What Are the Four Strings on a Violin?
The violin is an ancient, venerable instrument, a mainstay of classical and folk music, where it is more commonly called a fiddle. Violins have a reputation for being difficult to learn, but once mastered, they are capable of producing beautiful, compelling music few instruments can match.
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Structure
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The violin is the smallest member of the viol family and has four strings. Like all viols, its four strings can be plucked or bowed to produce notes, which allows for an astonishing variety of sounds. Its fretless neck allows the player to perform a glissando, sliding smoothly from one note to the next. The strings are elevated by the bridge in a trapezoidal arrangement that allows pairs of adjacent strings to be bowed simultaneously, producing harmonies.
Tuning
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Most string instruments can be tuned in an infinite variety of ways to allow for unusual harmonies or ranges and the violin is no exception. However, the standard violin tuning puts the strings at perfect fifth intervals, starting with the G string, so the four strings are G, D, A and E. Typically, it is the A string that tuning begins on, a note provided by the concertmaster in a ritual at the beginning of every symphony concert.
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References
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