A Guide To The Violin Family
Violin Family
The violin family is a collection of other bow-string instruments like a violin.
The violin family comprises the violin, the viola, the cello (violoncello), and the double bass.
Obviously, the string instruments that make up the violin family look alike.
So, we need to know the differences between them. Likewise, we need to know their capabilities and uniqueness.
The main focus of this article is the violin and members of its string family. Definitely, this article will look into all that and more.
Therefore, at the end, we will know the differences between each of the instruments in the violin family.
Thus, we will not be calling the cello a violin or the viola a cello.
Again, we will know what each of the instruments in the family can do. We will also understand the kind of music we can use them for.
Instrument In the Violin Family
The violin family consists of bow-string instruments. All the instruments in this family belong to the orchestral string section.
All members of this family are hollow wooden instruments with a set of strings. Also, they are generally played with a bow.
The instruments in the violin family are:
- Violin,
- Viola,
- Cello
- Double bass
All the instruments mentioned above belong to the violin family.
Among these instruments, the violin is the most commonly used. The double bass is not frequently used compared to other instruments in the family.
Besides the hollow wooden body and similar shape that are common to all of them, they are all fretless.
The violin family constitutes the majority of the orchestral instruments.
The instruments in the violin family use different music staffs for their musical notes. This is due to the different range of their sounds.
How The Violin Family Instruments Produce Sound
The sound production of the instruments in the violin family depends on these three components.
These components are the strings, the bridge, and the hollow wooden box.
The strings are the major source of the sound. The strings vibrate and produce sound when a violinist bows them with a bow.
A bow is a special stick that has been tensioned with horsetail hair. It is specifically designed to play the violin and other instruments in the family.
The players move the bow across the strings to set them into vibration. As a result of the vibration of the strings, the instruments of the violin family produce their sound.
The act of using a bow to play these string instruments in the violin family is called bowing.
Besides bowing the string to play these instruments, strumming and plucking are also used. The acts of bowing, strumming, and plucking set the strings of these instruments into vibration.
Specifically, these four instruments have a hollow wooden box. They used the hollow wooden box to resonate and amplify the sound coming from the vibrating string.
The bridge is an angle board attached to the hollow wooden box used to suspend the strings.
The strings rest on the bridge, and the bridge rests on the hollow wooden box.
The vibration from the strings is transmitted by the bridge to the hollow wooden box, where it resonates and is amplified.
Violin Family instruments
The violin family’s instruments are the violin, viola, cello, and double bass.
We are going to discuss each of these instruments in this section.
We are going to start with the most popular instrument in the family and end with the least popular.
Instrument In the Violin Family: The Violin
This is the most popular instrument in the violin family. This may be a major reason the name of this string instrument family is named after it.
The violin is an expressive and versatile string instrument. It is used in different genres of music around the world.
The violin is generally referred to as the “fiddle” in contemporary music circles. It is also known as the “star” of the orchestra in orchestral music.
The musicians that play the violin in classical music are widely known as violinists. In addition, violinists in contemporary music genres such as popular or folk are sometimes referred to as “fiddlers.”
Note that either “violinist” or “fiddler” is correct depending on the nature of the music and environment in which it is played.
Size of the Violin
The violin is the smallest and highest-pitched instrument in the traditional orchestral string family.
This smallest instrument in the violin family is around 14 inches long. But it also comes in different length fractions, like half and three-quarters.
Note that miniature violins are designed for kids. This is because of the smaller size of their hands and fingers. Obviously, they cannot reach all the positions on the standard-size violin.
The String of the Violin
The violin, like another instrument in the family, has four strings. These strings are tuned to G, D, A, and E. The tuning of the violin is always in perfect fifths.
They can play notes from G3 to A7. This makes the violin the highest-range instrument.
Instrument In the Violin Family: The Viola
The viola is a slightly bigger version of the violin. It looks exactly like the standard violin in design, but it is larger.
Also, it is played the same way as the regular violin but sounds different and is a fifth lower.
Because of the smaller body and smaller strings of the violin, the viola cannot match the violin’s acoustic responsiveness. As a result, the viola produces a unique timbre.
