List of RUBBED STRING instruments

Thanks to the curiosity to invent, today we have a great variety and instruments that we can use depending on the objective we want to achieve. In the case of music, we have a wide range of instruments that have different capacities, each one with special characteristics that give us specific sounds. It is thanks to this that we have a richness of texture in the sound of many works, pieces and songs.

Each instrument has its own personality and it is interesting to know it to understand the music or to create it effectively. In this lesson from a TEACHER we will talk about the stringed instruments.

In music, the classification of musical instrumentsit is done by the technique we use to produce sound. The stringed instruments belong to the classification of the string instruments, because it is through one or more strings that the sound is made.

In the case of stringed instruments, as the name itself mentions, the strings rub with a tool to create friction and this friction produces sound.

When it comes to inventions, there is a great variety of instruments that belong to this classification, in different forms and place of origin. However, due to the way in which history has occurred and the excellence of some instruments, there are some that have become more popular and have endured over time. This is the case of the 4 most popular and universal stringed instruments:

These instruments are mainly used for classical music and constitute an important base of the symphony orchestra, both in quality and quantity, since in fact, more than half of the members of a standard orchestra are string players rubbed.

These instruments belong to a family. If you look at them you will see that they have many similarities to each other and even have most of the parts in common but with variations in shape and size. The main difference in sound is the range of the notes they can produce, that is, how high (high) or low (low). The violin is capable of producing the highest notes, followed by the viola, then the cello, and finally the double bass, which can produce the lowest notes. Due to the size of the violin and viola, these instruments are played resting on the shoulder, with the chin as a way of holding them. In contrast, the cello and the double bass are played vertically on the ground.

Inside the stringed instruments less popular We can find instruments from other non-western origins such as the Ehru (of Chinese origin), the Kamanjeh and the Rabab (of Arab origin) and the viela sarangi (of Indian origin) among others.

Image: DokumentTips

Let's talk specifically about the parts violin, viola, cello (or cello) and double bass.

• Strings: It is the main part of the instrument that gives the tuning to the notes of the instrument. These are taut at both ends and change thickness to produce higher or lower notes. The thinner a string is, the higher the notes it produces can be. Conversely, the thicker the string, the lower the notes can be. In general, these instruments have 4 strings, however there are modifications to reach more extreme notes. This is the case with some double basses that have an additional string to reach lower notes.
• Bow: It is the tool with which the strings are rubbed. The bow is a long piece of wood that has strands of taut hair called "wick". These are coated with pitch or rosin, a natural resin that increases friction on the strings to produce sound.
• Sounding board: It is the body of the instrument, the space through which the sound enters and bounces to resonate.
• Pegs: They are the pieces that allow to tighten or loosen the strings, there is a peg for each string. The place where the pegs meet is called "pegbox".
• Mast: It is the piece attached from the top to the body of the instrument, against which the strings are pressed with the fingers to change the note.
• Bridge: It is the piece at the lowest end of the strings that provides the distance and space from the body of the instrument.
• Efes: They are the holes that are in the resonance box and through which the sound enters to be able to resonate in that space.
• Pica: In the case of the Cello and the double bass, it is a metal rod in the lower part of the instrument that serves to support it on the ground.

Image: Slideplayer

Thanks to the technique of playing these instruments, it is very easy to produce long-lasting sounds without much effort on the part of the musician (in contrast to wind instruments, for example) and for this reason they tend to be ideal for creating harmonic bases. These instruments are very versatile and can also be used with agility to play many notes at high speed. Also, the sound is very warm and sweet, so they can create expressive melodies that are easy to distinguish and that are very pleasant to the ear.

Another important quality is variety of techniques that can be used to play these instruments. Each technique produces a different type of sound and this is great for create sound effects or orchestral textures. We have for example the "pizzicato" which is when the strings are played with the fingers like a plucked string instrument, the "tremolo" which is when the The bow changes direction repeatedly and rapidly and finally, we can mention “col legno” which is when the strings are struck with the bow instead of rub them. Just like these, there are many other creative ways to use stringed instruments to create interesting sounds.

Each type of instrument has unique characteristics that we can use to our advantage to create wonderful and interesting music. Now that you know a little more about these instruments, you just need to be able to hear them to recognize them or venture to learn to play one of them.

If you liked reading this article by a TEACHER about stringed instruments, We invite you to leave a comment and to continue exploring the rest of the articles to continue learning.