When we listen to a piece rendered by Yehudi Menuhin, the famous American violinist, we are transported into a different world thanks to his music. Yehudi, like many others is known to have begun playing the violin from the age of 3 and became among the leading violinists and music conductors. The way the notes flow by, and the soothing sound of the violins is enough to get a person hooked on this instrument. Violins are also string instruments, much like the viola and cello, except they are smaller in size which is made up with their high pitch ranges. Also called the fiddle, these have been around for decades now, swaying people across the globe with its gentle sounds. Originally bowed instruments are said to have originated from the Asian continents and eventually spread to other parts of the world. The kind of music that is emitted from a violin depends largely on its shape and the wood that has been used in its making. The varnish coated on top and the wood that has gone into it, are said to get better with age, which is why older violins are far more expensive than new ones.
Some of the violins are admired for their ability to produce music while others for their appearances. What was once originally used mainly in classical music has today transitioned to being a part of Rock bands and even Jazz music compositions. A good example of this is “The Corrs”, a band that relied primarily on their lead violinist to give the song its warmth and feel. For example, when we listen to “Devil’s trill” by Vanessa Mae, we feel the strength of the instrument and the way different notes are played on it. And if one watches the video, they can enjoy the beauty of the instrument and the different shapes and sizes, colours it is made in. This goes to show that different people are comfortable using different kinds of violins and words no longer matter when the instrument is powerful enough to mesmerize the listener. The violin is capable of helping a person relax or get up and dance, depending on the way it is played, for it can reach high notes without sounding harsh.
Another popular band that has made the violins famous is the Australian quartet called Bond, who use violins as the base for all their songs. Most of the violins are made using the best European woods and available in different sizes to suit one’s needs. So, if you are interested in taking lessons or are looking for a good violin, you can check out stringworks to understand the way they are made, and how each of them. If you are looking for violins that produce rich sounds and look smart, you can try out the ones in the Artist collection. These websites not only sell or rent out violins, but have forums where people can ask queries or have discussions on topics related to violins."
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
The Haunting Of The Violin
The sad and haunting melodies of a violinist are never forgotten. They remain with you always coming back again and again. The true charm of music lies in how it can affect you and your emotions. I believe that violin has the power of captivation. It is not only sad but uplifting also. The true instrument of love and emotion, the violin truly is a wonder among all the musical instruments.
A good violin is made up of a spruce top, maple ribs and back. Two end blocks, bridge, sound post and 4 strings are other key requirements for a violin. Various other fittings can be attached and an optional chin rest.
What distinguishes a violin body is its "hourglass" shape and the arching of its top and back. The hourglass shape comprises an upper bout, a lower bout, and two concave C-bouts at the "waist," providing clearance for the bow.
The voice of the violin is solely dependent on its wood and varnish. It is also some what controlled by the graduation and thickness that of the body. As the varnish and wood improve by age, old violins are continuously sort after in the market today.
Earlier, violin strings were made of sheep gut stretched. Today however, they are made up of solid steel or stranded steel. When and how to change strings is often advised by the teacher depending how hard you play. Violinists often carry spare supply of strings in case any one string does not play true.
Violin comes in different sizes. Smaller ones are usually preferred for children learning the instrument at the beginning.
Teachers determine what size is best. A true large size violin can be of 14 inches long.
How are they tuned? Tuning is a very important issue for many instruments. The violin can be tuned by turning the pegs or fine tuners on the tail piece. These fine tuners allow for slight adjustments to the tensions of the strings.
So, how is it played? Tuning and everything is fine but how do you produce that melody? A violin is usually played using a bow consisting of a stick with a ribbon of horsehair strung between the tip and frog (or nut, or heel) at opposite ends. A typical violin bow may be 29 inches. Usually, the hair of a violin bow is got from the tail of a mail horse. Though some cheaper violins have this made up of plastics or synthetics. There is also a leather grip at one end with winding to protect the stick and provide thumb rest for the player. The winding can be made up of whale bone but today it is manufactured of fiber glass.
The violin is an instrument you can never forget. The tunes are replayed in your memory even after the instrument has stopped. It is as if the instrument can talk and has spoken words of wisdom. If there is any instrument that can reproduce the words of the heart, it is the violin.
A good violin is made up of a spruce top, maple ribs and back. Two end blocks, bridge, sound post and 4 strings are other key requirements for a violin. Various other fittings can be attached and an optional chin rest.
What distinguishes a violin body is its "hourglass" shape and the arching of its top and back. The hourglass shape comprises an upper bout, a lower bout, and two concave C-bouts at the "waist," providing clearance for the bow.
The voice of the violin is solely dependent on its wood and varnish. It is also some what controlled by the graduation and thickness that of the body. As the varnish and wood improve by age, old violins are continuously sort after in the market today.
Earlier, violin strings were made of sheep gut stretched. Today however, they are made up of solid steel or stranded steel. When and how to change strings is often advised by the teacher depending how hard you play. Violinists often carry spare supply of strings in case any one string does not play true.
Violin comes in different sizes. Smaller ones are usually preferred for children learning the instrument at the beginning.
