Listen to the viol
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
How the viol makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the viol belongs to the lutes: strings run parallel to a soundboard and along a neck – the family of the guitar, violin, sitar and oud.
More broadly it is one of the chordophones (string instruments), where sound comes from vibrating strings, amplified by a resonating body.
Press play above and watch the spectrum: the evenly spaced peaks are harmonics, and their relative strength is what gives the instrument its character.
From Wikipedia
The viol is a family of bowed, fretted string instruments that developed in Spain in the late 15th century, particularly in Valencia within the Crown of Aragon, and subsequently spread to Italy and other parts of Europe. Most viols have six strings tuned primarily in fourths, with a third in the middle, and are played upright, with the instrument held on or between the legs—hence the Italian name viola da gamba, meaning "leg viol".
Viols are distinguished from instruments of the violin family by features including their frets, tuning, generally flat backs and sloping shoulders, and the use of an underhand bow grip. The family developed in several sizes, most commonly treble, tenor and bass, and became widely used during the Renaissance and Baroque periods as solo, consort and continuo instruments.
Other lutes
Frequently asked questions
What does a viol sound like?
Listen to 1 recording on this page. As one of the lutes, its sound comes from the way strings run parallel to a soundboard and along a neck.
What type of instrument is the viol?
It is classified as lutes (Hornbostel–Sachs 321.322-71).
Sources & credits
- Carl Friedrich Abel (1723- 1787) – Sonata in G-Major, WKO155 for Unaccompanied Viola da… by Phillip W. Serna – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q40125 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Viol – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by HaCeMei – CC BY-SA 3.0