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The Violin Family

The violin, viola, double bass (contrabass) and cello (violcello) are the (modern) members of the “violin” family of instruments. They are all characterised as being stringed instruments (or “chordophones” that also include guitars and harps) also played with a bow.

The Players

Someone who plays a violin is called a “violinist” such as Itzhac Perlman, while a viola player is a “violist”, such as William Primrose, and a cello player is a “cellist” such as Yo Yo Ma. A double bass player is a “double bassist” such as Edgar Meyer.

Origins of the Family

The Violin family was developed in the sixteenth century in Italy, and may well be descended from the Libra Da Braccio, of the Viol family.

The Viol

Viol’s are very closely related to the violin family, and are strongly suspected of being the ancestor of the whole violin family. Developed in the fifteenth century, they were most popular in the renaissance and baroque period. They are distinct from the Violin’s for having a different body shape (sloping shoulders and a flat, fretted neck), has six strings rather then four and gut strings rather than steel.

The Double Bass Controversy

All the “Violin” family instruments are almost identical in construction, just on different scales. Debate over the veracity of the double basses claim to be part of the violin family have been answered partly by its internal construction being almost identical (when scaled up) to that of a violin’s!

The Earliest Violin

The earliest incarnation of a four stringed violin (like the modern violin) was constructed by Andrea Amati in 1555, although that date is bound in speculation. Other violins have been documented earlier than that, but only had three strings.

The Golden Age of Violins

The Stradivari (Strateverius) and Guarneri del Ges?, are among the most sought-after violins by both collectors and performers. They were constructed during the eighteenth century during a time of great innovation of violin crafstmanship. The angle of the neck, and a heavier bass bar were introduced.

These instruments set the standard for all modern violins and remain to this day amongst the most valuable of historic instruments, with the same instruments (manufactured over 200 years ago) still being played by famous violists across the world.

Tones and Playing Ranges

Each instrument’s range and playing style overlaps slightly with other instruments in the family, but each instrument’s tone and size distinguishes it from the rest.

The violin (or “fiddle” as it is commonly known) is the smallest and highest pitched instrument of the group. It is the most commonly played of the family, and is usually tuned into perfect fifths.

The viola is similar in size to the violin, but has a much deeper and lower sound (a perfect fifth below the violin). It is frequently used for playing inner harmonies to the violin, and tends to be used less frequently for solos.

The cello being the lowest pitched of the group, and is typically found as an integral part of orchestras, quartets and chamber groups.

Author Bio: This article was written by Chappell of Bond Street’s stringed instruments department from their expertise in their range of high quality Violins, Violas and Cellos for adults, students and children.

At the height of folk music, when American youth began regarding the genre as the optimal way to express defiance against an older generation, Robert Zimmerman plugged in.

Dylan “going electric” is one of those historic cultural moments that everyone uses to define the ’60s. It was the ultimate expression of an individual, someone who wasn’t just willing to rebel against the mainstream, but willing to rebel against the counter-culture as well. Not everyone was happy about his parting with the softer, more peaceful sounds of folk, but Dylan had simply made the next logical choice in an artist career that was only interested in finding new, better tools for expression.

Dylan was born Robert Allen Zimmerman in Duluth, MN in 1941. He was a talented performer as a boy and as a teenager, and would go on to study art in college. He would perform in coffeehouses under his infamous stage name, borrowing Dylan Thomas’ first name for his surname. In the early ’60s, Dylan was quickly making a name for himself in New York’s bohemian circles. In 1962, he released his debut album, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. When Peter, Paul and Mary covered his classic song “Blowin’ in the Wind,” it gave him recognition that spread like wildfire. His music’s literate qualities and the winding, labyrinthine nature of his lyrics made him popular among both critics as well as fans. Today, many of his songs are considered untouchable classics from this period.

With albums like Another Side of Bob Dylan and Bringing It All Back Home, Dylan continued to evolve his sound. “Like a Rolling Stone” became a defining single for him, summing up the sense of frustration that was building among the hippie youth. People were questioning social mores and what was expected of them by their society. With all the experimenting going on, it made perfect sense that Dylan’s song would reflect the prevalent soul-searching the younger generation of Americans was doing.

In 1966, Dylan released Blonde on Blonde, a double-disc album that is still considered one of his best. Later that year, however, tragedy would strike. While riding his motorcycle, Dylan would crash and suffering a concussion, as well as damaging his neck vertebrae. The accident would take a permanent toll, changing his voice as well as his personality. He became more reclusive, spending more time with his family and recording more at home.

That didn’t deter him from producing great work. Always a fan of the blues and country, Dylan’s music would continue to explore those genres and find new stories to tell through them. Today, Dylan is considered an elder statesman of rock ‘n’ roll, and has had an undeniable influence on the artists of today. They repay the inspiration he’s given them through homage and respect for his work.

There are plenty of fans that still love him, as well. Bob Dylan tickets are hard to come by, and are often snapped up easily.

This article was written by Andrew Good and sponsored by http://www.stubhub.com/. StubHub sells http://www.stubhub.com/bob-dylan-tickets/ as well as sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and more to just about any event in the world.