Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange
Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [violin]

The violin is the best known bowed string instrument. It is the smallest of the string instruments normally used in orchestral music. It is used in all music styles and is very common in classical, country, and certain types of folk and traditional music. Another name for the violin is the fiddle.

The violin is a bowed string instrument. It usually has 4 strings and is an important instrument in both classical music and traditional music in different cultures around the world.

The violin is also one of the fundamental instruments of classical music. A typical symphonic orchestra has between 20 and 30 violin players usually split into two groups (Violin I and Violin II). In folk music, the violin is more often known as a fiddle, a term that is also used within classical music.

The violin is tuned in 5ths, G > D > A > E, being G the lowest. Other tunings can also be used.

For more detailed information, you can refer to this Wikipedia article

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Why does conventional playing style give the string manipulation to the left hand?

For the majority of players, the right hand is used for most tasks that require exacting manipulation: writing, throwing, etc. However, guitar, violin, lute, etc., use the right hand for plucking the strings – often with a pick – and the left hand…
D Mac
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Why does violin sound differently after playing on it for some time?

I have heard from some of my friends that when you have "fresh" violin, they sound different(presumably, worse) than after playing on it for some time(e.g. half a year). Is this statement true? If so, how does it work? I would imagine that sound of…
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My child's violin practice is making us tired, what can we do?

My daughter began taking violin lessons 2 years ago, she's now 7. She became interested because she saw an older cousin play the violin. At the beginning, we were told that in order to progress, one should practice everyday. We've followed the…
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What should I consider when I see a loose hair in a violin bow?

This drawing should do: These are the hairs of a brand new bow. Straight, clean, etc. I noticed this: As you can see, it seems like a certain hair is a bit loose. Is this bad? (I.e., does it affect performance, produced sound, etc.) Should I try…
Saturn
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Why does plucked and bowed string of violin produces slightly different pitches?

I know that when plucked as in pizzicato, the violin produces a muted sound. However, I was surprised to find out when I checked with my tuner that if I tune my violin by plucking, it seems somewhat flat when I double check it by bowing! So there's…
Sazid Ahmad
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As a soloist, should I face the audience or the conductor during long tutti sections?

I am playing a violin concerto with an orchestra and a fairly large audience in a few weeks. So my question is, in the long Tutti parts where I don't play, should I face towards the audience, and what should my posture be like?
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What is the difference between 'martelé and 'détaché' bowing?

As the title asks, I wish it could be clear to me. Can someone give me a good characterization? Do you produce them differently on a cello than on a violin or viola?
ogerard
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I feel like I don't evolve, and sometimes shamed when playing with someone better than me

I'm currently 15 years old, and I play violin on the church. I started playing there when I was 9 years old, and always loved doing what I do, specially for the reason I do it. I sometimes play with people who just started like my 9 year old self.…
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Do I need a teacher to learn violin?

I'd like to take up the violin, but I travel too much to take lessons. Is it reasonable to learn violin without a teacher? And I take 'unreasonable' to mean "don't even bother- you'll be much better off learning another instrument if you can't take…
spiffytech
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Is it spelled "violincello" or "violoncello"?

I’m trying to understand the proper spelling of the full name of the cello. I’ve seen it both of these ways, violincello and violoncello. I thought since the cello is part of the violin family it would be violincello, but it seems some places are…
Benjamin Hale
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Why is violin tuning order the way it is?

I get that A is how we define concert pitch, so we tune that first, but then we always tune D-A, G-D, then A-E. Why is that? Is it just convention? My best conjecture/hypothesis is that it makes it more likely that in an orchestra setting, the…
General Grievance
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Should I loosen the tension on the bow for a break?

According to Violin for Dummies, we should loosen the horsehair before put violin back in the case. However, I always give myself about an hour break after I play violin for 1 to 2 hours. Should I leave the horsehair tight for an hour or loosen it…
Chek Wei Tan
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Why is a violin so loud compared to a guitar?

The violin is comparatively louder than a guitar. This is a surprising fact, given that: the violin instrument is generally smaller than, say, a typical classical or folk guitar, both use strings. In other words, how can such a small instrument…
Michael Baudin
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Three notes on the violin?

Okay, I've been taking the rather unusual step of playing some violin scores on the mandolin (the tunings are the same, and they're about the same size, so they're usually pretty suitable parts). However, I found this score for the can-can online,…
AJFaraday
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In a folk jam session, when asked which key my non-transposing chromatic instrument (like a violin) is in, what do I answer?

I know of transposing instruments. A transposing instrument is one where the player reads a C, plays a C, and what sounds is the name of the key of the instrument. Those instruments are often referred to with the key in their name, for example Bb…
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