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Wikipedia on Violins

The violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello. A violin is sometimes informally called a fiddle, no matter what kind of music is played on it. The word "violin" comes to us through the Romance languages from the Middle Latin word ''vitula'', meaning "stringed instrument"; this word may also be the source of the Germanic "fiddle". A person who plays the violin is called a violinist or fiddler, and a person who makes or repairs them is called a luthier, or simply a violin maker. More »
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Violin
The violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello. A violin is sometimes informally called a fiddle, no matter what kind of music is played on it. The word "violin" comes to us through the Romance languages from the Middle Latin word ''vitula'', meaning "stringed instrument"; this word may also be the source of the Germanic... More »
Electric violin
An electric violin is a violin equipped with an electronic output of its sound. The term can refer to a standard violin fitted with an electric pickup of some type, or to an instrument purposely made to be electrified with built-in pickups, usually with a solid body. Electrically amplified violins have been used in one form or another since the 1920s; jazz and blues artist Stuff Smith is generally credited as being one of the first performers to adapt pickups and amplifiers to violins. More »
Chinrest
A chinrest is a shaped piece of wood attached to the body of a violin or a viola to aid in the positioning of the player's jaw or chin on the instrument. The chinrest may be made of ebony, rosewood, boxwood, or plastic. It was invented by Louis Spohr in the early 1800's in response to increasingly difficult repertoire which demanded freer left hand techniques than had previously been used. After being promoted by prominent violinists of the day, such as Pierre Baillot and Giovanni Battista... More »
Baroque violin
A baroque violin is, in common usage, any violin whose neck, fingerboard, bridge, and tailpiece are of the type used during the baroque period. Such an instrument may be an original built during the baroque and never changed to modern form; or a modern replica built as a baroque violin; or an older instrument which has been converted to baroque form. Following period practices, most baroque violinists use gut strings. This lends a certain purity and at times earthiness to the sound. More »
Violin making and maintenance
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Sound post
In a string instrument, the sound post is a small dowel inside the instrument under the treble end of the bridge, spanning the space between the top and back plates and held in place by friction. It serves as a structural support for an archtop instrument, transfers sound from the top plate to the back plate and alters the tone of the instrument by changing the vibrational modes of the plates. The sound post is sometimes referred to as the ''ame'', a French word meaning "soul". More »
Musical styles (violin)
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Violin construction and mechanics
''This article covers the "anatomy" of a violin and some of its accessories. For information related to violin building or making, see Violin making and maintenance.'' A violin consists of a body or corpus, a neck, a bridge, a soundpost, four strings, and various fittings. The fittings are the tuning pegs, tailpiece and tailgut, endpin, possibly one or more fine tuners on the tailpiece, and perhaps a chinrest, either attached directly over the tailpiece or to the left of it. More »
Musafia violin case
Musafia Violin cases are high quality cases made for the violin in Cremona Italy. The cases are manufactured from a high standard multi laminate wood shell and screw-attached Cordura cover with an exterior pocket. High quality fittings and materials, a four point instrument suspension and four locking bow spinners are standard on all cases. Musafia cases have backpack provisions, a subway handle, blanket and a string tube which is usually on all models. More »
Ravanastron
Ravanastron or Ravanhatha is an Indian stringed instrument played with a bow, used by wandering pilgrims. A Hindu tradition affirms that the musical bow was invented before 3000 BC by Ravanon, king of Ceylon , and that the instrument for which he invented it was named after him Ravanastron. Judging from precedent, it is probable that the ravanastron of the present day has changed little, if at all, for many centuries. It consists of half a round gourd, over which is fixed a sound-board of skin... More »
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