 
The violin is a wooden stringed instrument with a hollow wooden body. It is one of the smallest and highest-pitched members of the violin 'family' of instruments that includes the viola, the cello, and the double bass, among others. The violin typically has four strings, usually tuned in perfect fifths with notes G, D, A, E, and is usually played by drawing a bow across its strings. It can also be played by plucking the strings with the fingers and, in special cases, by striking the strings with the wooden side of the bow. Violin bows usually contain 150 to 200 hairs, which can be made from a variety of materials including nylon and horse hair. Violin strings were first made of sheep gut (commonly known as catgut), which was stretched, dried, and twisted. 
Violins are complex instruments. Over seventy different pieces of spruce or maple wood are glued together to make a modern violin. The most expensive violin in the world was made by Giuseppe Guarneri in 1741. This incredible violin has a value of $18 million. The violin does not have frets like a guitar; the correct note is produced if the instrument is properly tuned and the string is pressed in the right position. Being able to press the string down in the right position all the time requires lots of practice! Violins are important instruments in many settings; they are used in chamber music, orchestras and as solo instruments. Sometimes called 'fiddles', they also feature in many musical genres, such as folk music, country music, bluegrass and jazz. Electric violins also exist, with solid bodies and electronic pickups, and are used in some forms of music. Violinists particularly prize the historical instruments made by the Stradivari, Guarneri, Guadagnini and Amati families from the 16th to 18th centuries in Italy. The modern violin has been around for roughly 500 years. Violins come in many sizes. Typically, students will start learning violin at a young age with a 1/16 or 1/8 size violin. As the student ages they will graduate up to a full-sized violin. |