Teachers determine what size is best. A true large size violin can be of 14 inches long.
How are they tuned? Tuning is a very important issue for many instruments. The violin can be tuned by turning the pegs or fine tuners on the tail piece. These fine tuners allow for slight adjustments to the tensions of the strings.
So, how is it played? Tuning and everything is fine but how do you produce that melody? A violin is usually played using a bow consisting of a stick with a ribbon of horsehair strung between the tip and frog (or nut, or heel) at opposite ends. A typical violin bow may be 29 inches. Usually, the hair of a violin bow is got from the tail of a mail horse. Though some cheaper violins have this made up of plastics or synthetics. There is also a leather grip at one end with winding to protect the stick and provide thumb rest for the player. The winding can be made up of whale bone but today it is manufactured of fiber glass.
The violin is an instrument you can never forget. The tunes are replayed in your memory even after the instrument has stopped. It is as if the instrument can talk and has spoken words of wisdom. If there is any instrument that can reproduce the words of the heart, it is the violin.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
How To Play Violin - CD Information
This article is important if you plan to learn how to play violin someday.
Learning how CD-r's work is good because you can learn how to play violin
and then later record your music!People who are new to computers and duplication, will
sometimes confuse CD-R music media with CD-R data
media. While confusing them is easy to do, the
two are different indeed. Even if you have some
experience with computers, confusing them is very
easy to do.
As you may or may not know, there are differences
between music CD-R and data CD-R disks. The obvious
difference is, of course, the name. With one
named CD-R music and one named CD-R data, you
know there has to be some type of difference
between the two.
What's known is that there are indeed technical
differences in what is embedded in blank music
CDs when compared to blank data CDs. These
differences center upon bytes that are within
the sub channels of the blank music disks.
This doesn't affect the quality, as both audio
and data can be duplicated onto both music CD-R
disks and data CD-R disks. You can burn data onto
music CD-R, and music onto data CD-R media
without any problems. Keep in mind, whether or
not you get data on a music CD-R will depend
on what type of hardware you use to duplicate
the CD. This is very important when you learn how to play violin.
If you plan to use a PC to do all of your burning,
it won't matter. A PC doesn't differentiate
between music CD-R and data CD-R. PCs will see
a blank media CD and duplicate information on it
that pertains to the settings you have outlined
in the software you plan to use to burn the CD.
If you plan to use a seperate CD burner, it
may or may not let you burn data or music on
a generic blank or data CD-R. Some hardware
are funny like that, as they only want you to
use blank media with well known brand names
that they have approved of.
If you plan to do most of your CD duplication
on a computer, it really doesn't matter which
type of blank CD-R you use. They will both
work fine in most cases when you store either
music or data. When storing data, you have a
limit of 700 MB, while music will have a limit
of a little over an hour of tunes.
For your duplication needs, computers are the
ideal way to copy media. You can use equipment
outside of a computer and CD burner, although
you'll need to check the operations manual
and see what they recommend for media. If you
have a computer or access to one, it can do
wonders in the areas of music and data CD-R
duplication. Therefore, your time spent learning how to play violin can be put to good use as you record your own music!
Learning how CD-r's work is good because you can learn how to play violin
and then later record your music!People who are new to computers and duplication, will
sometimes confuse CD-R music media with CD-R data
media. While confusing them is easy to do, the
two are different indeed. Even if you have some
experience with computers, confusing them is very
easy to do.
As you may or may not know, there are differences
between music CD-R and data CD-R disks. The obvious
difference is, of course, the name. With one
named CD-R music and one named CD-R data, you
know there has to be some type of difference
between the two.
What's known is that there are indeed technical
differences in what is embedded in blank music
CDs when compared to blank data CDs. These
differences center upon bytes that are within
the sub channels of the blank music disks.
This doesn't affect the quality, as both audio
and data can be duplicated onto both music CD-R
disks and data CD-R disks. You can burn data onto
music CD-R, and music onto data CD-R media
without any problems. Keep in mind, whether or
not you get data on a music CD-R will depend
on what type of hardware you use to duplicate
the CD. This is very important when you learn how to play violin.
If you plan to use a PC to do all of your burning,
it won't matter. A PC doesn't differentiate
between music CD-R and data CD-R. PCs will see
a blank media CD and duplicate information on it
that pertains to the settings you have outlined
in the software you plan to use to burn the CD.
If you plan to use a seperate CD burner, it
may or may not let you burn data or music on
a generic blank or data CD-R. Some hardware
are funny like that, as they only want you to
use blank media with well known brand names
that they have approved of.
If you plan to do most of your CD duplication
on a computer, it really doesn't matter which
type of blank CD-R you use. They will both
work fine in most cases when you store either
music or data. When storing data, you have a
limit of 700 MB, while music will have a limit
of a little over an hour of tunes.
For your duplication needs, computers are the
ideal way to copy media. You can use equipment
outside of a computer and CD burner, although
you'll need to check the operations manual
and see what they recommend for media. If you
have a computer or access to one, it can do
wonders in the areas of music and data CD-R
duplication. Therefore, your time spent learning how to play violin can be put to good use as you record your own music!
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