The violin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The violin - Essay Example This "The violin" work outlines the origin and usage of this instrument. The name violin is an English word derived from a Latin word vitula, which translates to stringed instrument in English. This implies that the instrument was not an English creation and only gained a lot of prominence in the United Kingdom in the sixteenth century following its extensive use in the modern day Italy. The violin was played a lot in Italy and became part of the Italian cultural heritage. Some of the most celebrated violinists and violin manufacturers such as Gasparo da Salà ² and Giovanni Paolo Maggini among many others were all Italians. The instrument played a role in the development of the modern day salsa dance, which coincidentally was part of the Italian heritage too. The spread of the instrument to other parts of the world resulted from colonization and the subsequent industrialization in the late eighteenth century. Italians spread throughout the world to the Americas and other parts of Europe taking their culture with them. In doing so, other people began appreciating the instrument in music production. Celine Dion one of the modern day musicians who have used violins in most of her songs is a Canadian but of Italian decent. The use of the instrument has today acquired a global acceptance and appreciation by different people from all over the world. The development of the instrument has centered on the modifications of its features and addition of aesthetics to make it look more beautiful and produce better quality sounds. (Bartruff, 1989). Among the common features of a violin are the strings. This is a fundamental part of the instrument mandated with the production of the sound. The strings nailed to the tail stretch the entire length of the instrument and pass all the way to the upper most part of the instrument called the scroll. In the ancient Greek and Roman days, the strings were made of sheep gut, these were pieced, stretched and dried to the desired quality to produce high quality sound and last longer. With the modern day technological advancements, the strings are today made of steel or aluminum. Additionally, while in the ancient day the people relied only on the instrument to entertain, the modern technological developments allow the sound to pass through other machines that boosts its gain and quality. These make recordings and music productions easier. Furthermore, the instrument earns the ability to entertain a large number of people despite is small size and the relatively low sound it produces. Tunings are other essential parts of the instrument. These regulate the quality and pitch of sound that every stroke of the strings produces. The tunings resemble those found in a guitar and are placed at the scro ll end of the instrument. These are protruding stick at the end of the instrument on which the strings wind. The violinists therefore use these to adjust the tightness of the strings depending on the note of the music required. Without the tunings, the strings may easily break; the tunings gives the strings an allowance to slacken thereby preventing any synapses from accidental pulls. Despite the numerous advantages and purposes of the tunings, their primary function is to regulate the pitches of the sounds produced. Bows on the other hand are not