"Viola pomposa The viola pomposa (also known as the violino pomposo) is a five-stringed instrument developed around 1725. There are no exact dimensions applicable to all instruments used under this name, although in general the pomposa is slightly wider than a standard viola (hence the Italian adjective ""pomposa""). It uses four viola strings, tuned conventionally (C-G-D-A), with the addition of a high E string (usually a violin string), giving it a greater range than the orchestral viola; the trade-off comes in a sound which is slightly more resonant than a violin. The viola pomposa is played on the arm and"
"the chin. It is about the same size as the modern viola. The viola d'amore usually has six or seven playing strings, which are sounded by drawing a bow across them, just as with a violin. In addition, it has an equal number of sympathetic strings located below the main strings and the fingerboard which are not played directly but vibrate in sympathy with the notes played. A common variation is six playing strings, and instruments exist with as many as fourteen sympathetic strings alone. Despite the fact that the sympathetic strings are now thought of as the most characteristic"
"partly because of its larger size: the notes are spread out farther along the fingerboard and often require different fingerings. The viola's less responsive strings and the heavier bow warrant a somewhat different bowing technique, and a violist has to lean more intensely on the strings. The viola's four strings are normally tuned in fifths: the lowest string is C (an octave below middle C), with G, D and A above it. This tuning is exactly one fifth below the violin, so that they have three strings in common—G, D, and A—and is one octave above the cello. Each string"
"Viola The viola (; ) is a string instrument that is bowed or played with varying techniques. It is slightly larger than a violin and has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the violin family, between the violin (which is tuned a perfect fifth above) and the cello (which is tuned an octave below). The strings from low to high are typically tuned to C, G, D, and A. In the past, the viola varied in size and style as did its names. The word viola originates from"
"pear-shaped body, a flat base, and a short neck. Its distinguishing feature is that it has ten strings in six courses, of which the highest eight are paired in four courses (duplicated strings) with the two lowest strings in two separate courses. This is the same stringing as was later used for the B.C. Rich Bich 10 Guitar, although the traditional tuning for the English guitar is a repetitive open C tuning (C E GG cc ee gg). The viola guitar is a guitar with ten light steel strings in five courses, played with the fingers rather than with a"
"also apply sonic effects. Electric violins may have four strings, or as many as seven strings. Since the strength of materials imposes limits on the upper string, it is usually tuned to E5, with additional strings tuned in fifths below the usual G3 of a typical four-string violin. The five-string electric violin shown in the gallery below was built by John Jordan in the early 21st century, and is tuned C G D A E. Boyden, David The History of Violin Playing from its origins to 1761. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1965. . History of the violin The violin, viola,"
"of a viola is wrapped around a peg near the scroll and is tuned by turning the peg. Tightening the string raises the pitch; loosening the string lowers the pitch. The A string is normally tuned first, typically to a pitch of 440 Hz or 442 Hz. The other strings are then tuned to it in intervals of perfect fifths, sometimes by bowing two strings simultaneously. Most violas also have ""adjusters""—""fine tuners"", that make finer changes. These adjust the tension of the string via rotating a small knob at the opposite or tailpiece end of the string. Such tuning is"
"being fed to the sound system. In rock and other loud styles, the electric viola player may use effects units such as reverb or overdrive. Viola The viola (; ) is a string instrument that is bowed or played with varying techniques. It is slightly larger than a violin and has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the violin family, between the violin (which is tuned a perfect fifth above) and the cello (which is tuned an octave below). The strings from low to high are typically tuned"
"D4 D3•G3 G3•B3 B3•D4 D4. With 15 strings and five courses, each course is triple strung, and the tunings is A3 A3 A2•D4 D4 D3•G3 G3 G3•B3 B3 B3•D4 D4 D4; with 15 strings and six courses, the lower three courses are triple strung and the upper three courses are double strung: E3 E3 E2•A3 A3 A2•D4 D4 D3•G3 G3•B3 B3•D4 D4 -- similar to the Viola terceira. Viola da terra The Viola da terra is a stringed musical instrument from the Portuguese islands of the Azores. It may have either 12 strings arranged in 5 courses, or 15 strings,"
"Viola d'amore The viola d'amore (; Italian for ""love viol"") is a 7- or 6-stringed musical instrument with sympathetic strings used chiefly in the baroque period. It is played under the chin in the same manner as the violin. The viola d'amore shares many features of the viol family. It looks like a thinner treble viol without frets and sometimes with sympathetic strings added. The six-string viola d'amore and the treble viol also have approximately the same ambitus or range of playable notes. Like all viols, it has a flat back. An intricately carved head at the top of the"
