UMP Orchestra Group

rowanlim · Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 6:13 am Post subject: The Violin

What is a violin?

A violin is the smallest & highest-tuned member of the string family, comprising 4 strings tuned a fifth apart. The lowest string is G, followed by D, A & E. Many sheet music for violin uses the G clef/treble clef.

Parts of a violin

The violin is a carefully-made hollow wooden box, with:
1. a neck protuding from the top
2. an internal sound post connecting the front (belly) & the back

The sides of the violin are called ribs. The belly is reinforced by an internal bass bar, which runs vertically through the instrument underneath the lowest string.

The 4 violin strings run from a tailpiece (attached to the base of the violin) across the bridge (an intricately carved wooden piece), then upward just above the fingerboard. At the top end of the fingerboard, the strings cross the nut (a very small 2nd bridge mounted just slightly aboce the fingerboard), then they enter the pegbox, where they are wound around their tuning pegs (which are mounted sideways through tight-fitting holes in the pegbox). The tip of the pegbox is ornamented with a carved wooden scroll.

What is the purpose of the bridge?

There are 2 purposes:
1. It holds the strings in an arched configuration, allowing each string to be touched SEPARATELY by the bow.
2. It transmits the sound vibrations of the strings to the belly, from which they are transmitted to the back by the sound post.

Material of the violin

Generally the belly, the sound post, and the bass bar are made of spruce, a light but strong softwood. The back, ribs, neck, pegbox, scroll, and bridge are of maple, a hardwood. The choice of woods is basically the same as in the piano, where a hardwood bridge is attached to a spruce soundboard, mounted on a hardwood frame.

The fingerboard of a violin is of ebony. Some old violins have ivory fingerboards.
Strings were originally made of gut. Such strings are still often used in historically accurate performances of music from the 18th century and earlier. However, they have a tendency to go out of tune and snap more easily than modern strings, which are made from metal. Modern A, D and G strings are usually metal-cored and wound with metal for greater mass in order to vibrate at a lower pitch, with the E (top) string being a metal mono-filament of steel. Synthetic cored strings (wound with metal) are also employed today; they combine some of the benefits of gut strings with greater longevity and tuning stability.

The hair of the bow is traditionally horse hair, although many cheaper bows use synthetic material. The hair must be frequently rubbed with rosin in order to grip the strings and cause them to vibrate.

Well that's all about the violin today! Feel free to comment or add to this thread!

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~music pours on mortals her magnificent disdain~