Tuning mechanisms for stringed instruments
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A variety of methods are used to
A tuning peg in a
Turning the peg or pin tightens or loosens the string. Some tuning pegs and pins are tapered, some threaded. Some tuning pegs are ornamented with shell, metal, or plastic inlays, beads (pips) or rings.
Other tuning systems include screw-and-lever tuners, geared tuners, and the konso friction tuning system (using braided leather rings).
Pegbox or headstock
A pegbox is the part of certain
Tapered pegs and pins
A tapered peg is simply a smooth peg with a string wound around it. The tension of the string is controlled by turning the peg, and the peg is held in place by friction in its hole (in contrast to tuning machines, below).
A properly working peg will turn easily and hold reliably, that is, it will neither stick nor slip. Modern pegs for violin and viola have conical shafts, turned to a 1:30 taper, changing in diameter by 1 mm over a distance of 30 mm. Modern cello pegs have a slightly more aggressive 1:25 taper. 19th century and earlier pegs, for use with stretchier gut strings, typically had an even steeper taper of 1:20.
The taper allows the peg to turn more easily when pulled out slightly, and to hold firmly when pushed in while being turned. Since the typical wear pattern on a peg shaft interferes with this action, pegs occasionally require refitting, a specialized job which amounts to reshaping both pegs and holes to a smooth circular conical taper.
Tapered tuning pins are similar, but must be turned with a tuning tool, usually called a
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A modern violin tuning peg, not yet shaved to fit an instrument. Note smooth taper and finger grip.
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The single tuning peg of a tromba marina, turned by hand
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Ornate jade tuning pins on a guqin
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Gilded bronze , 201 BC to 221 AD.
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A medieval tuning key with a square socket, for turning tuning pins. Excavated in Nottinghamshire, Great Britain.
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Brass tuning pins on a replica of the late medieval Queen Mary Harp.
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pegbox and pegs of an oud.
Use
Tapered pegs are a simple, ancient design, common in many musical traditions.
Tapered pegs are common on classical Indian instruments such as the sitar, the Saraswati veena, and the sarod, but some like the esraj and Mohan veena often use modern tuning machines instead. Tapered pegs are also used on older European instruments, such as the Bulgarian gadulka and the hurdy-gurdy, as well as on flamenco guitars.
Among modern Western musical instruments, tapered pegs are most often used on violin family instruments, though usually the double bass uses tuning machines.
Peg dope
"Peg dope" (also peg paste, peg stick, peg compound) is a substance used to coat the bearing surfaces[1] of the tapered tuning pegs of string instruments (mainly violins, violas, cellos, viols and lutes ). Manufactured varieties are generally sold in either a small stick (resembling lipstick), a block, or as a liquid in a bottle. Commonly used home expedient treatments may include soap, graphite, or talc.
Peg dope serves two different (and almost conflicting) purposes. It both lubricates the peg shaft so it turns easily in the
Without the proper amount of friction to hold the peg in place, a tapered tuning peg will tend to "slip", making a tuning setting virtually impossible to maintain. String instruments with pegs that are slipping can be tuned briefly, but will be out of tune within minutes as soon as the peg slips again. With too much friction, adjusting the tuning at all is impossible. If the pegs or their holes are not perfectly round, or if the bearing surfaces of the pegs are indented from wear, peg dope will not remedy the resulting problems.
Threaded pegs and pins
Some pegs and pins are threaded with a shallow, fine thread. They are not tapered, but straight, and they go into straight-sided holes.
Like tapered pins, threaded pins must be set in a pin block of fairly hard wood, such as
Threaded tuners are durable, will take very high string tensions. They do not push outwards on the hole and wedge the wood apart, which can reduce the risk of splitting it. They can be set in
Use
Tuning pins may be known as wrest pins or zither pins, regardless of the instrument on which they are used. They are used on instruments with many close strings, as they are more compact and cheaper. Modern pianos use threaded pins, as do many
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The threaded tuning pins on atuning lever.
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A one-cord-per-note piano being tuned with atuning lever.
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Tuning pins and tuning lever on a yatga.
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Harps also carry pins rather than pegs.
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Tuning pins usually have square ends, allowing them to be turned with a square socket.
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A modern T-shaped tuning wrench.
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A tuning lever of another shape, like that used on the piano in the earlier image.
Screw-and-lever tuners
Fine tuners are used on the tailpiece of some stringed instruments, as a supplement to the tapered pegs at the other end. Tapered pegs are harder to use to make small adjustments to pitch.
Fine tuners are not geared. They have a screw with a
Fine tuners can buzz, and may cut strings if not filed smooth before use. They add weight and, when not built into the tailpiece, reduce string afterlength.[9] Fine tuners are common on cellos, but some violinists regard them as an aid for beginners who have not yet learned to tune precisely using pegs alone.[11]
Geared tuners
Pegs for
Geared pegs for violin family instruments also exist, although they have not gained wide use, which has to do with the extensive and irreversible physical modification that must be made to the peg box in order to mount them, which is often viewed as ruining the aesthetics of the instrument, combined with a bad reputation they acquired due to poorly designed early models that were prone to failure, often with catastrophically damaging results.
The most recently marketed pegs of this sort use
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An open machine head, detached from the instrument
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A closed machine head, detached from the instrument
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Tuning a guitar with closed machine heads
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Mounted open machine heads. Note slot in background where the strings are wound around the pin of the tuner.
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Close-up of the gearing of a mounted open machine head
Konso
The konso system is traditionally used on koras. It consists of braided leather rings that wrap around the neck of the instrument. The rings are pulled along the neck of the instrument to change string tension. It can be quick to adjust but requires a fair degree of strength.[14]
See also
References
- ^ Paul Hostetter. "String Instrument Care". Retrieved 8 September 2010.
Pegs are tapered, and must contact the insides of the holes on both sides of the pegbox. The fit is very important, of course, as is the nature of the contacting surfaces there. Raw wood on raw wood never works well, so a preparation is usually applied to facilitate a smooth turning of the peg.
- ^ "Chapter 8. Fabricating the Neck and Pillar" (Book chapter). sligoharps.com. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "Restricted and Endangered Wood Species | The Wood Database".
- ^ "Chapter 2. Creating, Buying, Borrowing or Stealing a Design" (Book Chapter). sligoharps.com. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "FolcHarp - Zither pins". Archived from the original on 2008-07-24.
- ^ "Threaded Harp Tuning Pins | Dusty Strings".
- ^ Replacing harp strings [dead link]
- ^ "How to Install and Use Violin Fine Tuners".
- ^ a b "How to Select the Right Fine Tuners | Strings Magazine". February 2009.
- ^ "dummies - Learning Made Easy".
- ^ "The Violin Shop: Fine Tuners".
- ^ "Information – Perfection pegs". perfectionpegs.twofold.com.au. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- ^ "Banjo Tuning Pegs Planetary vs Geared". Folkmusician. 30 March 2018.
- ^ "Make an easier-to-tune replacement neck for a leather-ring (Konso) African Kora neck".