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 p l ay er at hand 30 t h a t b o t h can hear as well as f e e l the way the brid ge tuning e f f e c t s the so und a n d p l ay i n g 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 de 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 se veral 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 th e o re t ic a 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 h e 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 wh i ch the u p p e r p a r t of the brid g e bounces up and down (Fig. 2B). R e i n i c k e ' s holograms of a rigidly su pported 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)

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JUS I 42, November, 1

2100Hz

985Hz
>> 3060HZ

1450Hz

Figure 3

Bending modes In the 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 Figure 4: A, across the top section; B and C, between the heart and the eyes; D and E, the lower 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 experimentally 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 normally 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) .

6100KZ Figure 2 (after Reinicke) in going from a b r i d g e blank with 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 reported 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 Violin Bridge bending modes

Figure 4 Areas where bending occurs

Bridge blank uncut

cut feet Shape top (dotted line) Figure 5

12, November. 1984

17

Figure 7 Trim arch between feet

Figure 8 Trim Inside of eyes and across 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 . 6. Remove wood f r o m t h e top of f a c i n g t h e p l a y e r ) in a s m o o t h t h e h e a r t to t h e u p p e r edge and of the eyes to suit your t a s t e , s t i f f n e s s and mass of t h e bri d g e 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. b r i d g e y (on the s i d e curve f r o m j u s t below trim the Inside points thus lowering b o t h t o p ( Fi g. 6).

Figure 9 Open eyes and heart

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 produces the sound a n d playing m u s i c i a n f r i e n d like and w a n t f r o m is w e l l to s t o p a n d let it b r i d g e a whil e , o b s e r ving b r i d g e a which qualities in and y o u r given inst r u m e n t, It be " p l a y e d in" f o r 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

JCAS I 42, November, 1 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 b r i d g es . 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 ( ab 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 an 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 ecorded 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 ar o und 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 el 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 .

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 Streichinstrumentensteees," 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).