Knowing The Violin

Knowing The Violin. Music is one way of expressing one’s feeling and it is an artistic way to convey the feelings of others. There are many ways in which music is produced. There are also many instruments that are involved in music production. One instrument for music production is the violin.

There are many classifications of instruments namely: the bass, horn and the string instruments. The violin belongs to the string family. It is the soprano member of this family. The different parts of the violin include viola, violoncello and the double bass.  It has four strings with fifth intervals in between the strings. Its four strings are tuned as G3, D4, A4 and E5. A violin is also consisting of a fingerboard and a shallow body. Kit is played with a bow and flexible in terms of range, tone and dynamics.

Violin is thought to stem from the Latin word, Vitula.  Vitulare means meant to sing or rejoice. Vitula originally means string or lute and eventually evolved into fidula and fithela. Vitula also evolved into the French word vielle and became vyelle. Vyelle then evolved to become viol and then violone.

The violin is played by resting it under the chin and the left shoulder. The left hand controls the vibrato and pitch and produce sounds that are artificial and natural harmonics.  The right hand bounces or strikes the bow to shape the movement required for the effect. These effects include bow tremolo, loure’, martele’,portato, spicatto and staccato.

One important factor to ensure great music through violin is the bow direction. The upstroke is used to create a crescendo and the downstroke creates a decrescendo. The upstroke is done by drawing the bow across the strings at the bow point’s beginning. The downstroke requires drawing of the bow across the strings at the bow points endings.

It is believed that violin originated in Central Asia.  A person who repairs violin is called a violin maker or a luthier.  It is usually made up of wood and is strung with nylon or steel strings. The violin is used in orchestras. It also functions as a solo instrument. The violin is used in jazz, blues, Hungarian gypsy music among others. A person who plays the violin is often referred to as a violinist or simply a fiddler. A violinist produces sound by plucking the strings or using the bow. Famous violinists include Midori, Fritz Keisler, Anne Mutter, Niccolo Paganini and Isaac Stern.

There are many ways in determining the manufacture date and maker of the violin. One way of doing this is called violin authentication. This process aims to determine the manufacturer of the violin and the value of the violins. This process is also done to separate original works from forged works.

Violins have been widely used by many artists in their recitals and in producing music. However, many people do not really appreciate violinists and refer to their music as boring. Violins have been stereotyped as instruments which produce sounds with slow tempo. What people don’t know is that violins can also be used in producing fast tempo music.

The values of violins in the music industry have long been taken for granted by people who claim that they are music lovers. Violins are essential instruments in the production of harmony among the orchestra instruments.
By Fikri