Scale length (string instruments)

The scale length of a <a href="/facts/String_instrument/srW2H8dV">string instrument</a> is the maximum vibrating <a href="/facts/Length/EwFyAqGH">length</a> of the <a href="/facts/Strings_(music)/ITsEwger">strings</a> that produce <a href="/facts/Sound/DlKXlPuF">sound</a>, and determines the range of tones that string can produce at a given tension. It is also called string length. On instruments in which strings are not "stopped" (typically by <a href="/facts/Frets/5vzMbyET">frets</a> or the player's fingers) or divided in length (such as in the <a href="/facts/Piano/lRI60lQK">piano</a>), it is the actual length of string between the <a href="/facts/Nut_(instrumental)/mS4c3HGw">nut</a> and the <a href="/facts/Bridge_(instrument)/SIA0HALw">bridge</a>.
String instruments produce sound through the vibration of their strings. The range of tones these strings can produce is determined by three primary factors: the <a href="/facts/Linear_density/b2RK3foN">linear density</a> of the string, that is its mass per unit length (which is determined by its thickness and the density of the material), the tension placed upon it, and the instrument's scale length.
Generally, a string instrument has all strings approximately the same length, so the scale length can be expressed as a single measurement, e.g., the <a href="/facts/Violin/0m2eLF3B">violin</a> and most <a href="/facts/Guitar/QIJdTYa6">guitars</a>.

Scale length (string instruments) open-in-new

Scale length (string instruments)