High School Instruments: String Instruments

String Instruments

There are many stringed instruments but only a few are used in a high school orchestra. These instruments include the violin, viola, cello, and bass. The word 'violin' comes from the Middle Latin word 'vitula' which means stringed instrument. Violins are typically comprised of spruce or maple wood. Violins come in many different sizes. Typically, students will start learning violin at a young age with a 1/32 or 1/16 size violin. As the student ages they will graduate up to a full sized violin. A viola (pronounced vee-Oh-la) is a musical instrument which is similar to the violin and cello. The viola sounds lower than a violin, but higher than a cello. It has four strings, called the C, G, D, and A strings. The plural of cello

Most cellos have a decorative inlay called “purfling.” While purfling gives the cello an aesthetically pleasing appearance, it also serves a practical purpose. Purfling helps prevent cracking of the wood due to playing, travel, weather, or being dropped or struck. Cellos (and other string instruments) are held together using hide glue. This glue is made from boiling animal connective tissue. It is strong, but malleable. The glue is weaker than the wood, allowing it to shrink or expand without cracking the instrument. Bass- Double bass, is also called contrabass, string bass, bass, bass viol, bass fiddle, or bull fiddle French contrebasse, and German Kontrabass. Two styles of bass bow are currently used: the short and narrow French bow and the broader German bow. In jazz ensembles the bass forms part of the rhythm section and is also used as

The Medieval era had tons of composers. The most famous composers of the Renaissance era were Palestrina, Morley, Monteverdi, and Lully. The famous composers of the Baroque era were Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi. The famous composers of the Classical era were Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. The famous composers of the Romantic era were Shubert, Shuman, Chopin, Brahms, and Beethoven. The Medieval era was from 400 to 1400. It consisted of masses and chants. It had no time signatures, key signatures, dynamics, instruments, harmony, and females didn’t sing. The Renaissance was from 1400 to 1600. It added the motet, madrigal, and the opera. It lacked the same things as the Medieval era but it did have harmony. The Baroque era was from 1600 to 1750. It added the concerto and oratorio. During this period, there was instruments and ornamentation. The Classical era was from 1750 to 1800. It added the string quartet and the symphony. It also added musical form. The Romantic era was from 1800 to 1900. It added virtuosos, nationalism, and the opera. This era was focused on expression. The last era is the contemporary era. It started in 1900 and continues to modern day. Music has changed throughout time and it will continue to reform as time goes