A wonderful
string instrument. A
violin, like its
siblings in the
family (including
viola,
cello and
double bass), has four strings of decreasing
thickness as one proceeds looks from left to right. The lowest note possible on a
violin is the G below center C, you can reach up to 4 octaves above that
note, if you're good.
The strings are usually metallic. If you're a lucky bastard, then you can have cat gut strings, but they cost a fortune. The bow is made from horse-hair or synthetic fibers. Rosin is used to create friction between the string and the bow in order to cause a vibration.
The violin is extremely expressive due to its extreme flexibility in creating a combination of expression and tone. Beginners often focus on the fingering (left hand) aspect of playing the violin, to get the notes right, as a player progresses in skill, the importance of the bow increases. The speed of the bow, the amount of force used to press it against the string, all affect the sound of the violin. You can slam the bow down to create a loud, jerky, staccato like effect (bouncing the bow), or you can slowly let it glide to produce a smooth, mellow sound.
Vibrato, used by the left hand, is used to produce a rich, wavy sound. It consists of using your wrist to vibrate the note with a shaking motion. The result is almost like a vibration in a vibration. As if there were other notes inside.
I can't really describe how wonderful the violin is as an instrument. When I started, I had the Chinese factory made ones that cost $50. In my tenth year, I shelled out $3000 to buy a hand-made, Austrian violin, 80 years old, excellent condition. The difference in the sound was immediate. My old violin had a tinny, hollow sound that got worse as the pitch of the note increased. My new one produced a rich tone, from the lowest G to the highest notes I played. It cost me a ton of money, but it was worth every penny.
It is now sitting on top of my cabinet. Fifteen years of effort. I still play to keep my skills intact. I sometimes regret giving up the piano (after playing it for years) to pursue the violin. Oh well. What's done is done.