A wedge, a tuning hammer, a piece of ivory, and a tuning-fork are necessary. About 7s. 6d. should be paid for the hammer, for unless the temper is good the continual strain will soon cause it to wobble on the pins. Care should also be taken to ensure its adaptability for the instrument in hand; thus, some instruments are fitted with square heads, others with oblong ones to the tuning-pegs. The wedge is used to stop the vibration of one string of a note whilst the other is tuned. Wedges are usually made of lancewood, rosewood, or whalebone about 8in. long, 3/8 in. wide, and 3/16 in . thick, each end being covered with varying thicknesses of doeskin; they cost about Is. each. The piece of ivory is generally a portion of an old key covering, and is used for the purpose of plucking the wires in the first stage. A C tuning-fork costs about Is. 3d. Tuning-forks should never be struck on any hard substance; such practices have a tendency to flatten them. Tuning may he said to embrace four stages - chipping up, rough tuning, tuning, and line tuning; space will not permit of each stage being fully dealt with. Briefly, after the instrument leaves the stringer's hands it is chipped up - that is, the action is left out, the wires being merely plucked with the piece of ivory referred to above.

When all the wires have been somewhat pulled into tune the action is put in and the tuning is followed through various stages by means of the hammer and wedge. As the tuning-pegs are merely held in position by being turned into a wood plank, care should be taken to prevent any unnecessary wriggling about; especially avoid straining the pegs upwards .or downwards, instead of turning them. It requires a firm grip and strong wrist.