The History of the Fiddle

Index | History of the Fiddle | Fiddle Styles | Maintenance of the Fiddle | Re-hairing the Bow | Folklore and Superstitions | Fiddle of the Month Award | Links


 

Origins

     The predecessors to the modern violin were played thousands of years BCE.  These instruments were sometimes bowed or plucked but most were played in the similar respect as the violin.  The primitive, "rabab" and the "rebec" could possibly be two of the first violin-like instruments ever created.  

Evolution

    By the middle-ages, more and more changes to the instrument were accomplished.  The middle-ages version of the violin was called a "vielle".  Features such as a fingerboard and the ability to play using a bow, were the primary innovations which were some large steps toward the modern violin.  Other advancements to the violin such as the tailpiece and the bridge and sound-holes came about.  The "viola da gamba", "lire da braccio", "viola da braccio" were the last three instruments leading up to the modern violin. 

Birth

     The sound of the modern violin is produced when a bow made with horsehair and covered with rosin is drawn across the string to make vibration.  The vibration from the string is transferred through the bridge and onto the hollow cavity of the violin which thus amplifies the sound.  The violin is now what we know it today.

Re-birth

    Electronics and computers have enabled a new generation of violins such as the electric or MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) violins.  These violins are highly sought after by many jazz and country fiddlers.  The MIDI violins allow the player to control the sound of the instrument with a MIDI controller.  The controllers generally use nearly 100 different sounds of other musical instruments which the violin can emulate through an amplifier.  





 


Index | History of the Fiddle | Fiddle Styles | Maintenance of the Fiddle | Re-hairing the Bow | Folklore and Superstitions | Fiddle of the Month Award | Links