Editing Violin (section)

== Construction and mechanics ==
[[File:Violinconsruction3.JPG|right|thumb|upright=1.8|The construction of a violin]]
{{Main|Violin construction and mechanics}}
[[File:Violin.JPG|thumb|Violin and bow.]]

A violin generally consists of a [[spruce]] (especially [[Norway spruce]]) top (the [[Sound board (music)|soundboard]], also known as the ''top plate'', ''table'', or ''belly''), maple ribs and back, two endblocks, a [[neck (music)|neck]], a [[bridge (instrument)|bridge]], a soundpost, four strings, and various fittings, optionally including a [[chinrest]], which may attach directly over, or to the left of, the [[tailpiece]]. A distinctive feature of a violin body is its hourglass-like shape and the [[arch]]ing of its top and back. The hourglass shape comprises two upper bouts, two lower bouts, and two concave C-bouts at the ''waist'', providing clearance for the [[bow (music)|bow]]. The "voice" or sound of a violin depends on its shape, the wood it is made from, the graduation (the thickness profile) of both the top and back, the [[varnish#Violin|varnish]] that coats its outside surface and the skill of the luthier in doing all of these steps. The varnish and especially the wood continue to improve with age, making the fixed supply of old well-made violins built by famous luthiers much sought-after.

The majority of glued joints in the instrument use animal [[hide glue]] rather than common white glue for a number of reasons. Hide glue is capable of making a thinner joint than most other glues. It is reversible (brittle enough to crack with carefully applied force and removable with hot water) when disassembly is needed. Since fresh hide glue sticks to old hide glue, more original wood can be preserved when repairing a joint. (More modern glues must be cleaned off entirely for the new joint to be sound, which generally involves scraping off some wood along with the old glue.) Weaker, diluted glue is usually used to fasten the top to the ribs, and the nut to the fingerboard, since common repairs involve removing these parts. The [[purfling]] running around the edge of the spruce top provides some protection against cracks originating at the edge. It also allows the top to flex more independently of the rib structure. Painted-on [[wikt:faux|faux]] purfling on the top is usually a sign of an inferior instrument. The back and ribs are typically made of [[maple]], most often with a matching striped [[figure (wood)|figure]], referred to as ''flame'', ''fiddleback'', or ''tiger stripe''.

The [[neck (music)|neck]] is usually maple with a flamed figure compatible with that of the ribs and back. It carries the [[fingerboard]], typically made of ebony, but often some other wood stained or painted black on cheaper instruments. [[Ebony]] is the preferred material because of its hardness, beauty, and superior resistance to wear. Fingerboards are dressed to a particular transverse curve, and have a small lengthwise "scoop," or concavity, slightly more pronounced on the lower strings, especially when meant for gut or synthetic strings. Some old violins (and some made to appear old) have a grafted [[scroll (music)|scroll]], evidenced by a glue joint between the pegbox and neck. Many authentic old instruments have had their necks reset to a slightly increased angle, and lengthened by about a centimeter. The neck graft allows the original scroll to be kept with a [[Baroque]] violin when bringing its neck into conformance with modern standards.

[[File:Tailpieceandbridge.JPG|upright=0.7|thumb|left|Closeup of a violin [[tailpiece]], with a [[fleur-de-lis]]]]
[[File:Violin bridge 2 views.jpg|thumb|right|Front and back views of violin bridge]]
[[File:Soundpost end.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.55|Sound post seen through [[f-hole]]]]
The [[bridge (instrument)|bridge]] is a precisely cut piece of maple that forms the lower anchor point of the vibrating length of the strings and transmits the vibration of the strings to the body of the instrument. Its top curve holds the strings at the proper height from the fingerboard in an arc, allowing each to be sounded separately by the bow. The [[sound post]], or ''soul post'', fits precisely inside the instrument between the back and top, at a carefully chosen spot near the treble foot of the bridge, which it helps support. It also influences the modes of vibration of the top and the back of the instrument.
[[File:Violin_case_owned_by_Ginger_Smock.jpg|thumb|Violin case owned by Ginger Smock]]
The [[tailpiece]] anchors the strings to the lower bout of the violin by means of the tailgut, which loops around an ebony button called the tailpin (sometimes confusingly called the ''endpin'', like the cello's spike), which fits into a tapered hole in the bottom block. The E string will often have a fine tuning lever worked by a small screw turned by the fingers. Fine tuners may also be applied to the other strings, especially on a student instrument, and are sometimes built into the tailpiece. The fine tuners enable the performer to make small changes in the pitch of a string. At the scroll end, the strings wind around the wooden [[tuning peg]]s in the pegbox. The tuning pegs are tapered and fit into holes in the peg box. The tuning pegs are held in place by the friction of wood on wood. Strings may be made of metal or less commonly gut or gut wrapped in metal. Strings usually have a colored [[silk]] wrapping at both ends, for identification of the string (e.g., G string, D string, A string or E string) and to provide friction against the pegs. The tapered pegs allow friction to be increased or decreased by the player applying appropriate pressure along the axis of the peg while turning it.

