blog.metzlerviolins.comMetzler Violins | Everything for the Player of Bowed String

Instruments 1-818-246-0278 or 1-888-violins 604 S. Central Avenue • Glendale, California, 91204 USAShop Rentals Repairs Consignments Events Articles Login Register   0 Items Instruments Violins Violins $30,000 + Violins $20,000 - $29,999 Violins $10,000 - $19,999 Violins $5,000 - $9,999 Violins $2,000 - $4,999 Violins $1,000 - $1,999 Violins under $1,000 Undersize Violins Violas 17"+ Violas 16"+ Violas 15"+ Violas 14"+ Violas Violas under 14" Cellos Cellos $40,000 + Cellos $20,000 - $39,999 Cellos $10,000 - $19,999 Cellos $2,000 - $9,999 Cellos under $2,000 Undersize Cellos Basses Undersize Basses Bows Violin Bows Wood Violin Bows Carbon Fiber/Fiberglass Violin Bows Viola Bows Carbon Fiber/Fiberglass Viola Bows Wood Viola Bows Cello Bows Wood Cello Bows Carbon Fiber & Fiberglass Cello Bows Bass Bows Wood Bass Bows Carbon Fiber & Fiberglass Bass Bows Baroque & Viol Bows [more...] Cases & Bags Violin Cases BAM Violin Cases Pedi Violin Cases Angel Violin Cases Musilia Violin Cases Viola Cases Cello Cases BAM Cello Cases Musilia Cello Cases Cello Bags Bass Bags [more...] Sheet Music, Books & Magazines Chamber Music Duets Trios Quartets Quintets Sextets Septets Octets Flexible Combos Larger Ensemble Music (9+) Piano Quartet Larger Ensemble Music (9+) String Quartet Misc. Trios Violin Sheet Music Violin / Digital Media Violin Collections Violin Exercises, Scales, & Method Books Violin Orchestral Parts Violin Solo (with & without accompaniment) Fiddle Music Viola Sheet Music Viola / Digital Media Viola Collections Viola Exercises, Scales, & Method Books Viola Orchestral Parts Viola Solo (with & without accompaniment) Cello Sheet Music Cello / Digital Media Cello Solo (with & without accompaniment) Cello Exercises, Scales, & Method Books Cello Collections Cello Orchestral Parts Bass Sheet Music Bass / Digital Media Bass Exercises, Scales, & Method Books Bass Collections Bass Orchestral Parts Bass Solo (with & without accompaniment) [more...] Accessories Violin Accessories Violin Shoulder Rests Violin Mutes Violin Rosin Violin Fine Tuners Violin Wolf Eliminators Other Violin Accessories Viola Accessories Viola Mutes Viola Rosin Viola Shoulder Rests Other Viola Accessories Viola Fine Tuners Amps, Cables, & Pickups Preamps Violin & Viola Pickups Cello Pickups Bass Pickups Amps Instrument Cables Wireless Systems Bass Accessories Bass Wheels Bass Endpin Stops Bass Mutes Bass Rosin Bass Wolf Eliminators Bass Bibs Other Bass Accessories General Accessories Fingerboard Tapes Audio & Video Recorders Cleaners & Polishing Cloths Conductor Batons Humidifiers & Hygrometers Metronomes & Tuners Music Stands & Accessories Other Accessories Stand Lights Bow Accessories Instrument Stands [more...] Electric Instruments Electric Violins NS Design Violins Other Electric Violins Yamaha Violins Realist Violins Wood Violins Violins Jordan Violins MSI Violins String Amp Violins ZETA Violins Ted Brewer Violins Bridge Violins Electric Violas Electric Cellos Yamaha Cellos NS Design Cellos Electric Upright Basses NS Design Basses Yamaha Basses Strings Violin Strings Violin Strings, Thomastik Infeld Violin Strings, Pirastro Violin Strings, Larsen Violin Strings, D’Addario Violin Strings, Corelli Violin Strings, Jargar Violin Strings, Prim Violin Strings, Super-Sensitive Violin Strings, Warchal Violin Strings, Misc. E Strings Violin Strings, For-Tune Violin Strings, Otto Viola Strings Viola Strings, Thomastik-Infeld Viola Strings, Pirastro Viola Strings, Larsen Viola Strings, D’Addario Viola Strings, Corelli Viola Strings, Jargar Viola Strings, Prim Viola Strings, Super-Sensitive Viola Strings, Warchal Viola Strings, For-Tune Cello Strings Cello Strings, Thomastik-Infeld Cello Strings, Pirastro Cello Strings, Larsen Cello Strings, D’Addario Cello Strings, Corelli Cello Strings, Jargar Cello Strings, Prim Cello Strings, Super-Sensitive Cello Strings, For-Tune Cello Strings, Warchal Bass Strings Bass Strings, Thomastik-Infeld