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| VIOLIN |
The violin is the smallest member of the string family. Because its strings
are the shortest, it produces the highest sound. There are more violins in
the orchestra than any other single instrument. The violins play in two
different groups, with the first violins playing the highest-pitched part
and the second violins playing the second-highest.
The violin is played by resting the instrument on one shoulder, holding it
in place using the chin and left hand. The bow is held in the right hand,
and drawn across the strings. The pitch is changed in two ways: by drawing
the bow across different strings, and by pressing on the strings with the
fingers of the left hand.
The shape of the violin has stayed pretty much the same ever since the 1500's.
The modern violin has four strings, but the earliest ones had only three.
The violin is very popular, probably because it can do so many things. A
violinist can play slow, sad, smooth melodies and dazzling, fast scales. The
violin has a very large range. Its tone is sweet and clear, and it sounds
good in solos because it can be heard easily above a big orchestra.
You can see the major parts of the violin on this picture.
Violins come in different sizes: full-size, which most adults play, and
half-size and quarter-size for smaller players to begin on. Sometimes they're
even smaller, and even kids who are as young as three years old can find a
violin that's just the right size to get their arms around!
The body of the violin is made of wood, and is hollow so it can vibrate to
create sound. The shape of the body gives the violin its distinctive tone.
The body of a full-size violin is usually about 14 inches long.
The neck extends out one end of the body. On the neck is the fingerboard.
The violinist presses the strings against the fingerboard to change their
pitch. The four strings stretch across the body and fingerboard of the violin.
They are made of steel, nylon, or gut, and each is tuned to a different pitch.
The violin has four tuning pegs - one for each string. The upper ends of the
strings are wound around these wooden pegs. They can be turned to tighten or
loosen the strings, changing the pitch. To get the most accurate pitch possible
for each string, four fine tuners are sometimes used in addition to the tuning
pegs. Fine tuners are small screws that sit at the upper end of the tail piece.
The bridge supports the strings and transmits their vibrations to the body
of the violin. It is made of wood, and is curved so that you can bow each
string separately.
The soundholes are called f-holes because of their shape. They help the body
of the violin to vibrate, and help the vibrating air to escape from inside
the instrument. This makes the violin sound louder.
The chin rest is a curved cup that makes it more comfortable to hold the
instrument under the chin.
Violinists use some very fancy tricks to produce a wide variety of sounds.
For instance, they might pluck the strings instead of bowing them. This is
called pizzicato. Or they might play double stops, which means playing chords
by bowing two strings at the same time.
The violin is important in the orchestra, but it's used in many other kinds
of music, too. Sometimes composers write music for violin and piano, or for
other small groups that include the violin. One important kind of music
involving violins is the string quartet. A string quartet includes two
violins, a viola, and a cello. Violins are also used in jazz and folk music,
where they are sometimes called "fiddles."
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