Parts of a violin

Body

The largest part of the violin is its body. It is cut from many types of wood of varying quality. The widest part is the bottom, with both sides bent inwards towards the middle and flaring back and finally together halfway up the finger plate. Two holes are cut out of the violin’s body to facilitate sound resonance

Strings

The violin has four strings that vary in pitch from high to low: the E-string (highest), A string (high), the D-string (lower) and the G-string (lowest). The strings in a student violet are usually made of thin, tightly wound metal threads, while the professional ones are made of catgut. Violin strings must be replaced when worn and / or broken.

Bow

The violin frame consists of several parts. The heaviest part (the frog) lies on the lower left side of the frame and is weighed for balance. The hoop itself is a long, narrow strip of wood (the rod) that attaches to the top of the frog and extends horizontally to meet the hair of the hoop. Depending on the quality of the frame, the hair is made of either plastic or horsehair.

Fingerboard

The fingerboard is a darker, heavier piece of wood that runs parallel to the violin and extends several centimeters from the top. It is securely attached to the top of the violin body, with about 1 inch distance between it and the body. The strings of the violin are pressed against the fingerboard to produce ever higher heights depending on how high or low on the fingerboard the strings are pressed.

Scroll and sticks

The scroll consists of the upper part of a violin. Its purpose is mostly decorative. The utilitarian parts of the scroll are the sticks, which are used to set the violin itself. Two pins are located on each side of the scroll (one for each string) and can be wound or unwound to achieve the correct pitch of the string. The reel is attached to the violin’s main body with its wooden neck.

Bridge

The violin bridge is located between and in the middle of the two sound holes. It is carved from robust but light pieces of wood; The upper edge of the bridge is curved, with four small grooves to rest each string. The bottom of the bridge is formed tightly against the body, which increases the tension of each string. The strings are picked or bent to produce sound.

Fine tuners

The fine tuners are located at the bottom of the strings, under the bridge. Made of metal, they are screwed clockwise or counterclockwise to increase the tension in the string, subtly changing its pitch. The violin is the smallest member of the string family. It can also be described as a ‘soprano’ voice in a string ensemble, whether it is a small chamber ensemble or a complete symphony orchestra. The violin is a beautiful, well-shaped instrument that consists of the instrument itself and the accompanying bow that is necessary to play it.