The violin is very popular, probably because it can do so many things. A violinist can play slow, sad, smooth melodies and dazzling, fast scales. The violin has a very large range. Its tone is sweet and clear, and it sounds good in solos because it can be heard easily above a big orchestra.
You can see the major parts of the violin on this picture.
Violins come in different sizes: full-size, which most grownups play, and half-size and quarter-size for smaller players to begin on. Sometimes they're even smaller, and even kids who are as young as three years old can find a violin that's just the right size to get their arms around!
The body of the violin is made of wood, and is hollow so it can vibrate to create sound. The shape of the body gives the violin its distinctive tone. The body of a full-size violin is usually about 14 inches long.
The neck extends out one end of the body.
On the neck is the fingerboard. The violinist presses the strings against the fingerboard to change their pitch.
The four strings stretch across the body and fingerboard of the violin, from one end to the other. They are made of steel, nylon, or gut, and each is tuned to a different pitch.
The violin has four tuning pegs - one for each string. The upper ends of the strings are wound around these wooden pegs. They can be turned to tighten or loosen the strings, changing the pitch.
The tail piece attaches the strings to the other end of the violin.
To get the most accurate pitch possible for each string, four fine tuners are sometimes used in addition to the tuning pegs. Fine tuners are small screws that sit at the upper end of the tail piece.
The bridge supports the strings and transmits their vibrations to the body of the violin. It is made of wood, and is curved so that you can bow each string separately.
The soundholes are called f-holes because of their shape. They help the body of the violin to vibrate, and help the vibrating air to escape from inside the instrument. This makes the violin sound louder.
The chin rest is a curved cup that makes it more comfortable to hold the instrument under the chin.
The bow is made of horsehair attached to a rod. When the horsehair touches the strings of the violin, they vibrate, creating a pitch.
Violinists use some very fancy tricks to produce a wide variety of sounds. For instance, they might pluck the strings instead of bowing them. This is called pizzicato. Or they might play double stops, which means playing chords by bowing two strings at the same time.
The violin is important in the orchestra, but it's used in many other kinds of music, too. Sometimes composers write music for violin and piano, or for other small groups that include the violin. One important kind of music involving violins is the string quartet. A string quartet includes two violins, a viola, and a cello. Violins are also used in jazz and folk music, where they are sometimes called "fiddles."
credit:http://www.playmusic.org/string/more/moreviolin.html
