Nalini Khattar describes the basic steps of the violin.
The Basic Steps and Different Parts of the Violin
Have you ever listened to graceful violin music and wondered how violinists play so well? Hi, I’m Nalini, a 5th grader, and here, I will teach you the basic steps and the different parts of your violin instrument.
The Bow Parts
As you open your violin case, you will see the fiddle (or violin) and a long-looking stick-like object. That is called the bow, and it helps create the vibrational sound while playing your violin. The long hairs connected from the top of the violin to the bottom are not called string but are horse hair. Right at the bottom of the bow, you will also see a twisty gadget sticking out of the far end of your bow which is known as the adjuster. The adjuster helps tighten and loosen the horse hair while playing, and when putting your bow back into your case. Right next to the adjuster, you will see the frog. (Funny name right!) The frog is the place where our right-hand goes to hold the bow. Then, the name of the part of the bow where the horse hair is tied at the top of the bow is called the tip. The head is the curved part of the bow, which is the long part of the bow. the ferrule, towards the bottom of the bow which looks like a metal band or square around the frog. That helps secure the bow hair. Also, we have the thumb leather, which is right above the frog. Last but not least, the grip. The grip is where our thumb rests while our hand is holding the bow.
How to hold the Bow
Holding the bow is quite easy. First, insert your thumb into the curved gap in the frog with your index finger on the thumb leather. Make your hand shift with your two middle fingers on top of your thumb on the stick of the bow. Then, have your pinky and index fingers widened on the stick of the bow. It should now look like a rabbit puppet. In other words, place your pinky finger on the adjuster and place your two other middle fingers between your index and pinky fingers wide apart. You’re all done!
The Violin Parts
The main part of the violin is called the body. It amplifies sound. The front is typically made out of spruce while the back of the body is made out of maple. Next, these are the F-holes. They do the job of allowing the sound to escape and let the sound release the acoustics. This is the scroll. It helps hold the strings in place and connects the pegs. The pegs do the main part of tuning your violin. They are made of wood and help adjust the tension of your strings. On the other hand, we have fine tuners. They do almost the same job as the pegs but instead do the littlest of tuning instead of deeply tuning your instrument. This is the bridge, which helps hold up your strings and get them aligned, usually made of maple. The fingerboard, which you use with your left hand to press on the strings to create different types of pitch. This is the chin rest, where we gently rest our chin while holding/playing the violin. As you see here, this is the nut, which is located right before the fingerboard often made of ebony or plastic. And finally, the tailpiece which looks sort of like a whale’s tail. The fine tuners and the chin rest are connected to it too.
How To Hold the Violin
The very first step on how to hold the violin is that the violin should be placed on your left shoulder. First, when picking up your violin you want to carefully place your chin on the chin rest. Once you have done that, take your left hand and place it on the right side of the front body (The right side next to the fingerboard). Next, slowly shift your left hand to the bottom of the fingerboard, and start shifting it front and back to get the feel of your hand slowly moving. Make sure not to keep your hand stiff. Also, take your thumb always with you up the fingerboard making sure it isn’t left behind otherwise it will be very difficult to shift.
You’re all Done!
Thank you for listening and I hope you learned a lot about the basics and the different parts of the violin. Stay tuned for part 2, “The Different Strings and Notes on the Violin”.
