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A violin is a "little viola", a violone is a "big viola" or a bass violin, and a violoncello (often abbreviated cello) is a "small violone" (or literally, a "small big viola"). (The violone is not part of the modern violin family; its place is taken by the modern double bass, an instrument with a mix of violin and viol characteristics.)
Viola close up of bridge. The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between 25 and 100 mm (1 and 4 in) longer than the body of a full-size violin (i.e., between 38 and 46 cm [15–18 in]), with an average length of 41 cm (16 in).
Darker grades of rosin grip well in cool, dry climates, but may be too sticky in warmer, more humid weather. Violin and viola players generally use harder, lighter-colored rosin than players of lower-pitched instruments, who tend to favor darker, softer rosin. [20] The ravanahatha is one of the oldest string instruments.
The viola da gamba is occasionally confused with the viola, the alto member of the modern violin family and a standard member of both the symphony orchestra and string quartet. In the 15th century, the Italian word " viola " was a generic term used to refer to any bowed instrument, or fiddle .
Violin music came to value a smoothness that fiddling, with its dance-driven clear beat, did not always follow. In situations that required greater volume, a fiddler (as long as they kept the beat) could push their instrument harder than could a violinist. [16] Various fiddle traditions have differing values.
[7] A violin is the "modern form of the smaller, medieval viola da braccio." ("arm viola") [6] The violin is often called a fiddle. "Fiddle" can be used as the instrument's customary name in folk music, or as an informal name for the instrument in other styles of music. [8] The word "fiddle" was first used in English in the late 14th century. [8]
The origin of the violin family is unclear. [1] [2] Some say that the bow was introduced to Europe from the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic world, [3] [4] [5] while others say the bow was not introduced from the Middle East but the other way around, and that the bow may have originated from more frequent contact between Northern and Western Europe.
The physics of the viola are the same as that of the violin, and the construction and acoustics of the cello and the double bass are similar. [ 70 ] The viola is a larger version of the violin, and has on average a total body length of 27 + 1 ⁄ 4 inches (69.2 cm), with strings tuned a fifth lower than a violin (with a length of about 23 + 3 ...
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