Folk music is a genre of traditional music performed in villages, families and nations by small social groups such as villages. The terminology can differ depending on culture; English uses folk music; French and Italian use musique populaire or musica popolare respectively. Additionally Czechs may refer to log git (“the people’s music”).
Violin strings can be made of gut, synthetics or steel and tuned in fifths (5 notes apart). Each string also has an open finger position for playing.
A
The violin is used across various musical genres. It is most frequently associated with classical music as both part of an ensemble and as a solo instrument, although other genres like folk, country music, bluegrass music and jazz also utilize it. Furthermore, electric violins equipped with solid bodies and piezoelectric pickups may be employed in certain styles of rock music and jazz fusion music.
Strings are usually tuned G-D-A-E; however, alternate tunings may be employed for certain musical genres – known as scordatura tuning.
Many people often ask if there’s any difference between violins and fiddles, with the answer being yes but not necessarily bad news. A luthier can look at any violin and declare it to be a fiddle, yet that does not equate to sounding exactly like one; what determines its sound is determined by quality and pitch of its strings.
B
The violin is an extraordinary instrument, capable of covering an extensive variety of styles spanning classical to jazz and beyond. Played either with bow or fingers, it provides texture and harmony within acoustic music compositions as well as being played using techniques such as legato bowing and short note articulations (ricochet, sautille martele).
Fingerboards typically feature ebony wood, although cheaper instruments may feature black stained or painted fingerboards. String length from nut to bridge typically measures 13 inches; shorter-stringed instruments are often called violins.
Violinists typically position their instruments with their scroll resting against their leg, which requires sitting on the floor and allows their hand to freely traverse across all fretboard frets.
C
Timbre of violin or fiddle instruments depends heavily on playing position and technique used. Placing the bow close to the bridge (sul ponticello) creates an intense and harmonically rich sound; using bow over end string (sul tasto) for delicate, airy sounds.
Use of chords can create some truly intriguing sounds on the violin. For instance, some violinists utilize sustained open string drones during passages written primarily on an adjacent string as an accompaniment, an effect known as martele.
Folk tunes typically evolve over time as they pass from person to person and cultural boundaries are crossed, known as systemic improvisation. Some changes may be subtle while others dramatic; for instance, one minor alteration could change the shape of a musical line from ABCD to ABAB and vice versa.
D
The violin is a four-stringed musical instrument played with a bow, commonly referred to as the fiddle in some parts of Europe and North America. As one of its primary Western genres – such as folk – folk music has come to embrace this instrument while others use it in jazz and rock music genres as well.
Extensions on a violin refer to any note played outside of its first position compass and serve to check intonation on stopped pitches, making sure they blend harmoniously with open strings.
When playing the violin, it’s essential to strike an ideal sitting posture with good posture. Hunching can impede performance and cause shoulder and wrist pain due to placing too much strain on the fingerboard which leads to tone loss and speed issues as well as discomfort when holding the bow.
E
Folk music does not reveal its creator. Songs were typically created by members of a community who shared a cultural background; thus they have not been subject to the same high standards of interpretation as classical works.
A violin’s tone can be modified by playing with the bow nearer to the string (sul ponticello), or moving it above its fingerboard and across it (sul tasto). Furthermore, open strings played simultaneously with stopped notes can produce a bagpipe-like drone sound which can sometimes be found in classical composition.
Vibrato is a technique involving both left hand and arm that subtly shifts note pitches with an accompanying pulsing rhythm, but when poorly executed it does little more than mask out-of-tune notes and detract from its beauty.
F
Violinists use their bow to produce harmonics using harmonics; harmonics are notes which lie either third or fifth above a note pressed, depending on whether it is written in treble clef. Harmonics differ from other pitches on violin by sounding more like part of one note than separate pitches altogether, hence its name as harmonic.
Violinists may also create a bagpipe-like drone by playing open strings alongside stopped notes, creating a bagpipe-esque sound. Composers sometimes ask violinists for this special sound effect in order to achieve certain sonorities.
The violin can be tuned to various pitch levels, though classical music frequently employs its standard tuning of G-D-A-E. Other tunings, such as cross tuning (where strings are tuned up or down), may also be utilized; these nonstandard tunings are known as scordatura and often imitate traditional folk instruments like the dulcimer.
G
A violin is a string instrument played with bows. The violin can be found both in folk and classical music settings; its predecessor being the Arabic rebab which eventually gave birth to Byzantine lyras.
The violin is an extremely flexible instrument, capable of playing various styles of music. From being used as a solo instrument, or accompanying singers or pianists, to creating complex chords and arpeggios, its applications are nearly limitless.
As with any musical instrument, playing the violin requires being comfortable. Hunching can hinder playing effectively and lead to issues in the back and shoulders. Furthermore, tension should be minimized in both hands; excessive pressure on either hand could cause fingers to ache which interfere with good playing; its ideal placement is known as first position.
H
The violin is a stringed instrument played with a bow. While classical music relies heavily on violinists for accompaniment, its versatile nature also lends it itself to folk, country, rock fusion, jazz fusion, crossover music genres such as Americana.
Composers in certain genres of classical violin playing often request that musicians combine an open string with a stopped note on an adjacent string to produce a bagpipe-like drone, creating a bagpipe-esque drone sound. These ringing tones allow musicians to check intonation of stopped notes that is difficult to determine simply through listening; these tones allow musicians to check whether two notes are in tune.
Oral tradition dictates that songs may evolve over time as they pass from person to person, depending on factors like creativity, forgetfulness and expectations from other songs.
I
Strings are often tuned to G-D-A-E for standard classical music performance; however, other tunings may be used depending on the style of music being performed – known as cross tuning.
A violin produces different tonalities by applying pressure differently against its strings, with increased bow speed and heavier bow weight producing louder notes.
The violin is an iconic instrument in classical music, yet its use extends far beyond classical compositions. It has found an important place in other musical genres as well. Rock bands such as King Crimson and Kansas make use of violins; jazz fusion and folk improvisational music also use violins amplified. Unfortunately, modern pop or rock music has lessened violin’s use thanks to electronic guitar synthesizers which mimic guitar tone but do not match violin dynamics as fully.
J
Tuning a violin typically uses a fine tuner built into its tailpiece. These levers, operated with screws turned by finger, allow performers to fine-tune each string individually.
Vibrato is a technique in which the pitch of a note varies subtly in an ever-so-subtle rhythmical pattern. This characteristic feature of stringed instruments gives more expressive sound; however, misapplied vibrato can obscure proper intonation and make it difficult to hear actual note pitches.
Folk cultures vary significantly in their internal relationships of folk songs, although many popular jigs, reels, and hornpipes appear to have evolved from single songs. A typical folk song usually comprises multiple melodies with variations on its theme. Unfortunately, no clear understanding exists regarding how people create this form of music.