Help, my strings have gone floppy!

Help, my strings have gone floppy and I'm not sure if my bridge is ok. What has happened?

If this is the first time this has happened to you, the natural feeling you will have is alarm, panic, shock, or all three at once. Be reassured - the scene is a common one. You go to practice your violin, viola, or cello, all the pegs have slipped and the strings are laying on the fingerboard. You try to tune it up and the bridge is leaning and all crooked, or worse, it just popped off. 

So why does this happen? It is more common if we haven’t played our instruments in a while or if we experience a dramatic temperature and humidity change. All four strings are connected to the same point of contact at the tailgut and button via the tailpiece. The tailgut receives the combined tension from all the strings. If one peg slips, the tension is then placed on the other three strings, and then another string slips. This means that if one peg slips the three other strings must bear the tension released from the loose string. That’s when the chain effect of the other pegs slipping can occur.

Okay, now I don’t feel so worried or bad about it, but what can I do about it? 

Many musicians get really nervous when it comes to bridge placement, and they are right to feel like this, as the bridge is a very thin piece of wood and can easily break if misaligned or tension is applied in the wrong way to it.  However, it is a really good idea for players to learn how to look after their instruments, and this includes adjusting the bridge, coping with sudden drops in tension due to the weather and bring able to spot when something is not right before attempting to play. With a bit of help and by following some strict guidelines, the player can put things back to an approximately correct location until it can be shown to a more experienced person. If you can you should always take the instrument to a luthier for checking, and if you are not yet confident at setting up your bridge and strings after floppy syndrome has attacked, then it is best to close the case again and take it straight to a luthier. I would recommend a luthier rather than a teacher, as it is not their job to be a technician and they are rightly focussed on the art of playing.

Okay, so how can I properly reset the bridge and tune up again? 

You will need to practise this (don’t deliberately de-tune your violin to do so!)

When you find the strings loose the natural instinct is to grab your violin. But to begin with, it is best to leave it where it is. We want to prevent any movement which might jolt another part of the violin or send the bridge flying when it will almost certainly break. Most importantly, the bridge should be checked and adjusted after each step. The first part of this process can be done with the violin in the case. If you feel confident to take it out without disturbing it further, you can place it on a table, with the shoulder rest on, or resting on a protective cloth, or clamped (as in the picture). Essentially, you want to make sure it is stable and not moving around while you are correcting the bridge.

When adjusting the bridge, our hands can be gently placed on the tailpiece and fingerboard as a stable point of contact and our index fingers of each hand can be used to adjust the lean of the bridge. Don't force the bridge. If it is leaning, it will want to move back so that the feet are resting properly again. It will make a small click when it settles back in position. You can check the feet are fitting by looking to see if there is a gap between the feet and the plate. This will appear as a dark line.

---

1. So once you have placed the bridge upright, without a lean, also check it is between the f-hole nicks. The back of the bridge should be perpendicular to the edge/rib line. Make this judgment while looking from the g-string side. Keep checking this while you are carrying out the other steps.

7 Steps to get in Tune

2. Slowly start putting tension on the 2nd string (A on violin, D on viola and cello). There only needs to be enough tension on the string to hold the bridge up so it’s not necessary to get it perfectly in tune at this time. If you have the violin still in its case you can do this step with it still in its case. If it is on a table, then leave it in the same position.
3. Put some tension on the 3rd string. Again, not up to full tension, just enough to secure the bridge position. Check the bridge angle.
4. Put some tension on the 4th string. Again, not up to full tension, just enough to secure the bridge position. Check the bridge angle.
5. Put some tension on the 1st string. Again, not up to full tension, just enough to secure the bridge position. Check the bridge angle.

6. Pick up the instrument and sight down the neck to check that the bridge is centered with the fingerboard, and adjust it appropriately. If you have only put a bit of tension on the strings then you should be able to shift it across easily from side to side if necessary. But if you have never done this before it is best to practice with a luthier.

7. Now all the strings can be gradually tuned to just below pitch, following the same order as earlier, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 1st strings while continually checking the bridge position and lean. I do this with the violin on my lap and pluck the string I am tuning continuously so I am listening carefully to make sure the string never goes sharp which will tip the bridge over again. Check the bridge after each string and pop it back on the bench or in the case if you need to make any further adjustments which should be done in the same way as before.

Only when all seven steps have been completed successfully can you put the violin on your shoulder and fine tune it up to pitch in the usual way.

We run courses on looking after your instrument, and will soon be introducing an advanced course which will cover this topic amongst others. Watch this space for more details or sign up to our newsletter.