About String Family Instruments

Musical instruments in the string family range from small (the violin) to large (the double bass) and produce sound their strings are made to vibrate. This vibration is acoustically amplified by the instrument's hollow body (a resonating chamber), soundboard and bridge. The pitch and type of sound produced depends on the length and tension of the strings, the instrument's body and its soundboard

Sound

Stringed musical instruments, such as the guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin and harp, produce sound when you pluck their strings with your fingernails, fingers or a plectrum (or pick), a small, thin tool of metal, plastic, ivory. The violin, viola, cello and double bass produce sound when a bow is drawn across their strings, but they can also be plucked with fingers. You can amplify acoustic string instruments and produce a louder electric sound with magnetic pickups.
Features

Acoustic string instruments such as the guitar, violin, viola and cello usually share similar features: a curvy, hollow body of wood (where sound can vibrate from within), f-shaped holes in the body and strings made of nylon, steel or gut. Held along the instrument's neck, the strings are attached to small heads and wound around tuning pegs in the instrument's headstock. The strings also rest on a bridge at the tail of the instrument. One other feature that violins, violas and cellos often share is a bow: a long shaft of wood that has horsehair tied from one end to the other.

Types

The cello, roughly 50 inches long, is held between the musician's legs, who plays it as she sits. The double bass, the largest of an orchestra's family of string instruments, can be played with a bow or plucked with your fingers (as in jazz combos). Its strings are tuned to G-D-A-E. The guitar---the most commonly played string instruments in rock/pop, blues and country music bands---is usually tuned to E-A-D-G-B-E. Similarly, the four-string bass guitar is tuned to E-A-D-G, but an octave lower than a standard guitar.

Storage

To prevent cracking, warping or separation of glue, store string family instruments in an environment of consistent temperature and humidity. When the bow is not in use, prevent unnecessary strain on the bow's wood by loosening its hair. It's also a good idea to de-tune strings when storing a string family instrument. This will prevent the instrument's neck from warping.

Geography

While string family instruments are widely used in westernized classical music (for example, string quartets, which use two violins, a viola and a cello), they are also played in non-western cultures. Take, for instance, India's banam, chikara and the multi-stringed sitar, which the Beatles introduced to pop music listeners in 1965 with their song "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)." Regions of Africa also have string family instruments unique to their own culture: West and Central Africa's ngoni, a four- to seven-stringed lute-like musical instrument; the two- to four-stringed gurumi from Niger; and the ramkie, a homemade guitar from Southern Africa that uses an empty oil can for its body.

How to Make Violin Rosin

1,Prepare the wood molds. Cut a trough along the length of a piece of sap-gum wood on the table router. The large groove will hold the rosin, and the edges will provide a place for you to grip when applying the rosin to your violin bow. Cut the sap-gum wood into molds the size of a matchbox with a table saw and remove rough edges with sandpaper.
2,Place the molds side by side and end to end with rubber strips in between each mold. This will prevent the rosin from spilling out of the molds as you pour.

3,Combine the Sylvaros and beeswax in a saucepan and heat the mixture until it is around 300 F. The liquid should have the appearance and consistency of molasses.

4,The rosin must cool slightly before being poured into the molds, but continue to apply a small amount of heat with a hand torch to prevent the surface from glazing over and to force any bubbles in the mixture to the surface.

5,Slowly pour the rosin into a row of sap-gum wood molds. Place a piece of tin over the next row of molds to facilitate moving to the next mold. Avoid pouring rosin onto the edges of the molds.

6,Use the hand torch to again force any bubbles in the rosin to the surface as the rosin cools.

How to Hold a Viola

1,Wrap the left hand around the upper body where the neck and fingerboard extrude from the instrument.

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3,Bring your left shoulder slightly up toward your chin as in a "shrug".

4,Place the base of the viola and the black chin rest below your chin with the viola neck pointing slightly left.

5,Keep the instrument level and flat or parallel to the floor with the left hand.

6,Bring the shoulder and chin together to provide firm but easy contact and support.

7,Carefully remove your left hand grip on the body of the viola.

8,Keep your left hand below the viola and support the instrument for 5 seconds without relying on either hand. Find ease and comfort doing this.

How to Bow a Cello

1,First, you want to practice the art of bowing a cello in the air, or without the cello initially, so take a seat and get comfortable.

2,The cello bow is comprised of wood and horse hair. You will need resin to apply to the bow hairs, so that when you actually start bowing your cello, you are able to produce the music you desire. So apply resin to the cello bow hairs.

3,Put your thumb in the little nook of the bottom of the bow.

4,Then put the rest of your four fingers lightly curled directly above the wood part of the bow. The placement of your four fingers should be naturally aligned with the help of the placement of your thumb.

5,Bowing the cello is different than bowing the violin; your must bow the cell from left to right in a horizontal manner. Practice bowing your bow from left to right, then right to left by using the full length of your arms length. After doing so in the air, try this on the cello by placing your bow in between the bridge of the cello and the fingerboard. There is a gap between the bridge and fingerboard, so you want to put the bow directly in the middle of the bow and start bowing where your hand for your bow rests on the cello. Start slowly on open strings!


What Is the Difference Between Violins, Violas & Viols?

Families

The violin and the viola are members of the violin family, which also includes the cello and the double bass. The viol belongs to a different family of string instruments, the viol family, the predecessor to the violin family. Instruments of the viol family come in various sizes and pitches, the most common of which are the treble, tenor and bass viol.
Physical Characteristics

Members of the violin family have four strings while members of the viol family have six. The viol also has frets on the neck and a flat back, similar to a guitar, which the violin and viola do not. The shape of the viol is slightly different from the violin and the viola as well, with sloping shoulders rather than shoulders that project more prominently from the neck. Of the members of the violin family, the full-sized viola is slightly larger than the full-sized violin.

Playing Position

Musicians play both the violin and the viola with the instrument in a horizontal position, sitting on the shoulder with the end beneath the jaw. Regardless of the size of the instrument, the viol sits in an upright position, held on the lap or between the legs.

Tuning

The violin and viola differ from one another primarily in pitch. They are both tuned in intervals of a 5th, but the viola has a deeper sound than the violin. The four strings of the violin are tuned at G D A E, while the strings of the viola are tuned at C G D A. The six strings of the viol are tuned in intervals of a 4th, with an interval of a 3rd in the middle; the actual notes depend on the size and pitch of the viol.

Popularity

According to the Viola de Gamba Society of America, the viol family was popular primarily between the 15th and 17th centuries. The violin family began to surpass it in popularity during the late 17th century and remains dominant. Viols, though no longer popular, are still made today, primarily for musicians who want to perform authentic renditions of the music of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The University of Texas String Project reports that more students choose to study the violin than any other string instrument.