Violas create a warmer and deeper sound because of their body and strings. As a result, they are used in the orchestra for the middle tone known as an alto.
The musicians that play viola are generally referred to as “violists.” These musicians are sometimes called viola players as well.
Size of the Viola
The viola does not have a standardized dimension for its full size. You can see a different model in a different size in the market.
Typically, their sizes are 25 mm to 100 mm bigger than the standard full-sized violin.
The size of the viola has an effect on its fingerboard. Obviously, the finger positions on the viola are further apart on the fingerboard compared to the violin.
Strings of the Viola
The viola has four strings, like the violin and other members of the family. The viola strings are tuned to C, G, D, and A. Also, the tuning of the viola is always in perfect fifths, like a violin.
The viola can play more than a three-octave range of notes. The lower note is C3, and the highest note is A6.
This range is moderate compared to that of a violin.
Because of the viola’s smaller strings, they are less responsive compared to the strings of the violin.
The viola’s shorter and heavier strings cause the bowing techniques to differ from those of a violin. Typically, bowing on the viola requires greater intensity.
Instrument In the Violin Family: The Cello
This is basically the violoncello, but it is commonly abbreviated to cello. It is another instrument in the violin family.
The cello is also a hollow wooden box with four strings, but it is much larger than the violin and viola.
The cello has a lower pitch, and its notes are an octave lower than those of a viola.
This instrument, along with other members of the violin family, is used in orchestras.
It is also a popular instrument in string quartets, ensembles, and chamber music.
The cello is also played as a solo instrument. Cello players are generally called “cellists.”
Equally adept as a solo instrument or as a section member,
The cello is a versatile instrument that can be used to express different emotions. Of course, the cello can evoke emotions ranging from expressive to playful, nimble to authoritative, and dramatic.
Size of the Cello
The cello is approximately 4 feet long. It is far bigger and heavier than the violin and viola.
The size of the cello has an effect on how it is played. As a result, it is played by resting it on the floor with an endpin.
Most cello players prefer to sit down and play the instrument.
As a result, it is played by resting it on the floor with an endpin.
The body of the cello is normally placed between their knees. Then rest the neck of the instrument on their shoulder.
Strings of the Cello
The cello has four strings, like other instruments in the family. The string of a cello is much longer and thicker than the strings of the violin and viola.
The strings of the cello are tuned in perfect fifths. The cello strings are tuned to A, D, G, and C.
The A string on the cello is the highest-sounding string on the instrument. On the other hand, the C string is the lower-sounding string.
Instrument In the Violin Family: The Double Bass
The double bass is another instrument in the violin family. This particular string instrument is the largest of the violin family.
It has the lowest pitch of all the instruments in the violin family. This is because of its gigantic size and the very thick strings on the instrument.
The design of the double bass is somehow different from that of other members of the violin family.
The double bass design is considerably varied and comes in two basic styles.
Some double basses are designed with a shape that looks like a viola da gamba. Also, some are designed and shaped like a violin.
The double bass has different names depending on the genre in which it is used. In the classical music world, it is known as the double bass or contrabass.
It is called string bass, upright bass, or acoustic bass in wind ensembles, concert bands, and popular music genres, respectively.
There are other different names used for double bass in other genres of music.
Size of the Double Bass
The double bass is the biggest instrument in the violin family.
Double basses are designed and constructed in different sizes. The largest size of this bow string is around 6 feet. That is around 1.8 meters.
The body of the largest do is constructed in different sizes. The largest size of this bow string is around 6 feet. That is around 1.8 meters.
The three-quarter double bass is about 3.8 feet, which is around 1.2 meters. The three-quarter size is slightly bigger than a cello.
Strings of the double bass
The strings of the double bass are tuned in perfect fourths, and as such, shifting finger positions are often required.
The strings of this gigantic bow-string instrument are thick and heavy. These four heavy strings are tuned in perfect fourths. The pitches to which the double bass strings are tuned are E, A, D, and G.
Note that some double basses have additional fifth strings, which are used to play high notes.
Some double basses, however, used mechanical devices such as levers to extend the length of the fourth string.
Conclusion
The instruments in the violin family are basically four as we can see.
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