Bass Strings, Pirastro Bass Strings, D’Addario Bass Strings, Corelli Bass Strings, Jargar Bass Strings, Super-Sensitive Bass Strings, For-Tune Gifts CDs & DVDs Jewelry Music Boxes Note Cards Scarves & Masks [more...] Metzler Gift Cards The Simple Secrets of Successful String Changing May 16, 2014 Tom Metzler 3 Comments A high quality instrument bridge should last for decades, standing straight and tall, with no warpage, even with daily use. So it is truly upsetting to find that many musicians let their new bridges begin to warp within months. With this article I hope to show you how to preserve your bridge, how to obtain instant tuning stability, and how to get almost any set of strings you install to sound much better. Much of this is common sense, but some of these suggestions are true secrets”, in that even most professional players are not aware of them. 1. Always change one string at a time, in order to preserve the proper location of the bridge, and to avoid having the sound-post fall over. This would be a good time to lubricate your fine tuners using a little paraffin or petroleum jelly. Having a tube of lip-balm in your case for this purpose makes a lot of sense. 2. Before installing the new string, remove the peg and rub a little peg lubricant on the shiny bearing surfaces. This is a must for easy, care-free tuning. Every musician should have a tube of peg lubricant (peg dope) in the case. Less convenient, but equally effective, is the use of a combination of dry soap, chalk, graphite (pencil), and sometimes rosin dust. 3. Before installing the new string, rub the point of a soft #1 pencil in the groove of the ebony nut, as well as in the corresponding groove in the bridge. The graphite acts as a lubricant. This is a very important step! 4. When installing the new string, start at the peg-end, not with the tail-piece end. This helps insure that the string will not be twisted. 5. With the peg in place, be sure that the hole for the string is located near the center of the peg-box, or slightly closer to the head” of the peg. If the hole is located very close to either side of the peg-box, you must take your instrument to a luthier to have a new hole drilled in the correct location. 6. Insert the string through the hole with at least 1/4” protruding from the other side. The easiest way to lock the string in place is to wind the string over itself. For example, with a violin E or A string, you would first wind the string two full turns, guiding the string to the left of the first string turn, and then guiding it back across the string to the right. (see diagram) Continue to wind the string until the length is short enough that the other end of the string can be tucked through the hole in the tailpiece (or onto a fine-tuner) without releasing the tension on the string at the pegbox. Turn the peg further until the pitch just begins to be raised. At this point, straighten the bridge, as it will most likely have pulled slightly forward. Never wind the string tight against the inner pegbox wall. This can cause the peg to bind, and could even cause a crack in the scroll of your instrument. 7. Repeat the first six steps for each of the other three strings. Be certain to straighten a leaning bridge immediately and frequently during the tuning process, since a bridge that suddenly falls forward can cause great damage. 8. Now, begin to raise the pitch of each string in small increments, followed by the straightening of the bridge. It is easy to pull a leaning bridge back into the correct position because of the pencil graphite that you have rubbed into each notch. From the scroll-end of the violin (viola, cello) you can sight down the edges of the fingerboard to make sure the bridge hash’t shifted to one side or the other. Keep raising the string pitches and straightening the bridge over and over again until the desired pitches have been reached. This may be done by ear, but usually a tuning fork, piano, or electronic tuner will be required to insure proper...