Bridge

Bridge (Fr.: chevalet; Ger.: Steg; It.: ponticello), 1. on bowed instrs. and those plucked instrs. having rib-fastened strings, the bridge is a removable piece of hardwood set under the strings and maintained in position by their tension. Nut and bridge determine the speaking length (the scale) of a string. The function of a bridge, however, is not to determine the scale, but to transmit the strings' vibrations to the belly. Tradition, pitch, and the thickness of the strings have determined the…