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The violin gives an appearance of deceptive simplicity to the eye, but is in fact constructed of some 70 parts, which require the skill of a master craftsman to cut and assemble. Acoustically it is one of the most complex of instruments . The body is a hollow box about 35·5 cm long, consisting of an arched top plate (‘belly’) and arched back plate, joined by sides (‘ribs’) of slightly varying heights (a typical Stradivari measurement is 2·8 cm at the top end of the instrument and 3·2 cm at the bottom). The edges of the belly and back are not flush with the ribs as is usual in a viol, but project beyond, overhanging the ribs slightly. The belly is made of softwood, generally European spruce, and the back and sides are fashioned of hardwood, usually maple. The neck, pegbox and scroll are also customarily of maple. The fingerboard runs along the neck and extends over the belly towards the bridge; it is now normally made of ebony. It is unfretted, a feature that distinguishes the violins from the viols.

Scroll - This is located at the top of the violin. It is a decorative part, mostly hand carved.

Pegbox - This is where the pegs are inserted. The pegs are adjusted to tune the violin.

Nut - Helps keep the distance of the strings and supports the strings so that it has a good height from the fingerboard.

Strings - It has 4 strings that are tuned a fifth apart.

Bridge - The position of the bridge is essential as it directly relates to the quality of sound produced by the violin. The bridge is held in place by the strings' tension. When the string vibrates, the bridge also vibrates.

Fingerboard - It is a strip of wood on the neck of the violin where the strings are. When a violinist plays, he presses down the strings on the fingerboard, thus changing the pitch.

Sounding Post - Located under the bridge, it supports the pressure inside the violin. The bridge and sounding post are directly related, when the violin vibrates, the bridge, body and sounding post vibrates as well.

F Holes - Is located in the middle of the violin. It is called F Hole because it is shaped like an F in Italics. It allows sound to come out of the violin. Altering the F Hole, such as its' length, can affect the sound of the violin.

Tailpiece - Holds the strings so that it has a good distance from the bridge.

Chin Rest - It helps the violinist hold the instrument in place. While playing, the violinist can use his chin to hold the violin, thus freeing up his hands.

Both top and back may be made of one piece of wood, or (much more usually) of two pieces joined. The wood may be cut either radially ‘on the quarter’ (fig.2a and b) or in layers (‘on the slab’). One-piece backs (either quarter- or slab-cut; see fig.2c and d) are not uncommon but one-piece slab-cut tops are rare because for acoustical reasons they seldom give satisfactory results. Radial cutting is generally favoured, especially for tops, because the properties of the various radial sections are about the same from one piece to another. Fig.3 shows how a radial section is split from the top and the resulting two sections then glued base to base. In this way the resulting piece of wood will have the same properties relative to the join in the middle.

The appearance of the wood surface depends on which of the two methods of cutting is used. The ‘waves’ in the veined wood are generally called ‘curls’, and in the one-piece back shown in fig.2c these are seen to run continuously upwards from left to right. In two-piece backs the curls (if there are any) would not be continuous because they would be interrupted by the join in the middle (as in the ‘Messiah’ Stradivari violin; see Stradivari, fig.2). The pattern of curls is referred to as ‘figure’. Highly-figured wood looks very beautiful, but it is not necessarily acoustically better than plainer maple (which has often been used by the great makers). Figure is distinct from ‘grain’, the latter being the arrangement of the fibres of the wood which are distributed in alternating strata of impacted resin (summer growth when the sap is rising) and paler wood (winter carbohydrate growth). In a cross-section of a tree trunk the grain is seen as annular rings, but in radial sections used for violin backs and bellies they appear as parallel lines running longitudinally from pegbox to tailpiece. The grain is generally more prominent in the spruce of the belly than in the back where the eye tends to be distracted by the figure in the maple. The distance between the parallel grain lines varies, sometimes being narrow (‘close’ grain), sometimes wider (‘open’ grain); for violins the ideal range is between 1 and 2 mm. In a typical belly the spacing of the grain lines widens symmetrically from the centre join. Grain is important acoustically since the resin lines conduct sound while the carbohydrate growth acts as a damper; the balance of these two features, especially in the belly, determines the suitability of the wood. For further information on cutting, preparation and other matters with respect to wood used in violin making, see Drescher (MGG2, ‘Streichinstrumentenbau’, §A), Leipp (A1965) and Rubio (B1984).

