I'm not sure what you mean but it looks like they are built a lot differently then a violin. This link doesn't have anything on the bridge but I found it interesting.

http://www.cincinnatiearlymusi.....iddle.html

A lot of the links for craftsman that make them show more normal looking violin bridges, although the bridge shape is much different then the standard violin bridge. The U shaped bridge on the guys vielle in the video is probably unique to the luthier is my guess since there really isn't a standard make for a vielle?

If I get good enough and happen to have $1000.00 dollars or so laying around one day, maybe I will buy one and try it out 

Yes it's actually more related to the Viola then the violin I later learned in some research.

I can't find the tuning of the one in the video anymore for some reason but this page has a lot of information on them. Check out the beautiful Lira da Braccio by Francesco Linarol on the page….. I would love to hear that instrument being played.

http://www.trombamarina.com/in.....nts/vielle

The song he is playing in the video is Branle des Chevaux.

I will have to look this song up, every time I listen to it I need to tap my feet! I looked up the song and I guess it is popular for Renaissance faires.

Here is another video I finally found. If anyone is interested.

Something I read, that I can't find now, says there was not many musical pieces for the vielle. Other things I read say that the instrument was everywhere and was a common. (I tend to gravitate to foot stomping pieces like the first video, but the song she is playing in this video sounds nice.)

Sorry to disappoint you Oliver but I haven't been very lucky finding out much information on these. I think the rebec was the first violin? I know the cello has some beautiful ancestors too but I lost the site. (I usually have about 40 tabs up on my computer at all times LOL. If I forget to bookmark or the computer crashes I loose things.)

If I can wrap my head around the violin I would love to buy one of these someday.

Late bloomer said:

I like that bow!  Looks like you could play a tune, and then go shoot supper with it.

LOL!

The hand tied horse hair on a stick is a wee bit more primitive then modern bows! I can see that though!  Imagine the tiny little arrows. I would probably opt for a nice baroque bow in the first video just because there are beautiful ones available, unless you are a period performer like the girl. 

Thank you for the links Kevin. You can get an instrument built already for the price of the kit, just about. (That would kind of defeat the purpose of building one yourself though!)  I think I did find plans on the Lira da Braccio by Francesco Linarol - http://orgs.usd.edu/nmm/GiftSh.....ml#drawing

It sounds like you wouldn't get to see how the peg box on that one was made though. It's probably the most beautiful one. The two strings off to the side were plucked with your thumb.

I like how the one site about building them rationalized the addition of a soundpost.

Quote: "I have since added a soundpost to this vielle. The main reason was to prevent the top from caving in. It seems to me that medieval and Renaissance craftsmen would have solved this problem in the simplest and most direct manner--if the soundboard started collapsing you just jam a short stick underneath. The effect of such an addition is dramatic--a big increase in volume. Maybe this is how the violin soundpost was originally invented!"

I'm not sure if you saw me drooling over the Song Vielle in BCShalom's introduction post:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Copy-o.....27bfe827f7

This thing is more like an old Viola, to me, the Viols remind me more of multi-sized cellos.

I don't think the Viols have the drone string either but I'm not sure of that. I found a video at some point of someone that did a demo of a bunch of different viols and they are all played on the floor or on your lap.