What is violin

But fiddling calls for great skill in producing the rhythmic and melodic lift originally intended to get people dancing and keep them that way. The emphasis tends to be on rhythmic drive and a steady flow of melody through basic forms, often AABB. Before jazz and blues emerged around the turn of the 20th century, there was already a long tradition of black string bands that used fiddle and banjo far more than guitar.

That line also serves as the title of a collection of African-American string-band music with eloquent historical notes by producer Marshall Wyatt.

The later string bands featured original songs with violin accompaniment in a new bluesy style that takes the voice as its model, playing in loose unison or trading phrases with the singer. Even during instrumental breaks the violin breathes, taking time for pauses and long-held notes. Tempos are generally relaxed, giving the players space to deploy a wealth of violin techniques: playing in higher positions, broad slides, vibrato, tremolo, or pizzicato.

In contrast to Western-Classical violin standards, the European-American and African-American fiddle and violin styles share a wide variety of ways that players set up and hold the instrument. Word of the Day have a heart of gold. Blog Outsets and onsets!

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Sign up now or Log in. Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English. Click on the arrows to change the translation direction. Follow us. Choose a dictionary. Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English. Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English. Grammar Thesaurus. Word Lists. Choose your language. My word lists. Tell us about this example sentence:. It is related to a North African instrument called a rebab a three-stringed instrument also played with a bow drawn across the strings.

Violins have been traditionally used as an accompaniment to singing and dancing. It is also an important classical solo instrument, as well as taking pride of place at the front of orchestras. When played, the violin is held under the chin and the fingers of the left hand press the strings on the neck of the instrument to produce different pitches when the string is bowed or plucked. The bow is held in the right hand and it is drawn across the strings at right angles to make them sound.

This violin has a chin rest attached to it. The violin was originally held to the chest when played, but in the 19th-century, violinists began using chin rests and placing the instrument between the shoulder and the chin. The bow is a stick of wood with hairs stretched along its length.