Box and Fiddle
Year 19 No 06
March 1996
The Fiddle Soundpost
by Dr Kevin McCann M.D., D.P.H.
Every fiddle player knows the Soundpost, a small stick of spruce wedged between the top and back plates of a violin, plays an important role in the performance of the instrument. But simple as it is, the post’s function is quite complex and little understood.
About ¼ inch in diameter, the soundpost stands upright just behind the treble foot of the bridge. Often called the ‘soul’ of the fiddle, its main purpose seems to be to harmonise the vibrations of the top and back.
Structurally, a fiddle’s arching along can support the bridge but played without the post, its tone is hollow and rough sounding. Replacing the post puts the tone back into focus.
The post’s resistance to the treble foot of the bridge also serves as a pirot by which the bridges vibrations pump the bass bar. The relative position of the post to the bridge, F F – holes, and bar can be critical. Moving the post towards the bridge usually makes the tone tighter and more focused, whereas going back from the bridge makes it more open and hollow. Placing a shorter post further towards the edge can give more depth to the bass strings. This was the practice of the late Tommy Coen of Salthill, best remembered for his composition of that great reel ‘Christmas Eve’.
Tommy was one of the best air players I ever heard and could play nearly all of Fritz Kreisler’s compositions as well as hundreds of reels and jigs played in the characteristic Galway ‘laid back’ style.
A longer post nearer the centre can often conversely, even out the tone of the strings. This was the practice of the late Sean McLoughlin of Armoy, Co. Antrim, affectionately known by his friends and admirers as ‘Laramie’ because he frequently dressed as a cowboy and was a dab hand at Country and Western songs and music and was a fine guitar player.
These are only the most basic generalizations. Other factors such as the tightness with which the post is put into place; the mass of the post itself; the relative tuning of the top and black plates; and the shape of the archings all have a bearing on how the post relates to these variables.
It is impossible to give definite rules for proper soundpost adjustment, but there are a few rules of thumb that can be a good starting point.
a) The post should stand behind the bridge by a distance equal to the thickness of the top at that point.
b) It should be aligned with the treble foot of the bridge in the same was the bass bar is aligned under the left foot of the bridge.
c) It should stand vertically, its end grain aligned perpendicularly to the grain of the top, ends fitting perfectly to the plates and placed with only as much pressure as necessary to keep it from falling when the strings are off. One should beware of tinkering unnecessarily with the post as every movement will require a period of readjustment to the new equilibrium which has been set up.
Also, beware of damaging F F – holes. Try always to work through the treble side to keep any accidental damage to one hole. Especially on historical instruments it is important to leave the hole untouched, as evidence of the maker artistry.
Finally, I wish to pay a tribute to two fine violin repairers and enthusiasts from whom I learned everything I know about violins and violin repair ; namely, the later Master O’Neill of Ederney and the late Brian O’Donnell of Belfast, the latter who not along did so much to keep fiddles in shape but worked like a Trojan to further the cause of Comhaltas.
by Dr Kevin McCann M.D., D.P.H.
Every fiddle player knows the Soundpost, a small stick of spruce wedged between the top and back plates of a violin, plays an important role in the performance of the instrument. But simple as it is, the post’s function is quite complex and little understood.
About ¼ inch in diameter, the soundpost stands upright just behind the treble foot of the bridge. Often called the ‘soul’ of the fiddle, its main purpose seems to be to harmonise the vibrations of the top and back.
Structurally, a fiddle’s arching along can support the bridge but played without the post, its tone is hollow and rough sounding. Replacing the post puts the tone back into focus.
The post’s resistance to the treble foot of the bridge also serves as a pirot by which the bridges vibrations pump the bass bar. The relative position of the post to the bridge, F F – holes, and bar can be critical. Moving the post towards the bridge usually makes the tone tighter and more focused, whereas going back from the bridge makes it more open and hollow. Placing a shorter post further towards the edge can give more depth to the bass strings. This was the practice of the late Tommy Coen of Salthill, best remembered for his composition of that great reel ‘Christmas Eve’.
Tommy was one of the best air players I ever heard and could play nearly all of Fritz Kreisler’s compositions as well as hundreds of reels and jigs played in the characteristic Galway ‘laid back’ style.
A longer post nearer the centre can often conversely, even out the tone of the strings. This was the practice of the late Sean McLoughlin of Armoy, Co. Antrim, affectionately known by his friends and admirers as ‘Laramie’ because he frequently dressed as a cowboy and was a dab hand at Country and Western songs and music and was a fine guitar player.
These are only the most basic generalizations. Other factors such as the tightness with which the post is put into place; the mass of the post itself; the relative tuning of the top and black plates; and the shape of the archings all have a bearing on how the post relates to these variables.
It is impossible to give definite rules for proper soundpost adjustment, but there are a few rules of thumb that can be a good starting point.
a) The post should stand behind the bridge by a distance equal to the thickness of the top at that point.
b) It should be aligned with the treble foot of the bridge in the same was the bass bar is aligned under the left foot of the bridge.
c) It should stand vertically, its end grain aligned perpendicularly to the grain of the top, ends fitting perfectly to the plates and placed with only as much pressure as necessary to keep it from falling when the strings are off. One should beware of tinkering unnecessarily with the post as every movement will require a period of readjustment to the new equilibrium which has been set up.
Also, beware of damaging F F – holes. Try always to work through the treble side to keep any accidental damage to one hole. Especially on historical instruments it is important to leave the hole untouched, as evidence of the maker artistry.
Finally, I wish to pay a tribute to two fine violin repairers and enthusiasts from whom I learned everything I know about violins and violin repair ; namely, the later Master O’Neill of Ederney and the late Brian O’Donnell of Belfast, the latter who not along did so much to keep fiddles in shape but worked like a Trojan to further the cause of Comhaltas.