Violins

Violins are bowed instruments categorized under the string family that also includes cellos, violas and double basses. They have four strings whose pitches are usually tuned as perfect fifths. violins are the smallest among instruments in the string family and produce the highest pitch among members of the violin family. The term violin is derived from a Latin expression, vitula that means a “stringed instrument”. The term violin also has Germanic origin, meaning fiddle. The Germanic translation implies the origin of using a bow to play the violin, in much the same way as a common fiddle is played. Common violins are made from an assortment of pieces of wood but the contemporary ones, which are electric, are constructed from materials other than wood. Electric ones are designed to have particular acoustic characteristics, which depend on the instrument’s body structure. Moreover, unlike the traditional violins, which are played by bowing, the electric ones are played by stringing using objects made from animal gut, animal hair, steel, nylon or a mixture of nylon and steel.

The structure of violins typically consists of a spruce, a bridge and neck. The spruce or soundboard is the topmost part and has a table, top plate and belly. Other features of the violin include a back and marble ribs, two end blocks, a sound post, the four strings, and a multiplicity of other minor features. Optionally, there may be a chinrest attached over the tailpiece or on the left side. One distinctive feature of the violin structure is the hourglass shape of the body and the arch that is characteristic of its back and top. The hourglass structure consists of two bouts at the top and bottom, and two concave or C-shaped bouts in the “waist” region. The C-shaped bout provides an allowance for movement of the bow during performance. The sound produced by violins is a factor of their shapes including the kind of wood they are constructed from, thickness of the profile or level of graduation at the back and top, and the kind of varnish used for coating the outer surface. Since the wood and improve rather than deteriorate with age, older violins are considered to be highly valuable.

Tuning of violins is done using pegs that are kept in peg boxes located under the instruments’ scroll. Alternatively, violinists can tune the instruments by changing the settings of the fine tuning screws located on the tailpiece. Although each violin usually has tuning pegs, the availability of fine tuning screws is optional, thus not all instruments have them. The tuning process involves adjusting the A-note string to the standard pitch or 440 hertz using an appropriate tuning device. The other three strings are then adjusted at periods or notes called perfect fifths by bowing two at a time to make comparison. Whereas most violins are structured with four strings, some are designed with five strings; others even have six or seven strings. The extra strings are designed to produce pitches lower than the G-string. Violins that have more than four strings are used in folk and jazz concerts.