thus lowering b o t h
s t i f f n e s s and mass of t h e bri d g e t o p ( Fi g. 6).
7. Hake x-y c o m p a r i s o n 9 2.
8. Trim a low arch between the f e e t , usually about the
same c u r v a t u r e as t h a t of t h e violin arch in t h i s a r e a ,
r e m o v i n g as l i t t l e wood as possible ( F i g . 7).

9. Make x-y c o m p a r i s o n 9 3.
10. Progressively remove wood f r o m t h e lower in-side of t h e
eyes and across t h e top of the f e e t , areas D a n d E as in F i g u r e 3.
11. Make x-y comparisons at e a c h f e w shaves of wood
removal. (We have n e v e r f o u n d it e f f e c t i ve to make
d i s t a n c e F (Fig. 8) of a v i o l i n bridge less t h a n 13
mm.) L o w e ri n g t he s t i f f n e s s in areas D and E u s u a l l y
t e n d s to enhance t h e clarity of t h e sound w h e n bowing
t h e two lower strin gs.
12. If t h e i n s tr u m e n t seems to be somewhat shrill on
t h e t o p s t r i n g s , t h e n p r o c e e d as follows: tr i m
away, in slow s t a g e s , the u p p e r curve of th e eyes,
p r o g r e s s i v e l y lowering t h e s t i f f n e s s of areas B
and C b e tween the heart a nd t h e eyes. This can also
be done by e n l a r g i n g t h e heart somewhat (Fig. 9 ) .
13. M a k e x-y c o m p a r i s o n s at each few shaves of
wood removal.
When y o u r e a c h a s t a g e of c u t t i n g b r i d g e a which
produces the sound a n d playing qualities in and y o u r
m u s i c i a n f r i e n d like and w a n t f r o m given inst r u m e n t, It
is w e l l to s t o p a n d let it b r i d g e be " p l a y e d in" f o r
a whil e , o b s e r ving
Figure 10
One tuned Violin Bridge showing dark areas
where wood was cut away
any desirable or undesirable changes. Sometimes a tone that "hesitates" on
a t t a c k will smooth out with a few hours of playing. (More on this
phenomenon in a later article).
14. Now cut several more bridges for the same or d ifferent instruments
experimenting for yourself on how much and where to remove wood for
d e s i r e d tone qualities. Also try thinning the overall bridge thicknesses
both at the feet and in a straight slope to the top as some schools of
violin making indicate. Some of my associates have cut as many as 25-30
bridges in the course of learning how to handle this b r i d g e tuning
process. It is always exciting when an instrument is finished and the whole
group of us can hear and comment as the bridge is tuned.
For tuning cello bridges we can observe from the alternating narrow
light and dark lines of Reinicke's holograms that the bending is largely in
the legs, around the heart and eyes and. across the u p p e r section (Fig. 2).
Trimming can be done in these areas just as in violin and v iola bridges.
One experience in tuning

o n l y a b o u t 25 c e l l o b r i d g e s , h o w ev e r , does n o t w a r r a n t a
d e t a i l e d a c c o u n t s u c h as is g i v e n above w h i c h is b a s e d
on t h e t u n i n g of several h u n d r e d v i o l i n a n d v i o l a
bridges.
In t h i s w h o l e b r i d g e t u n i n g p r o c e s s it la w e l l to
r e m e m b e r t h a t t h e r e is c o n s i d e r a b l e f o r c e f r o m the s t r i n g s
( a b o u t 20 I b s . ) b e a r i n g down on t h i s s m a l l p i e c e of wood.
T h u s any c u t t i n g away of wood m u s t t a k e i n t o account
w h e t h e r or n o t a b r i d g e c a n s u p p o r t such a l o a d .
For some y e a r s we h a v e t r i e d to o b t a i n d e f i n i t i v e
measurements of t h e s u b t l e c h a n g e s in tone a n d p l a y i n g
q u a l i t i e s as a b r i d g e is t h u s t u n e d to a p a r t i c u l a r v i o l i n or
viola. T h e r e sponse curv es and t h e i n p u t a d m i t t a n c e c u r v e
(made u s i n g a s i n g l e f r e q u e n c y ( s i n u s o i d a l ) input sweeping
through th e f r e q u e n c y r a ng e and t h e t o t a l response of th e
i n s t r u m e n t and b r i d g e r e corded v i a a m i c r o p h o n e p i c k u p or
an accelerome t e r on t h e b r i d g e ) sho w c e r t a i n ch an g es in the
f r e q u e n c y s p e c t r u m p a r t i c u l a r l y a r o u n d 3000 H z . The results of
t h e s e t e s t s are n o t as y e t d e f i n i t i v e or c o n s t a n t e n o u g h to
p r o v i d e r e l i a b l e q u a n t i t a t i v e i n f o r m a t i o n on w h a t is
h a p p e n i n g as a b r i d g e is t u n e d to a g i v e n i n s t r u m e n t . Also the
r e s u l t s v a r y d e p e n d i n g on the resonance spectrum of t h e
i n s t r u m e n t box i t s e l f . J u s t as in free p l a t e t u n i n g 6 we f i n d
t h a t t h e process when properly a p p l i e d w o r k s w e l l o v er a n d over
again, b u t so f a r we can n o t s a t i s f a c t o r i l y i d e n t i f y th e
contro lling mechanisms. H o p e f u l l y f u ture measurement
t e c h n i q u e s w ill p r o v i d e f u r t h e r i n s i g h t s .
JCAS I 42, November, 1
In a d d i t i o n to b r i d g e t u n i n g , t h e r e is, of c o u r s e ,
t h e art of b r i d g e c u t t i n g w h i c h is n o t even considered here.
One famous violin maker t o l d me t h a t it u s u a l l y t a k e s a n e w
a p p r e n t i c e at l e a s t a y e a r to be a b l e to see how a
p r o p e r b r i d g e s h o u l d be c u t , mu ch less be a b l e to c u t
one! The more I e x p e r i m e n t to t r y to understand some of
the mech anisms wh i ch c o n t r o l c e r t a i n t o n a l
c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s in v i o l i n s t h e mo r e respect I have f o r
the a r t and skill of th e master v i o l i n m a k e r . No wh ere
a r e th ese q u a l i t i e s more I m p o r t a n t t h a n in th e p r o p e r
c u t t i n g of bridges
REFERENCES;
1. Minnaert, M. and C.C.Vlam, "Vibrations of the Violin Bridge,"
Physica, 4 ( 5 ) , 361-372. (1937).
2. Bledier, B . , "On the Bridge of the Violoncello," Compt.
Rend., 250, 2161-2163, (March 1960). (English translation by
R. Bruce Lindsay. See Benchmark Papers in Acoustics, Musical
Acoustics, Part I,Violin Family
Components,Ed.C . M .Hu tch ins pp 396-298. Douden Hutchinson &
ROSE. 1975
3. Reinicke.W.,"Ubertragungseigenschaft e r des Streich-
instrumentensteees," CAS ML #19, 26-34, (1973).
(English translation by E. Wall available on request
from CAS o f f i c e ) .
4. Muller, H. A., "The Function of the Violin Bridge,"
CAS NL it 31, 19-22, (May 1979). (English translation
by L. Wall). (Originally published in German in Das
Muslkinstrumente, 1977).
5. Hacklinger, M., "Violin Adjustment - Strings
and Bridges," CAS NL tl 31, 17-19, (May 197S).
6. H u t ch i n s , C.M. , "Plate Tuning for the Violin Maker,"
CAS NL S 39, 25-32, (Hay 1983).