Different Parts of the Violin and Their Function

Are you getting ready for your child to start violin lessons?

Before picking your own violin and starting your own violin lessons, it’s important to know the different parts of the instrument. Here is the list of the different parts of the violin and their distinct functions:

Scroll – Located at the very top of the violin above the pegbox. The scroll can be distinguished by its distinctive curl design. And for some older instruments, the scrolls are more elaborate because of carve animals or figures.

Tuning Pegs/Pegbox – Located at the top of the violin by the scroll, the tuning pegs or pegbox is where the strings are attached at the top. The end strings of the violin are inserted into the hold of the pegbox which is where you can tighten the strings. Thus, majority of the tuning is done through the pegbox with the fine tuners being utilized for the strings in order to lessen the tone to a half.

Nut – Serves as the connector between the pegbox and the fingerboard, the nut has four grooves where the strings sit in so that they are spaced correctly. In situations where you’ll re-string your violin or the strings have become loose, you may check the nut to see if the strings are sitting in the grooves before tightening it.

Strings – Tuned in the tones G, D, A and E, strings are one of the crucial parts of the violin. Its quality will define the overall quality of the tone or sound produced by the violin. Strings may come from different composition – from aluminum, steel and gold, to synthetic materials and even the cat gut strings which came from animal intestine.

Neck – Serves as the carrier for the most stress of the strings, the neck is a long piece of wood to which the fingerboard is glued to. Nowadays, necks of the violins are move slender and longer compared to the Baroque violins.

Fingerboard – This is the black playing surface located at the neck under the strings. For circumstances that you get black residue, it’s time to refinish the fingerboard.

Body – The body is responsible in amplifying the sound in acoustic violins. Made from variety of woods, violins have two-piece backs that are joined together with a seam down the middle.

Sound Post – It’s the round post inside the violin that runs from the front to the back-piece located under the bridge of the violin. It’s important in the sound that the violin makes and helps to support the structure of the violin from the pressure that the strings may cause.

F Holes – The sound waves go out of the body through the F holes. If you’ll direct the F hold to the audience it’ll help them to hear the sound more.

Bridge – Comes with various angles of curvature, the bridge helps in hitting the right notes without hitting the wrong string.

Fine Tuners – The four-fine tuners can be perceived as a screw that presses down the level making the string fractionally tightened.

Tailpiece/Endpin – It is the part of the violin that helps in keeping the strings attached at the bottom.
Chin Rest – It supports the player’s chin and helps the violinist in holding the instrument properly.

Here are the parts of the bow and their unique functions:

Hair – As the part that touches the string, the hair is made of synthetic or horse hair and also responsible in producing sound.

Frog – This is the part that the violinist holds as this is where all the mechanics of the bow is happening.

Screw – Located at the end of the frog which can either loosen or tighten the hair, the screw is important to ensure that the frog won’t come off the bow and keep the tension of the hairs secured and tightened.