Books › An Encyclopedia of the Violin, 1925 › scan 179
Scan 179
An Encyclopedia of the Violin, 1925
16 lines. Read by computer on 28 September 2026. Printed page 153. See the scan on archive.org.
1whole intestines in a double-bass string. The material is then put on frames and the excess moisture is removed.
3The spinning of strings (Plate 42) requires great skill. If not spun sufficiently the strings will be weak, and if spun too much they will be hard. This is also true of woolen yarn which can be broken easily, but when the yarn is spun into a hard thread, it is very hard to break. The strings are then transferred to a drying room, and before they are completely dried, they are examined and are spun again if additional spinning is required. A dried string could not be recognized as a violin string as it is very rough and hard and must be polished until smooth and perfectly cylindrical in shape. Every violinist is familiar with faulty strings which do not vibrate uniformly because of varying sizes and shapes from one end to the other. This polishing was always done by hand in the past, but machinery has been invented which revolves the rough strings so that the polishing surfaces take uniformly on all parts of the strings. All so-called "perfect fifth" strings are polished by machinery. Great care must be taken in polishing strings so that the finished strings are of a usable size.
5It is impossible to make gut strings exactly the same size as raw materials vary in weight, and the amount of moisture in the air frequently affects their size. It has been proven that strings gauge as No. 2 on a dry day, and will gauge 2 1/2 or 2 3/4 on a rainy day as the gut absorbs moisture. If every violinist demanded exactly a gauge 2, strings would have to sell at far more than the present price, as the majority of them would have to be thrown away. It is a good thing therefore that different violinists require strings of different gauges.
7The strings are allowed to season on the drying frames for a few days, then cut down into single lengths (Plate 43) or two or three length coils. The strings must again be sorted out for color and finish, after which they are gauged very carefully. A large percentage of strings made to sell at the highest prices must be thrown out because of gauge, and sold as a cheaper grade. The strings are then coiled, tied and packed up in envelopes and cartons to be sent out to the trade.
9The color of strings has nothing to do with the strength or trueness of tone, and very frequently the darker strings last longer than the best looking.
11HOW ROSIN IS PREPARED
13Colophony or rosin is probably the smallest in size of all the accessories used in violin making and violin playing; yet it is, nevertheless, one of the most essential to those who use string instruments.
15There is not a violin player who does not know how valuable a really good piece of rosin is to him, and how injurious a poor quality of rosin may be to the best instrument and the playing of the greatest virtuoso. Good colophony should be transparent, and the color of citron. When applied to the bow
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