The four strings of the violin are anchored in the upper end of the tailpiece, strung over a carefully fitted bridge of maple, then carried over and above the fingerboard to the ebony (or ivory) nut and secured by the pegs of ebony (or rosewood) in the pegbox (fig.1). The latter is crowned by an ornamental scroll. At the lower end of the violin, the tailpiece is secured by the tailgut (traditionally a heavy piece of gut but now sometimes wire or nylon) that runs over the ebony saddle (figs.1 and 4) and is looped over, and secured by, the end-button (‘end pin’). The tension of the strings is regulated by turning the pegs to bring the four strings to their proper pitches: g, d', a' and e''. In modern violins the steel E string (and sometimes the others also) is generally fine-tuned by means of a mechanical adjuster attached to the tailpiece (see fig.4).

The strings of the violin were originally all gut. From the 1660s, however, the lowest (G) string was commonly wound with silver wire to give a better response. Today violinists generally use wound strings for the D and A strings as well and also use a steel E string, the latter being far more durable. Other kinds of stringing have been developed in the 20th century; strings with a steel core (overwound with, usually, silver) or a core of synthetic material (e.g. nylon). Both types are widely used, though neither has displaced the gut-core string as the preferred choice of most professional players.

Inside the violin, the top-, bottom- and corner-blocks and the side linings (see fig.1) strengthen and stabilize the structure. The soundpost and bass-bar give additional support for the interior of the instrument. The soundpost, ordinarily of spruce, stands vertically between back and belly and is located under the right foot of the bridge – not directly under the bridge's foot but on a line with it, slightly towards the tailpiece. The position of the soundpost is a critical factor in producing the best sound from the instrument. The bridge too must be fitted exactly to the contours of the belly and is positioned in line with the notches of the f-holes. The Bass-bar, also normally of spruce, is glued to the undersurface of the belly, running under the left foot of the bridge. Like the soundpost, the bass-bar helps support the top and also serves an acoustical purpose (see §2(ii) below). The Chin rest is made of wood (usually ebony) or vulcanite. Many players also attach a shoulder rest to the underside of the instrument. These devices, the first invented by Spohr in about 1820 (though much improved since) and the second a 20th-century development, make it possible for players to support their instruments without any assistance from the left hand.

The beautiful design and shape of the violin are not merely ornamental but are functional to a considerable degree. The vaulting of the back and the belly is essential for strength and for acoustical reasons, the whole body being designed to furnish the best amplification of sound. The narrow waist – that is, the ‘middle bouts’ – permits ease of playing on the highest and lowest strings. The scroll is decorative, although the instrument may be hung up by it. The line of Purfling which runs just inside the outer edge of back and belly not only emphasizes the beauty of the outline but also minimizes cracks and prevents any damage to the overhanging edges from going further into the body. Some acoustical experts (see Backus, B1969, 2/1977) think that purfling may be a factor in the fine tone of a violin. The soundholes (f-holes) and the bridge are basically acoustical in function (see §2(ii) below), though their actual forms are influenced by decorative considerations. In any case, early bridges vary in design somewhat from modern bridges.

Finally, the varnish, so beautiful in the finest violins, is functional as well as decorative, being indispensable as a preservative. Varnish cannot improve the tone, but if it is too hard, too soft or badly applied it may prevent the best tone qualities inherent in the instrument from being realized.

The composition of the Cremona varnish, which contributes so much to the visual beauty of a Stradivari and other Cremonese violins, remains something of a mystery, although there could not have been anything very mysterious about it in its time. Jacob Stainer (?1617–1683) in the Austrian Tyrol, for instance, knew all about it, and the Venetian makers used an equally fine varnish. However, easier and quicker methods of varnishing were later applied, and by 1750 or 1760 the old process had nearly disappeared, G.B. Guadagnini being one of the last (c1780) to use Cremona varnish. Nevertheless, excellent varnishes are once again being used today.