Results for tailpiece
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Dictionary:

tailpiece

  (tāl'pēs') pronunciation
n.
  1. A piece forming an end; an appendage.
  2. Printing. An engraving or a design placed as an ornament at the end of a chapter or at the bottom of a page.
  3. Architecture. A beam tailed into a wall. Also called tail beam.
  4. Music. A triangular piece of ebony to which the lower ends of the strings of a violin or other related instruments are attached.

 
 
Music Encyclopedia: Tailpiece

The piece of wood or metal to which the strings are attached at the lower end of a string instrument.


 
Architecture: tailpiece


1. A short beam, joist, or rafter, which is supported by a header joist at one end and a wall at the other; also called a tail beam or tail joist.
2. An extension to centering, where there is a projection from an impost; can be removed easily.
3. A lookout.
4. A pipe tee used with a sink drain.

tailpiece, 1

 
Wikipedia: tailpiece
This violin tailpiece has one fine tuner on the E string.
Enlarge
This violin tailpiece has one fine tuner on the E string.

The tailpiece, found on many musical instruments of the string instrument family, anchors the tail end of the strings, the end opposite the scroll or headstock.

Function and construction

Mandolin tailpiece, which simply anchors the strings solidly
Enlarge
Mandolin tailpiece, which simply anchors the strings solidly

The function of the tailpiece is to anchor the strings, so it must be strong enough to withstand their combined tension. Tailpieces of the violin family of instruments, as well as acoustic basses, are suspended with a "tailgut" looped around the end pin or end button. Originally made of animal gut and adjusted with difficulty by means of a knot, tailguts are now usually made of wire or nylon monofilament, and more easily adjusted with threaded collars, usually made of brass, on the ends.

The tailpiece itself may be made of wood, usually ebony, rosewood, boxwood, or rarely pernambuco. Other materials include cast light metal, and composites including plastic. Choice of material may have more than just cosmetic effect; a well-made instrument is sensitive to tailpiece weight, mass distribution, and tailgut placement on the saddle.

Tailpieces may be seen in various shapes, resembling a tulip, a goblet, or the Hill style, which has a central longitudinal ridge, giving it a faceted appearance. Decorative features such as shell inlays, as well as ornate stylized or figurative carvings, may occasionally be seen.

Devices called "fine-tuners" are sometimes used to assist in the tuning of the instrument; they may either be affixed to the tailpiece or built into its design. Most modern violinists, regardless of what other strings they use, play an E with a solid steel core, which may be overly touchy to tune with the traditional tuning pegs. For convenience in tuning, the added mass of a single fine tuner is a tolerable trade-off. Four fine tuners are advantageous when tuning a set of metal-core strings.

Setting up tailpieces

An instrument from the violin family which has been well set up will have a tuned afterlength; string length on the tailpiece side of the bridge will be 1/6 the playing length, or length between nut and bridge, sounding two octaves and a fifth above the open note of the playing length.


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
Translations: Translations for: Tailpiece

Dansk (Danish)
n. - bageste del, slutningsvignet, strengeholder

Nederlands (Dutch)
staartstuk, sluitstuk

Français (French)
n. - cul-de-lampe, (Mus) cordier, extrémité

Deutsch (German)
n. - Anhang, Schlußteil, Schlußvignette, (mus.) Saitenhalter

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (πρόσθετη) απόληξη, (μτφ.) υστερόγραφο, (τυπογρ.) βινιέτα

Italiano (Italian)
epilogo

Português (Portuguese)
n. - ponta (f), remate (m), vinheta (f) (Tipogr.)

Русский (Russian)
задний придаток/привесок, оконечность, граф, украшение в конце

Español (Spanish)
n. - apéndice, cordal, viñeta al final del capítulo

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - slutstycke, avslutning, slut

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
尾部附属物, 系弦板, 补白图案

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 尾部附屬物, 系弦板, 補白圖案

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 꼬리 조각, (후미의) 부속물

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 末尾の一部分, 尾部, 緒止め板

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) ذيل - ملحق - زائدة‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮קישוט בתחתית-עמוד, חלק אחרון, נספח, תוספת, עיטורת (עיטור בסוף פרק), גשר למיתרים בכלי-נגינה, מחבר - בליטה בקרש לחיבור לקרש אחר‬

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Music Encyclopedia. The Concise Grove Dictionary of Music. Copyright © 1994 by Oxford University Press, Inc.. All rights reserved.  Read more
Architecture. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Tailpiece".  Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more

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