The violin is a bowed instrument and is a part of the string family with it being the smallest of the 4 stringed instruments in a standard orchestra. The violin also has the highest pitch of the 4. The body (corpus) of the violin, which is the largest part of the instrument, is hollow and the sound is made by pulling a bow across or plucking the 4 strings. The main parts of the violin are the scroll, neck, fingerboard, strings, bridge, tailpiece, and chin rest.
The instrument is played with a bow that includes the stick, hair, and screw. The bow is usually made of nylon or horse hairs and can contain up to 150 to 200 hairs! Most violins are made of spruce and/or maple wood because both are dense and strong. They are both great at resonating sound. They can be made from over 70 different pieces of spruce and maple wood. The strings of the violin were commonly made from catgut which was made out of the intestines of animals, most commonly sheep and not from cats, despite what the name implies. Now the strings are usually made of synthetic material and steel. There are still those who have moral issues with playing the violin though because the glue used to bond the wood is made from animal materials as well. Those there has been construction talked about to make a “Vegan Violin.”
There are many benefits from learning and playing an instrument as well. Playing the violin for one hour can burn 170 calories which is the caloric intake of one soft drink. It uses muscles in the hands and arms that we normally don’t think about. In order to play the violin, you need increased dexterity and movement in your fingers and hands and playing string instruments helps strengthen the muscles in your hands. Violinists actually usually have more overall control over parts of their hands and fingers than most people. They also have an increased cognitive ability that is seen in others who play musical instruments. Violin is rated one of the hardest instruments to fully master, but with a little patience, it is a beautiful instrument to learn.
If you are interested in taking violin, young or old, we are conveniently located off 144th and Dodge at 14505 California St. Omaha, NE 68154.
