

The length of a violin is approximately 14 inches, though variants, which are only a fraction of that length can be found such as ½, ¾ and 7/8 . The violin is considered to be the baby of the Stringed family because of its size and higher articulation. The violin is set to be an offshoot of the medieval instrument fiddle and evolved continuously to the Renaissance era. The violin is also known for its byname, “ fiddle“. Along with its position in an orchestra and its role in it, the violin leads the symphony and has the greatest number of notes played per year. The most commonly used instrument in the string family, the violin is known as the soprano or the “star” of the orchestra. So, a musician with the act of plucking, strumming, stretching, or with the use of another instrument like a hammer or bow, or even a combination of two actions, will be able to produce a sound or a harmonic sequence. These minute actions in an enclosed or hollow structure of the instrument amplify the sounds to make it more audible to the audience and musicians. The action of creating sound using stringed instruments is that the vibrations created by strumming, plucking or bowing travel from the strings to the bridge of the instrument and transmitted to the body of the instrument, which is the soundbox, and within it, air particles vibrate. Another factor is the strings, which are arranged by the thickness, length, and tightness-these three things manipulate the pitch of the sound.

String instruments depend heavily on its shape, type of wood, the thickness of the wood at the top and bottom of the instrument, and also the varnish that its coated with. Although this is a simple explanation, it is much complex than that. These four instruments are made by putting pieces of wood together to form a hollow box wherein sound would resonate and amplify in. Violin is the most commonly used among string instruments, next is the viola, cello, and the double (string) bass. Usually, we only often see five types of stringed instrument which take part in orchestras but with the advancement of contemporary music and popularity of world music genres, have changed the Orchestral 5. In many other cultures, chordophones come in shapes and forms like the sitar in India, rebab in Muslim countries, banjo with African origins, mandolin from Italy, ukulele in Hawaii, and bouzouki in Greece. Stringed instruments that are mainly plucked is the harp and electric bass. A “ plectrum“, also called a “ pick“, is a small flat tool usually made of plastic, that is used to pluck or strum stringed instruments like the guitar or mandolin. There is a wide variety of techniques like in electric guitars or electric violins, where a “ plectrum” is used for strumming, or even a tapping movement on the instrument’s fingerboard to create vibrations is amplified electronically to produce a sustained sound. This technique of plucking is called pizzicato. Though, these instruments are not strictly for bowing movements only but can also be plucked with fingers. String instruments are classified into subcategories: there are bowed instruments like the violin, viola, cello, and double bass, also viols, gambas, and fiddles, which was used during the Baroque period and in many types of folk music. Related Posts: What is the Stringed Instrument?
