Parts
of the Violin
Scroll
The
scroll of the violin is the very top of the instrument above the
pegbox. The scroll can be identified by its characteristic curl
design; however some older instruments have scrolls that were more
elaborately carved with animals or figures.
Tuning
Pegs/Pegbox
The
tuning pegs and pegbox are located at the top of the instrument by
the scroll. This is where the strings are attached at the top. The
end of the string is inserted into a hole in the peg, which is then
wound in order to tighten the string. The majority of tuning is
performed by tightening the peg, with fine tuners being used for
strings out by less than half a tone.
Nut
The
nut is the connector between the peg box and the fingerboard. The nut
has four grooves in it which the strings sit in so that they are
properly spaced. If you restring a violin or the strings are very
loose, then you should check that the strings are sitting in the
grooves at the nut (and at the bridge) before you start to tighten
the strings.
Strings
The
strings on the violin are tuned G,D,A,E from lowest to highest.
Strings differ significantly in quality, and the quality of the
strings makes a considerable difference to the tonal quality produced
by the instrument. Strings are made from a variety of different
metals (mainly aluminium, steel and gold for the E-string). However,
some synthetic materials are also used to produce strings and 'cat
gut' strings made out of animal intestine are still relatively
popular today.
Neck
The
neck of the instrument is the part of the violin that carries most of
the stress of the strings. It is the long wooden piece behind the
fingerboard, which the fingerboard is glued to. The neck of modern
violins is more slender and longer than the neck of the baroque
violins.
The
fingerboard is the smooth black playing surface glued to the neck of
the violin underneath the strings. Violinists sometimes get black
residue on their fingers on the left-hand due to the black polish
rubbing off. Eventually the fingerboard would need refinishing if
this starts to happen.
Body
The
body of the violin is the part that amplifies the sound in acoustic
violins. The body of the violin can be made of a variety of different
woods. While most violins have two-piece backs that are joined
together with a seam down the middle, one-piece backs are preferred
due to their increased resonance.
Sound
Post
The
sound post is the round post inside the violin that runs from the
front-piece to the back-piece under the bridge of the violin. The
sounding post plays a key role in how the violin produces sound, and
it also helps to support the structure of the violin from the
pressure created by the tension of the strings.
F
Holes
After
the vibration from the string reverberates within the body of the
violin, the sound waves are directed out of the body through the F
holes. A good tip for beginners is to direct the F holes towards your
audience. Doing this will allow the audience to experience the best
sound possible. Of course, you do not need to worry about this if you
play an electric violin, or if you are playing with a pick-up.
Bridge
The
bridge of the violin comes in varying angles of curvature. A smaller
angle makes it easier to play double or triple stops (playing two or
three strings at the same time.) Whereas more curved bridges make it
easier to hit the right notes without scraping across a wrong string.
Classical violinists tend to have more curved bridges. Fiddle or
country players have flatter bridges. The bridge also has ridges on
it that help to space the strings out evenly. On good-quality
E-strings, a small plastic tube should be included wrapped around the
string. This should be place over the bridge to prevent the thin
E-string from cutting into the wood.
Fine
Tuners
Fine
tuners can be found either on all four strings, or just the E string.
If you are a beginner, it is best to choose a violin with four fine
tuners as it makes it significantly less likely that you will break a
string while tuning. Fine tuners are essentially a screw that presses
down a lever that then tightens the string fractionally. When a fine
tuner reaches the end of the screw, it should be unscrewed completely
and then the peg should be tightened before again using the fine
tuner.
Tailpiece/Endpin
The
tailpiece is what the strings are attached to at the bottom of the
instrument, closest to the players chin. The tailpiece is attached to
the bottom of the instrument by the endpin or end button, a small
button on the side of the violin that rubs against the players neck.
Chin
Rest
The
chin rest is an additional invention that supports the players chin
when they are playing the violin. The chin rest is important because
it helps the player to hold the violin, which means that the left
hand can then move freely up and down the fingerboard.
Parts
of the Bow
Hair
The
hair of the bow is the part that touches the string when playing.
Usually the hair is made out of either a synthetic material or horse
hair, and these strands need to be well-rosined to produce sound. If
your bow is not well rosined, you may find that it slips on the
string and produces a softer, whisper-like tone.
Frog
The
frog is the part of the bow that the violinist holds. The frog is
where all the mechanics of the bow happen.
Screw
The
screw is on the end of the frog which tightens and loosens the hair.
If the screw on the end of the frog is completely unscrewed then the
frog comes off the bow (it is easy to reattach) when the screw is
tightened it stretches the hair of the bow closer to the end of the
bow, thus tightening the tension of the hairs.
Stick
The
main stick of the bow is usually made of wood, sometimes with a metal
core. The stick needs to be supple and bendy to be able to support
the tightening and loosening of the bow hair. A good bow should be
light, and have a balance point (the point where you can balance the
bow on one finger) around a quarter of the way up the bow from the
frog. The balance point is important as it allows the violinist to
perform advanced technical movements like spiccato (where the bow
bounces off the string between each note).
Pad
The
pad of the bow assists the player in holding the bow.
0 comments:
Post a Comment