A part of a stringed instrument such as guitar, bass, etc. found at the opposite end of the guitar from the nut, down on the body. One of the functions of the bridge, in addition to simply holding the strings in place, is to transmit their vibrations to the top of the instrument, or more accurately, to the instrument’s soundboard. Bridges come in many different shapes and sizes and may be made from a variety of materials depending upon the instrument in question, and often come in significantly different shapes and sizes within one type of instrument, such as guitar. Most bridges employ some type of “saddle,” which is the point where the vibrating part of the strings terminate. Sometimes the position and height of these saddles are individually adjustable for each string, which can be of great help for adjusting things such as the instrument’s intonation. Bridges may or may not include an actual termination point for the string, again depending upon the specific design in question.
Bridge is also known musically as a transitional passage connecting two sections of a composition. Some would define it as a second melody in a song that separates the main melody from its repetition.