Spacing the Strings

Violinists should see to it that their strings are correctly spaced on the bridge. Violinists and violin students who set their own bridges, and even some violin makers, who are not experts in their profession, space the strings on the bridge by guess, as a rule, whereas the strings should be spaced with the greatest care. The E string should be set directly above the center of the right foot of the bridge, and the G string directly above the center of the left foot. This brings these strings directly above the sound-post and bass bar, respectively, which is the best position for them. The spacing of the strings for a full-sized violin and normal-sized bridge is indicated in the following diagram:

• Title: Spacing the Strings
• Author: Robert Braine
• Source: The Etude July 1916 p. 530
• Download: PDF version of original article