How the violin family makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the violin family 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.
Players shape its sound through technique and materials; the resonating body filters the raw vibration, boosting some harmonics and damping others.
From Wikipedia
The violin family of musical instruments was developed in Italy in the 16th century. At the time, the name of this family of instruments was viole da braccio (viola da braccio in singular), which was used to distinguish them from the viol family or viole da gamba (viola da gamba in singular). The standard modern violin family consists of the violin, viola, cello, and (possibly) double bass.
Instrument names in the violin family are all derived from the root viola, which is a derivative of the Medieval Latin word vitula (meaning "stringed instrument"). 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.)
Other lutes
Questions people ask
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Frequently asked questions
What does a violin family sound like?
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 violin family?
It is classified as lutes (Hornbostel–Sachs 321.322-71).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q1365097 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Violin family – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Biblioteca de la Facultad de Derecho y Ciencias del Trabajo Universidad de Sevilla – CC BY 2.0