===Strings===
{{Main|Violin construction and mechanics#Strings|l1=Strings section of violin construction}}

[[Strings (music)|Strings]] were first made of sheep gut (commonly known as [[catgut]], which despite the name, did not come from cats), or simply gut, which was stretched, dried, and twisted. In the early years of the 20th century, strings were made of either gut or steel. Modern strings may be gut, solid [[steel]], stranded steel, or various synthetic materials such as [[Nylon 6|perlon]], wound with various metals, and sometimes plated with [[silver]]. Most E strings are unwound, either plain or plated steel. Gut strings are not as common as they once were, but many performers use them to achieve a specific sound especially in [[historically informed performance]] of [[Baroque music]]. Strings have a limited lifetime. Eventually, when oil, dirt, corrosion, and rosin accumulate, the mass of the string can become uneven along its length. Apart from obvious things, such as the winding of a string coming undone from wear, players generally change a string when it no longer plays "true" (with good intonation on the harmonics), losing the desired tone, brilliance and intonation. String longevity depends on string quality and playing intensity.

===Pitch range===
[[File:Spectrumgstring.jpg|upright=1.15|thumb|right|3D [[spectrum]] diagram of the overtones of a violin G string (foreground). Note that the [[pitch (music)|pitch]] we hear is the peak around 200&nbsp;Hz.]]
A violin is tuned in fifths, in the notes G<sub>3</sub>, D<sub>4</sub>, A<sub>4</sub>, E<sub>5</sub>. The lowest note of a violin, tuned normally, is [[Scientific pitch notation|G<sub>3</sub>]], or G below [[middle C|middle C (C4)]]. (On rare occasions, the lowest string may be tuned down by as much as a fourth, to D<sub>3</sub>.) The highest note playable is less well defined: E<sub>7</sub>, the E two octaves above the open string (which is tuned to E<sub>5</sub>) may be considered a practical limit for orchestral violin parts,<ref>Piston, Walter (1955). ''Orchestration'', p.45.</ref> but it is often possible to play higher, depending on the length of the fingerboard and the skill of the violinist. Yet higher notes (up to C<sub>8</sub>) can be sounded by stopping the string, reaching the limit of the fingerboard, and/or by using [[artificial harmonic]]s.

===Acoustics===
{{Main|Violin acoustics}}
[[File:Bowed violin string in slow motion.gif|thumb|right|The Helmholtz corner traveling back and forth along the string<ref>{{cite web |url=https://plus.maths.org/content/why-violin-so-hard-play}}</ref>]]
The arched shape, the thickness of the wood, and its physical qualities govern the sound of a violin. Patterns of the [[node (physics)|node]] made by sand or glitter sprinkled on the plates with the plate vibrated at certain frequencies, called ''[[Ernst Chladni|Chladni]] patterns'', are occasionally used by [[luthier]]s to verify their work before assembling the instrument.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.catgutacoustical.org/people/cmh/laird3.htm|title=Carleen Maley Hutchins' Work With Saunders|publisher=Violin Society of America|last=Laird|first=Paul R.|access-date=2008-09-26}}</ref>

=== Sizes ===
[[File:LembeyeLembeyon.jpg|thumb|left|Fractional ({{frac|1|16}}) and full size ({{frac|4|4}}) violins]]
Apart from the standard ''full'' ({{frac|4|4}}) size, violins are also made in so-called ''fractional'' sizes of {{frac|7|8}}, {{frac|3|4}}, {{frac|1|2}}, {{frac|1|4}}, {{frac|1|8}}, {{frac|1|10}}, {{frac|1|16}}, {{frac|1|32}} and even {{frac|1|64}}. These smaller instruments are commonly used by young players whose fingers are not long enough to reach the correct positions on full-sized instruments.

While related in some sense to the dimensions of the instruments, the fractional sizes are not intended to be literal descriptions of relative proportions. For example, a {{frac|3|4}}-sized instrument is not three-quarters the length of a full size instrument. The body length (not including the neck) of a full-size, or {{frac|4|4}}, violin is {{convert|356|mm|in|1|abbr=on}}, smaller in some 17th-century models. A {{frac|3|4}} violin's body length is {{convert|335|mm|in|1|abbr=on}}, and a {{frac|1|2}} size is {{convert|310|mm|in|1|abbr=on}}. With the violin's closest family member, the viola, size is specified as body length in inches or centimeters rather than fractional sizes. A [[Viola#Form|full-size viola]] averages {{convert|40|cm|in|0|abbr=on}}. However, each individual adult will determine which size of viola to use.

Occasionally, an adult with a small frame may use a so-called {{frac|7|8}} size violin instead of a full-size instrument. Sometimes called a ''lady's violin'', these instruments are slightly shorter than a full size violin, but tend to be high-quality instruments capable of producing a sound comparable to that of fine full size violins. The sizes of 5-string violins may differ from the normal 4-string.

=== Mezzo violin ===
The instrument which corresponds to the violin in the [[violin octet]] is the mezzo violin, tuned the same as a violin but with a slightly longer body. The strings of the mezzo violin are the same length as those of the standard violin. This instrument is not in common use.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nvfa.org/8tet.html|title=The New Violin Family|last=The New Violin Family Association, Inc|date=2020-04-04|website=The New Violin Family}}</ref> <!-- Needs to be expanded and differentiated, or else removed from the article. -->