Band & Orchestra » Stringed Instruments » Violins

The violin is the smallest of the bowed string instruments, with a higher range than the rest of its family. It consists of 4 strings generally tuned in fifths, i.e. G - D - A - E. Find out everything you need to know about this beautiful musical instrument.

Violin sizes

Made with an assembly of wood, the violin is composed of 3 parts: a neck, a soundboard and strings. Its length can vary from 1/16 to 4/4.
The largest violin is generally 59 cm long (from the button to the end of the head). Its body measures between 35 and 36 cm. This length of violin is the 4/4, also called "full-size". It is perfectly adapted to adults. The other smaller lengths(1/4, 1/2, 3/4...) are adequate for children.

Accessories for violins

Whether it is to improve the quality of the sound or the comfort of playing, several accessories became essential to the violin:

• The bow: essential to be able to rub the strings of the violin and thus produce the sound. It consists of 2 parts, the stick (wood or carbon) held by the violinist and the wick that comes into contact with the strings.
• The chinrest: a piece that can be added or removed easily from the violin. It is placed on the instrument, to the left of the tailpiece and allows the chin to be placed on it, as its name indicates. The chinrest is mainly used to protect the wood and the varnish from the violinist's perspiration.
• The cushion: this part can also be freely added or removed from the instrument. It is placed under the violin, where the instrument comes into contact with the violinist's collarbone, providing better support.
• The mute: placed on the bridge, it will give it extra mass that will allow to attenuate the transmission of the strings' vibrations. In this way, it reduces the sound intensity of the violin and modifies its timbre. There are two types of mutes: orchestral mutes (to produce a softer and muffled tone) and home mutes (to reduce the sound intensity).

The electric violin

The electric violin (or electro-acoustic) is the modern version of the instrument, which appeared in the 1920s with the heyday of jazz. Its main difference with the classical violin is that its soundboard is solid (as for other electric string instruments) and often "design" and small, to avoid excessive weight.
The electro-acoustic violin may to be played acoustically or with an amplified sound. But he electric violin, needs an amp or headphones, if you want to play freely without disturbing your neighbours.