Violin

Violin

Belonging to the violin family of instruments which are all string instruments that were developed in Italy during the 16th Century. The violin is the smallest in this family of four instruments and usually has a hollow wooden body. The strings can be made from animal gut, Perlon or other synthetic materials and steel. The choice of strings depends on the kind of sound one prefers, different materials resonate in different ways thus creating a variation in the mood of the sound.

Typically a violin has four strings that are tuned in perfect fifths with the notes G3, D4, A4 and E. It is played by drawing the bow across the strings but can also be played by plucking the strings or striking them with the wooden side of the bow. The violin is a diverse instrument that is heard in many genres of music, although it is most commonly associated with the Western classical tradition.

The violin is a difficult instrument to play and takes much practice to develop a finesse for.

In modern times one can find electric violins as well, if it is a semi-acoustic it will retain the hollow body as that is needed when one isn't connected via a cable. The purely electric violin may be very bare as the need for a resonation space is not the same.

Some history of the violin

The first instruments that were strung and played with a bow may have originated with the nomadic Mongolians, known as Morrin Khuur. These made it east and west on the trading routes in Eurasia and other versions of the original started being made. This later led to the violin we know today to come about in Italy. 

It was a hit with commoners and nobility, both. King Charles IX of France tasked Andrea Amati to construct 24 violins for him in the year 1560, one of those is the oldest surviving violin. Though, violins made by Antonio Stradivari are some of the most expensive ever and considered some of the best sounding and are still in use today by many a virtuoso.

Comments

There are so many brands that produce violins today that the price can be anything from the lower end to being worth more than a car or house. The cheaper versions are priced nominally as they are produced in large quantities and these versions generally do not have any proper brand. The better ones today are from Yamaha, D Z Strad, Stentor, Franz Hoffmann, Fiddlerman and Carlo Lamberti; these are more quite a bit more expensive than the mass-produced violins.