How To Fix Violin Sound Post

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You may non meet the violin soundpost often, just it's one of the most important parts of the musical instrument!

What Is the Stick Inside a Violin Called?

The stick inside the violin is called the soundpost. The soundpost is a wooden dowel that sits vertically inside the instrument, on the correct side of the bridge . Information technology's usually made of solid spruce, the same wood as the top piece of the violin.

All orchestral string instruments, including the viola, cello, and double bass, have sound posts every bit well.

Fun Fact: The soundpost, also spelled sound post, is chosen "the soul" in French, Italian, and Polish because it helps requite the violin the sound we know and love.

What Is the Purpose of a Soundpost in a Violin?

The soundpost holds up the top plate of the violin and supports the treble foot of the bridge (the side of the bridge that holds the A and E strings). The soundpost helps requite the violin a fuller sound past transferring the vibrations from the higher 2 strings from the forepart of the instrument to the backplate.

Thanks to the soundpost, the whole instrument vibrates and makes a sound, rather than but the top.

The left side of the span is supported past the bass bar – a strip of forest glued on the underside of the meridian plate directly below the bass pes of the bridge (the side of the span that holds the G and D strings). The bass bar runs parallel to the lower 2 strings and helps transfer vibrations through the instrument, similar to the soundpost.

Without the soundpost and bass bar, the top of the violin could very likely cavern in from the force per unit area of the bridge and strings! These two smaller inner parts of the instrument are vital.

How Does the Soundpost Stay in Identify?

The soundpost stays in place from the force per unit area of the meridian and bottom plates of the violin. There'south no mucilage involved! For this reason, we should never remove all four strings at once – this takes off a lot of the tension that keeps the soundpost in place, and it can autumn.

Never attempt to move or supercede your own soundpost – this should e'er be washed by skilled luthiers! If the length of the soundpost is too alpine, it can dissever the top and lesser plates of the musical instrument, causing lots of problems downwardly the line. If the soundpost is too short in length, it won't stay in place.

Where Do Yous Place a Soundpost in a Violin?

The soundpost is placed within the body of the violin below the treble bridge human foot, to assist support the college two strings. The exact position of the soundpost should exist symmetrical with the bass bar; in other words, they should both be an equal altitude from the bridge.

You should always be able to see your soundpost past looking inside the treble (correct) f-pigsty.

The soundpost of your violin can be moved to achieve a variety of unlike sounds. A skilled luthier can brand an adjustment to create the specific audio you're looking for, whether that's brighter, darker, richer, or more brilliant. If placed incorrectly, the soundpost tin divide, or the violin can develop a crack on the meridian plate.

Finding the all-time placement for each violin is a process full of measurements and adjustments, and, over again, should only be attempted by a professional person.

Violin Soundpost - inside the violin — The inside of the violin visible with an endoscopic photographic camera

Why Do Soundposts Fall?

Your soundpost may fall if yous remove all four strings at the same fourth dimension, if you drop your violin, or from sudden, large changes in humidity. Sometimes newer posts fall because the woods is however shrinking.

If your soundpost falls, you lot'll probably hear a rattling audio coming from the musical instrument. If it does, immediately loosen the strings to ease tension off the top plate of your violin. Contact a luthier and take it into the shop as soon as y'all can.

When the soundpost is in place, yous should be able to meet the soundpost by looking into the treble side f-hole.

How Do Yous Fix a Fallen Soundpost on a Violin?

Luthiers set up a fallen soundpost by first removing the strings, bridge, tailpiece, and end push. Every soundpost has a notch towards one cease that shows which side goes on the top. Luthiers utilize a special s-shaped tool called a soundpost setter to put the mail service back into place. They do this past sticking the tool into the notch of the post.

Afterwards replacing the soundpost, the repairer tin can wait through the pigsty where the end button goes to view the placement of the post. Once the soundpost is in the right location, the strings, bridge, tailpiece, and end push button are put back into place.

Although with proper tools you lot tin can exercise it on your own, it's meliorate to ask a luthier for fixing a fallen soundpost. The placement of the soundpost is crucial to the sound and support of the musical instrument, and if information technology's placed incorrectly, the instrument can suffer extreme damage.

In the video below y'all tin see how a soundpost is fixed and what tools are used for that purpose:

What if At that place Is No Soundpost in My Violin?

If you've bought a violin without a soundpost, at that place's a expert gamble that information technology was poorly made and is not a very high-quality instrument. You lot tin buy a soundpost for your violin or have one made for you, but it might be more worthwhile in the long run to buy a higher-quality instrument.

An instrument without a soundpost is easily susceptible to damage, and will not produce the audio yous're looking for.

Possible Damage

Without a soundpost, your violin could cave in. The soundpost helps hold up the top of the instrument, and without it, the pressure level from the strings can cause the top to cave in over time.

If you take an instrument without a soundpost, don't put any tension on it – don't tighten the strings, and don't play it. The best grade of action is to bring it straight into the shop!

How Does the Violin Sound Without a Soundpost?

The violin gets a lot of its tone from the soundpost since it helps to transfer the vibrations to the back of the instrument. Without a soundpost, the tone of your violin volition sound very hollow, and won't ring almost as much.

A Violin Soundpost in the Researcher's Eyes

Violin and its parts were examined in various ways past many scientists. Here I would like to share with yous some facts that result from their researches.

The exact spot where the soundpost is located results in a different stiffness of the top plate. At that place were studies that proved that the stiffness increased when the soundpost is located behind the treble span foot and decreased in case of placing the soundpost under the treble foot or further towards the tailpiece, what of course results in a dissimilar audio produced by the musical instrument.

As well, in that location were studies that showed the soundpost's mass is insignificant.

What is significant, is the stiffness of the soundpost itself, which is a combination of the wood used and its bore. The more potent the soundpost is, the more book is observed when playing on the Yard, D, and A strings.

At present, let'southward examine the location of the soundpost. If nosotros move information technology towards the center of the violin, we may reach a similar result as if there was no soundpost at all!

Fun fact: We can find a predecessor of a soundpost in the stringed instruments called crwth and chrotta that were used during the medieval ages to play folk English language and Welsh music. What is surprising, the bass foot of the bridge was much longer than the other ane and rested on the dorsum plate. It was possible but by placing this human foot inside the soundhole on the bass side!

Conclusion

Although y'all can't usually see the soundpost, it plays a crucial role in creating the beautiful audio that we love and so much! Make sure to check your soundpost from time to time and take it to the luthier if it becomes loose or falls.

If you would like to know more about violin anatomy, check out my article "What is a Violin Made Of?" and download the set of posters with all violin parts: