Ep. 13: The String Height

[@davenatale850]

There's no one way to do it, but I make sure the bridge feet are fit properly, then use a template to shape the arc on the top. Cut your notches and see where you're at. Then gradually sand the top of the bridge little by little until you feel comfortable with the height. Remember, if you go too far, you're starting over. It's worth a little time to get it just the way you want it. Hope this helps somebody.

[@davidbrandt6925]

Dave, just what I thought too!

[@deanjones2525]

Thank you very much for this information. I'm learning to play on my own, and this is something I really wanted to know about.

[@jerrydavis1475]

I always set my violins 3.5 /5.5 mm string clearance. It seems to work well

[@EdgarRuss]

👌🏼

[@jerrydavis1475]

@@EdgarRuss 🙏🙏❤️

[@shkedovb]

Edgar you're the best!

[@EdgarRuss]

Thank you very much! New video coming up in a few hours :) Have a nice day!

[@loveh8796]

I don't have a lot of knoledge about a violin. As I know, the height of a bridge can be adjusted according to the sizes of left hands and the length of left fingers. I remember when I bought my violin(my hands are too small even though I am an adult), the fingerboard wasn't wide and was very comfortable to press the strings. And the height of the bridge was kept lower in order to make finger-pressing more comfortable. But the violin sound was good.

[@alejandronarvaez9806]

I think that with a bridge a bit lower ~3mm, left hand pizzicato (especially on the II and III strings) and doing 5ths is much more easy and precise

[@nicktardifbass7]

12mm on the E string for Upright Bass is absolutely bananas. Maybe that works for classical musicians, but it's higher than average for most Jazz bassists.

[@brian777999]

I have two violins : one is set at 5.6 mm on the G and 3.5 mm on the E with string spacing at the bridge to be 34 mm. The other is set to 4 mm on the G and 2.3 mm on the E and string spacing at 35 mm. I find the latter violin much easier to play ; especially for double stops. Is it true that English violinists tend the have their string heights lower than American violinists ?

[@Jesuswinsbirdofmichigan]

Keep me learning.

[@psblad2667]

Hi Edgar, Very impressed by your videos. However, I have a little tip: Invest in a small cordless microphone which you wear on your shirt. That will eliminate the room accoustic which gives an echo effect in your film.

[@jhumbertosilva]

the best teacher!!!

[@vartago]

Great information Edgar, although in my personal experience a higher angled projection neck on every single Bass that I’ve worked with gets a louder sound, more reverb and as a plus string action can be lower to 6mm on the Top string.Definitely the high bridge makes a big difference. Yes as you said higher strings on a normal neck angle setup sound louder and better. But then string action becomes an extra issue unfortunately.

[@EdgarRuss]

👌🏼

[@danielmalter3373]

Higher angle being louder makes sense to me, physically, as it increases the downforce on the bridge. The only case where I could see it going the other way is if the sound post is too long, so that high downforce on the bridge and high pressure on the table in combination with a long soundpost implies so high pressure on the back that both top and bottom plates are restricted in their ability to vibrate. But that is speculation on my part.

[@michaelblaney4461]

That picture looks like your setting it up for slide playing😁

[@hiidihyah]

My fingertips is very thin and therefore, I had to make some personal adjustment to the strings height so they won't dig in too much into my fingers.

[@1cleandude]

Great video Edgar however you didn't talk about string height at the nut. Do you have a video on the nut height or can you tell us the height at the nut for each string?? Thanks again for your time and talent!!!

[@mrsamikhoury]

Let me help you with that all what you need to do is insert a Biz card between the strings and the fingerbaord at the end (nut) And move it left and right if it is easy to move that mean perfect ,if it is hard to move it means the strings is too low but if the card can't stay it means too high Thank you

[@mariosalesamarco4871]

Hi! What heigh would you give to the C string on 5 strings violin?

[@victorumana5623]

And what about in the D and G string on a Viola? I want to try to fit a new bridge, my viola size is 15.5

[@tonycstech]

What about the height at the nut ?

[@tamarazawada]

Mr Edgar Russ, can you tell us something about the string height at the nut? Thank you!

[@hgn2217]

It's a good presentation. It could be much improved by cutting or reducing the audio reverb. It sounds like talking in a hollow and large wooden box (double bass body ?).

[@danielpayson9813]

Great Job my friend :)

[@EdgarRuss]

Thank You, Daniel!

[@amindaou5711]

Good information.. so what is the set up for (steel strings ) with piezoelectric ?

[@ASIFHUSSAINMUZIK]

Improve your voice feedback, information wad good but very low sound was .

[@G.B.P.]

Yoda is that you

[@uhoh007]

Thanks so much, very insteresting there is no standard at all in the real world. Why does no one ever mention the middle strings? You are asuming a gradual rise from 4 to 5.5ish (violin), if those heights have been chosen for the outside strings?

[@crowing3886]

Can too high strings make higher hand tention when playing? I've noticed it's hard too play as lightly as possible because I'm pressing pretty hard to hit an sustain a note.

[@vartago]

Yes the tension does get higher unfortunately.

[@chrisladouceur4093]

When you measure, is it to top of string or bottom of string? Do you include the string thickness in the measurement?

[@amajorseven]

He said he measures the distance from the top of the fingerboard to the underside of the string. So it is the clearance inbetween.

[@fiddlefaddle1]

Mr.Russ, I have an action of 3.5mm on E and 4.5mm on G. There is no buzz and tone and volume seems fine. Is this too low of an action? By the way, love your videos.

[@arthurzengeler8296]

This is very interesting, but I'll have to watch it again, and see if I can find more information on this. I have a nice, antique violin, with a very low finger board, so not so high a bridge. It sounds good, but a luthier told me it was too low, and the bridge had to be heightened. I'm also a luthier, tho with not much experience. However, I'm not going to raise the fingerboard, just yet. I also play, so if it sounds OK, I may just leave it alone, for now, anyways.

[@TNungesser]

How did that work for you? Did you do any adjustment?

[@zoraide608]

or need to ask, do you take the distance between the keyboard and the string or do you take it on or under the string?

[@TobiasSebastien]

from where do you measure the string height? On a cello for instance measuring the C-string from bridge to the lower side of the string or the upper, meaning is the string width included in the height?

[@bakedbean37]

Measure from the end of the fingerboard to the underside of the strings.

[@TobiasSebastien]

@@bakedbean37 Thank you for your answer! my string action then is at the lowest setting mentioned in this video but still feels very heavy. The strings are medium tension. What is best to do to get an easier playing feel, especially for vibrato on the lower strings, lower the action even further, or getting softer string tension set?

[@bakedbean37]

@@TobiasSebastien Hi. I'm afraid I'm no expert on all this. The height of the strings coming over the nut is important too. Just the slightest gap should be enough. Just enough to grip a thin piece of card works for me. I adjust guitar nuts down so the string just about grips a piece of thin card or thick paper at the first fret. Then I suppose you have to consider a lower tension set of strings I guess. Nylon core ones maybe. I'm considering getting a set of nylon core strings for the kids cello I was given to muck about with. I'm after a softer, warmer tone as much as a softer feeling string. Especially that strident A string. As a novice I too could use easier to play strings. My preferred bass guitar strings by Thomastik are considered the softest going but I'll probably save myself a few quid and try the D'Addario Pro Arte ones rather than the Thomastik Dominants. I thought the bass guitar strings were dear enough. 🙂 Good luck with finding what works best for you.

[@TobiasSebastien]

@@bakedbean37 Thank you so much for your help!

[@renandias7926]

Hi Edgar, thanks for the top-notch content you've been coming up with. I wonder what's your recommendation for double-bass string height, both arco (orchestra/solo) and jazz pizzicato?

[@llary]

2:43

[@mecanictransmision]

Nice video!

[@EdgarRuss]

Thank you Mario!

[@FunnyBunnyShowNYC]

What about fractional instruments? I am fixing some instruments at a school and they are all 1/8 to 3/4 size. Thanks... (\_/) { ^_^}

[@EdgarRuss]

Good question, Certainly a little less. But I would not go to less than half of the full size instruments on a 1/8. For kids it isn't that hard to press their small fingers. String makers did already a good part to have a playable tension on smaller instruments. 😉 ER

[@johndeerman2105]

Hello Edgar. My question for you is would you set up the strings low for a child's violin in order for them to play without the difficulty of a string they might not be able to depress as well? Grazie molto John

[@EdgarRuss]

Well, I would just low down the bridge as much as possible. But first watch out that the fingerboard is perfect and without any irregualities in the surface. Because these are responsible for unclear tones if the strings are rather on the low side. Further I would put the sound Post rather more inside to guarantee an easy responding instrument. all the best ER

[@merlynschutterle7242]

What do you do if the bridge us too high?

[@l.fsader6021]

Get a new bridge lol

[@przybyla420]

Or get a file and wing it. Sandpaper is the wrong tool

[@merlynschutterle7242]

@@l.fsader6021 They are pretty much the same.

[@merlynschutterle7242]

@@przybyla420 The pro diudes say use sandpaper. I think 12 hundred wold be smoother than a file.

[@californiadreamin8423]

While I find most videos very well explained, I find this video imprecise. I have formed the view that the body of a violin is simply an amplifier and responds to sound impulses/forces which impinge upon the body through the axis of the bridge . These forces can only be applied "vertically" through the bridge. These string tensile forces which when resolved , pass "vertically " through the bridge, depend upon the string angles in front of , and behind the bridge. The finger board really plays very little part in the process I have described, and the string to fingerboard clearance , comes under the category of "playability ". Playing open strings, is the case in point. Related to this is "neck angie ". The majority of Strad instruments were re-necked to give the modern neck angle , and this was done in response to the increase in "standard pitch" which inevitably generated higher string forces which acting in the plane of the bridge , imparted higher sound impulses into the sound box/amplifier, and therefore more volume. ......and this is why I should not have lowered the bridge on on modern supposedly hand made German fiddle , which I now know has a shallow neck angle and now has a quiet , muted, sound. Next job..... fit a new "higher" bridge and reproduce the volume and tone which I lost when I tampered with it !! In the short term I simply have to accept a higher "action" of the strings over the finger board.

[@terria1254]

Did the higher bridge produce better sound/volume for you??? (Thanks in advance :-) )

[@californiadreamin8423]

@@terria1254 I confess I haven’t….. yet. The sound before I took approx 1mm off the top of the bridge, was good, and I only lowered it because the string clearance at the end of the fingerboard exceeded the generally accepted values. However I should have left well alone because I do not play in the higher positions…..yet. What I should have done was to fit a new bridge , and leave the original well alone. Once I took wood from the top edge , this required removal of more wood because the bridge was too “chubby”. I simply ruined it. I’m confident I can restore the tone , but it may require making a number of bridges before I get it right. From time to time I play it though , but the sound I get confirms the mistake I made. I’m going to aim for 27mm bridge height on the fiddle centreline and take it from their.

[@shadowsilverlight1651]

do these measurements apply to electric violins as well?

[@bakedbean37]

I think you'll need a conversion factor to go from millimetres to volts. 🙂

[@belly_nelly]

Classical instruments have SO MUCH potential to be great. If only modern technology was applied to them.

[@ozgundemirr]

10mm on cello C? , that's too much imo unless it would be used with pure gut strings. Most players aren't that comfortable even with 8mm

[@daviddudley4843]

your video would be much more useful if you used a good microphone

[@lanceparsons9139]

The poor sound recording quality of this recording destroys a lot of it’s value.

[@donlessnau3983]

Decent info but terrible audio. Too much echo. Wear a mike next time.

[@EdgarRuss]

Indeed we have changed our equipment recently. 😉

[@thevittles6634]

Thank you! :)

[@edstud1]

Sound quality is really bad dude!

[@antoniosantorini9355]

Does KZbin have have white people in their commercials ?

[@ericverschelden8151]

Toomuch !!!!! Very toomuch !