Sheet music for a violin almost always uses a G clef (or treble clef). The lowest attainable note using normal tuning is the G just below middle C.
The violin has some similarities to the earlier viol family of instruments.
A person who plays violin is called a violinist.
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The style of bow used until around the end of the 18th century, particularly in Germany, had the wood curved outwards, which made it somewhat easier to play three notes at the same time. However, most treatises written around the time make it clear that composers did not expect three notes to be played at once, even though the notes may be written in a way as to suggest this, and playing four notes at once is almost impossible even with older bows. The normal way of playing three or four note chords is to briefly sound the lower notes and allow them to ring while the bow plays the upper notes. This gives the illusion of a true triple or quadruple stop.
A twentieth century invention by Emil Telmányi[?] called the Bach bow makes use of a system of levers to temporarily slacken the bow hair and allow sustained three or four note chords; this design has no historical precedent and is less authentic than an ordinary modern bow for playing baroque (or any other) music.
As well as the style of bow, the curvature of the bridge (over which the violin strings are stretched) is an important factor in the ease of multiple stopping. On most classical instruments, the bridge is curved enough to make it difficult to play three strings at once, but on some fiddles the bridge is shaved down until almost flat, making it far easier to triple stop, as well as to alternate double stopping on different pairs of strings (D-A to A-E for example).
Pressing the finger very lightly on the string can create harmonics. This means that instead of the normal solid tone a wispy-sounding note of a higher pitch is heard. This is caused by the light finger blocking the string's fundamental; the position of the finger determines the first note of that string's harmonic series which is allowed to sound.
The tone of the violin can also be altered by attaching a small device called a mute to the bridge of the instrument. This stops the bridge itself from vibrating so much, and causes a more mellow tone, with fewer audible harmonics above the note being played.
Another way to vary the tone of the instrument is to move the bow nearer to or further away from the bridge. Playing up close to the bridge (sul ponticello) gives a thinner, harsher sound than usual, and playing with the bow over the end of the fingerboard (sul tasto) makes for a delicate, ethereal sound.
Occasionally the strings are struck with the back of the bow (col legno). This gives a much more percussive sound, and is most effective when a whole violin section is playing that way, since it is difficult to get much volume with this technique.
Strings are usually replaced after about a year or when they break. The cost of strings can vary very widely, and the quality of strings can have a big impact on the timbre of the sound produced. Strings made of gut, which are often used in historically accurate performances of music from the 18th century and earlier, have a tendency to go out of tune and snap more easily than modern strings made from metal. Synthetic cored strings (wound with metal) are a convenient modern alternative, which combine some of the benefits of gut strings with greater longevity and tuning stability.
It is said that Paganini purposefully weakened some of his strings so that in performance they would snap. He would then play the rest of the piece on the remaining strings, sometimes going into remarkably high positions in order to impress the audience.
The hair of the bow is traditionally made out of horse-hair, although many cheaper instruments are made from synthetic material. It has to be frequently rubbed with rosin (yes, that is spelt right) so it can gain enough grip on the metal strings of the violin. In the course of playing the violin, hairs are often lost from the bow, making it necessary to have it rehaired periodically.
Violins typically make up the bulk of an orchestra, and are usually divided into two sections, known as the first and second violins.
Other members of the violin family are the viola, cello and double bass.
Note: AKA fiddle
History
"Virtuosi"
wikipedia.org dumped 2003-03-17 with terodump