For Student Violins, Violas and Cellos, Proper Setup is Vital

It’s prudent for the budding musician to begin with a student-model instrument. But progress can be stunted if the violin isn’t properly setup by a professional.

There is a great deal of difference between a student violin, an intermediate violin, and a professional violin. It has to do with craftsmanship and the quality of materials, which of course translates into a sizeable difference in price. Same with student-grade cellos and violas.

Of course, even the greatest living violinists today were once students. Did they (or their parents) purchase or rent an instrument from a skilled violinmaker? Or were their first violins lower-cost, lower-grade instruments? Quite possible it was the latter. But what each probably had in common even in the birth of their musical careers was a proper setup for their student violins.

The reason violins - and violas, and cellos - need to be setup is simple: the mass-factory-produced brands are shipped to retailers and customers on ordinary boats, trains, and trucks. This might mean there is jostling in its transportation that can actually break joints. Some pieces have a tenuous connection to other parts, such as the soundpost, which is essentially a dowel that is wedged (no glue or other fastener) inside the violin and held in place by force of the strings that press down on the bridge.

Each instrument requires attention and fine-tuning before being played. A reputable violin shop should perform those fine adjustments. That shop should have experience in setups and repairs of instruments. A high quality setup by a trained luthier can dramatically improve the tone and playability of the instrument, making violins, violas and cellos sound better and, most importantly, easier to play.

Following are the key components of a student violin setup:

Fingerboard - The fingerboard needs to be securely glued to its neck, which can become loose in transit. It also has a precise concave surface that sometimes needs to be planed to the proper curve.

Soundpost - The master violinmakers call this the heart of the stringed instruments, partly because it is delicately placed inside the body of the violin and it greatly affects the tonal response. Maddeningly, there is not a standard place for it to go, with a range of about 5 millimeters differing distances from the bridge. The decision on where (i.e., to achieve what sound?) is typically made between a luthier and the musician.

Tuning pegs - Lower quality wood allows slippage of the pegs because it has a looser hold from less friction. Students as well as professionals need to control the tautness of the strings; peg paste (or soap) can be added to ease turning the tuning pegs.

Violin neck - Alas, a professional violin neck will be made with ebony but the lower cost instruments are black-stained wood of another (cheaper) type. Aged ebony is hard and holds its shape while stained wood can warp, resulting in a twist that throws the height of the strings off-kilter. In the worst cases, the net result of that is the instrument is very hard to play. The setup process returns the neck to the proper shape.

There are several other factors to be address in a setup: the violin bridge, its finish (which affects both appearance and tone), the tailpiece, and the top nut. If all this is dizzying to the aspiring student, just remember it may have been the same for a very young Itzhak Perlman too.

A Brief History of Stringed Instrument Bow Making

The supporting role perception of the violinist’s bow underestimates its importance. But a certain 18th century Frenchman changed everything.

There’s a famous unattributed quote about bowed instruments such as cellos, violins and violas: "The left hand makes the notes, but the right hand makes the music." This saying illustrates the importance of the bow in stringed instrument music making.

Made by bow makers - also called"archetiers" - handcrafted bows are complex in their construction and are often misunderstood and underestimated. Seemingly fragile, but surprisingly strong, bows are balanced and require technical knowhow and can last hundreds of years when properly cared for.

Surprisingly, the development of the violin bow followed a path separate from the violin itself, and that just as violins had their Stradivari, Guarneri and Amati, bows have their famed and revered creators, most especially Francois Xavier Tourte, a Frenchman, and his protégés Peccatte, Eury, Maire, Lupot, Maline, Henry and Persois.

First, one must acknowledge the relative size and simplicity of the violinist’s bow, compared to the violin itself, suggests it’s has a lesser role in the creation of stringed instrument music. But a study of the physical function and history of bows tells us something else.

Prior to Tourte (1747-1835), bows were shorter and lighter (made of less wood and a lighter nut). They were not known for their maker; either they were simply of anonymous origin or attributed to the luthier or an unnamed worker in the violinmaker’s shop.

Tourte changed that around 1785, a period when Beethoven, Hayden, and Mozart were actively composing their best-known work. He was the son of a luthier (Nicolas Pierre Tourte), but initially apprenticed as a watchmaker. Shifting to bowmaking in collaboration with violin virtuoso G. B. Viotti, he improvised upon the supporting instrument. It was heavier, longer (74-75 centimeters, with usable hair length of approximately 65 cm), and made of pernambuco wood, also known as Brazilwood.

Tourte determined that the balance point on the bow should be 19 centimeters from the frog. Heating and bending the wood created the curve, whereas predecessors’ bows were carved to the shape. The bowmaker also gave it a heavier nut, with a screw and the spreader block, which hold and create the desired hair tension.

The modern bow courtesy of Tourte is credited for changing the timbre of the violin’s sound, broadening the expression and articulation available to violinists.

Tourte seems to have been less interested in fame and legacy, as only a few of his bows were signed. Even though he is now and was in his lifetime widely regarded for his innovations, his bows were nonetheless often referred to “the Viotti bow,” ceding greater credit to his collaborating virtuoso.

Today an authenticated Tourte bow can be valued at $100,000 or more. Isaac Stern had one, as did Heifetz, Kreisler, and Milstein, among many others.

While there has been recent public discussion and inquiry into whether the older Italian instruments sound better than modern-made instruments, it is widely accepted that older French bows are far superior to modern bows. Fine violin bows - as well as fine cello bows and viola bows - are in constant demand by both collectors and players.