- When a violin is in tune, the tension of the strings creates a large amount of pressure across the bridge on the top of the instrument, causing the bridge to push down against the violin's face. The sound post is under the bridge to keep it from pushing through the wood. You should check your sound post regularly to make sure it's under the bridge and standing up straight. Because it's friction holding the sound post in place and not glue, it's fairly easy to knock it out of place just by bumping or jarring the violin when it's in its case. If you see that your sound post is crooked or has fallen out of place, take your violin to the repair shop right away. A crooked sound post can cause your violin to crack, and without the sound post, the face of your violin can cave in when you tighten the strings to tune them. Playing your violin without the sound post not only causes a poor, dampened sound, it can permanently damage your instrument.
- When your draw your bow across the strings or pluck them, you cause the strings to vibrate. The thin wood of the bridge carries these vibrations over the body of the instrument. The vibrations are what create the sound, which travels inside the violin and is amplified when it comes out through the F-holes. The face of a violin is relatively thin and flexible, while the back is stiffer. Because the sound post is a connection between the top and bottom plates of the violin, these vibrations travel more easily through the instrument, making it resonate more richly. If your violin sounds flat or tinny, or if it seems to have too much bass, it could be that you need to have your sound post adjusted. Minuscule adjustments have a tremendous effect on your violin's sound.
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