String Instruments

I will start off this blog by talking about the string family. This contains instruments such as the violin, viola, cello, double bass and guitar, banjo and harp.  I will be talking about some of these. These instruments produce sound by vibrating the strings on them. The violin is a very popular string instrument and is one of the main instruments in an orchestra. In Irish traditional music it is called a fiddle. It is made of wood. It has four string; G D A and E. It is held with the bigger end (the lower bout) under the chin on the chinrest and the arm of the same side holding the neck of the violin. Your other hand runs the bow over the strings on the violin to produce a sound. While this is happening the hand holding the violin presses down the strings to change the sound. The strings are made of steel and the bowstring is made from horsehair. The violin is the smallest and highest pitched string instrument. They are also the most common instrument in the orchestra.  The viola is similar to the violin but it is bigger and has a lower tone. It is played the same way however. The cello and the double bass are even bigger and even lower that the viola. The latter being the biggest and lowest sounding string instrument. It has a dark rich tone that lays a strong foundation for the orchestra. These two string instruments are played differently though. There is an endpin at the bottom that the instrument rests on while the performer plays it.