The violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings usually tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello.

The violin is sometimes informally called a fiddle, regardless of the type of music played on it. The word "violin" comes from the Middle Latin word vitula, meaning "stringed instrument. This word is also believed to be the source of the Germanic "fiddle.The violin, while it has ancient origins, acquired most of its modern characteristics in 16th-century Italy, with some further modifications occurring in the 18th century. Violinists and collectors particularly prize the instruments made by the Gasparo da Salò, Giovanni Paolo Maggini, Stradivari, Guarneri and Amati families from the 16th to the 18th century in Brescia and Cremona and by Jacob Steiner in Austria.

A person who makes or repairs violins is called a luthier, or simply a violin maker. The parts of a violin are usually made from different types of wood (although electric violins may not be made of wood at all, since their sound may not be dependent on specific acoustic characteristics of the instrument's construction), and it is generally strung with gut, nylon/steel composite, or steel strings.

The violin is very popular, probably because it can do so many things. A violinist can play slow, sad, smooth melodies and dazzling, fast scales. The violin has a very large range. Its tone is sweet and clear, and it sounds good in solos because it can be heard easily above a big orchestra. Violins come in different sizes: full-size, which most grownups play, and half-size and quarter-size for smaller players to begin on. Sometimes they're even smaller, and even kids who are as young as three years old can find a violin that's just the right size to get their arms around!

The body of the violin is made of wood, and is hollow so it can vibrate to create sound. The shape of the body gives the violin its distinctive tone. The body of a full-size violin is usually about 14 inches long.The neck extends out one end of the body.On the neck is the fingerboard. The violinist presses the strings against the fingerboard to change their pitch.The four strings stretch across the body and fingerboard of the violin, from one end to the other. They are made of steel, nylon, or gut, and each is tuned to a different pitch. The violin has four tuning pegs - one for each string. The upper ends of the strings are wound around these wooden pegs. They can be turned to tighten or loosen the strings, changing the pitch. The tail piece attaches the strings to the other end of the violin.

To get the most accurate pitch possible for each string, four fine tuners are sometimes used in addition to the tuning pegs. Fine tuners are small screws that sit at the upper end of the tail piece.The bridge supports the strings and transmits their vibrations to the body of the violin. It is made of wood, and is curved so that you can bow each string separately. The soundholes are called f-holes because of their shape. They help the body of the violin to vibrate, and help the vibrating air to escape from inside the instrument. This makes the violin sound louder.

The violin is important in the orchestra, but it's used in many other kinds of music, too. Sometimes composers write music for violin and piano, or for other small groups that include the violin. One important kind of music involving violins is the string quartet. A string quartet includes two violins, a viola, and a cello. Violins are also used in jazz and folk music, where they are sometimes called "fiddles."


The earliest stringed instruments were mostly plucked (e.g. the Greek lyre). Bowed instruments may have originated in the equestrian cultures of Central Asia, an example being the Mongolian instrument Morin huur:    Turkic and Mongolian horsemen from Inner Asia were probably the world’s earliest fiddlers. Their two-stringed upright fiddles were strung with horsehair strings, played with horsehair bows, and often feature a carved horse’s head at the end of the neck. ... The violins, violas, and cellos we play today, and whose bows are still strung with horsehair, are a legacy of the nomads.