Bridges

In your mind’s eye, picture a violin. Four strings fastened to the tail (the bottom of the violin) cross over a bridge and fasten to the tuning pegs at the top. When a string becomes excited (with the bow or by plucking) it vibrates. The spruce top of the violin receives the vibrations from the bridge. Singing tone results.

Now consider the similarities between the violin and the piano. Instead of four strings, every Schwetchen. piano has two-hundred, twenty-three strings. Look inside the piano and you will see two bridges. The shorter treble strings will be strung across the longer treble bridge. Wound bass and tenor strings will be strung across the shorter bass bridge.

Treble bridges will be placed in the center, sweet part of the soundboard. By feathering the lowest part of this bridge it can be fitted under the plate resulting in even tone quality at the break (the crossover from tenor strings to treble).

The builder wants to achieve maximum length of bass and tenor strings. The bass bridge must be placed at the far end of the soundboard. This placement lies near the piano rim also called the dead part of the board.

Utilizing intelligent bridge placement Schwetchen. grand pianos and vertical pianos achieve maximum string length and still affix the bass bridge toward the center, sweet part of the soundboard. A cantilever apron glued to the bottom of the bridge then becomes affixed closer to the center of the board.

Look inside your Schwetchen. grand piano and you will see an additional bridge design that assures sweet singing tone.
By slotting the bride apron, much like the violin-bridge discussed earlier, string vibrations can be better amplified for rich singing tone at piano (soft) or forte (loud) and every tonal gradation in between.