"in 17th century Italy and can be seen as early as 1607 in Claudio Monteverdi's opera, ""L'Orfeo"". It can also be applied to the standard five-part orchestral string section: first violins, second violins, violas, cellos, and double basses. String quintet A string quintet is a musical composition for five string players. As an extension to the string quartet (two violins, a viola, and a cello), a string quintet includes a fifth string instrument, usually a second viola (a so-called ""viola quintet"") or a second cello (a ""cello quintet""), or occasionally a double bass. Notable examples of classic ""viola quintets"", in"
"String orchestra A string orchestra is an orchestra consisting solely of a string section made up of the bowed strings used in Western Classical music. The instruments of such an orchestra are most often the following: the violin, which is divided into first and second violin players (each usually playing different parts), the viola, the cello, and usually, but not always, the double bass. String orchestras can be of chamber orchestra size ranging from between 12 (4 first violins, 3 second violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos and 1 bass = 12) and 21 musicians (6 first violins, 5 second violins,"
"a lot of work, because always came by this hole, spiders or other animals, damaging the instrument's sound. Some former viola players prefer it to the hole because, in the words of one, the hole gives a better sound. With unique shape and sound, the viola-de-cocho has always five orders of strings, called ""prima"", ""contra"", ""corda do meio"", ""canotio"" and ""resposta"". The strings are tuned in two different ways, ""canotio solto"" (open) and ""canotio preso"" (stopped): bottom-up, re, la, mi, re, sol, and re, la, mi, do, sol. Braz da Viola, besides being a virtuoso instrumentalist is also a maker"
"to a standard four-string violin or viola tuned as a viola (CGDA). Fidola The fidola, folk viola or fideola is the size of a viola but shaped like a guitar. It has five strings strung like a standard violin and viola (CGDAE). It was invented in the 1980s by Luthier Alan Carruth of Newport, New Hampshire. It is played with a standard viola bow, often strung with black and white hair for a courser, less classical sound. The fidola was the culmination of a research effort aimed at producing an instrument that is equally resonant over all five strings, in"
"be humorously referred to as ""chin cellos."" Occasionally, a violin may be strung with viola strings in order to serve as a 35 cm viola. Violin construction and mechanics A violin consists of a body or corpus, a neck, a finger board, a bridge, a soundpost, four strings, and various fittings. The fittings are the tuning pegs, tailpiece and tailgut, endpin, possibly one or more fine tuners on the tailpiece, and usually a chinrest, either attached directly over the tailpiece or to the left of it. The body of the violin is made of two arched plates fastened to a"
"classical music, the A and E strings are lowered by a whole step i.e. G–D–G–D. This is to ease playing Arabic maqams, especially those containing quarter tones. While most violins have four strings, there are violins with additional strings. Some have as many as seven strings. Seven strings is generally thought to be the maximum number of strings that can be put on a bowed string instrument, because with more than seven strings, it would be impossible to play a particular inner string individually with the bow. Instruments with seven strings are very rare. The extra strings on such violins"
"typically are lower in pitch than the G-string; these strings are usually tuned to C, F, and B. If the instrument's playing length, or string length from nut to bridge, is equal to that of an ordinary full-scale violin; i.e., a bit less than , then it may be properly termed a violin. Some such instruments are somewhat longer and should be regarded as violas. Violins with five strings or more are typically used in jazz or folk music. Some custom-made instruments have extra strings which are not bowed, but which sound sympathetically, due to the vibrations of the bowed"
"Viola da terra The Viola da terra is a stringed musical instrument from the Portuguese islands of the Azores. It may have either 12 strings arranged in 5 courses, or 15 strings, arranged in either 5 or 6 courses. The strings are made of metal. The viola da terra is constructed of wood with a traditional guitar ""hourglass"" shape for the body, a fretted neck, and headstock supporting the tuners. Traditionally the viola da terra had wooden friction pegs inserted from behind the headstock (see illustration), rather than the ""watch-key"" mechanism used on Portuguese instruments such as the Guitarra Portuguesa."
"instruments, Hutchins designed a viola about longer than the regular viola, intended to be played vertically like a cello. (Despite Hutchins's original intention, a few violists have played her viola horizontally.) The fundamental acoustic principle underlying the vertical viola is that the main body resonance (resonance of the wood of the instrument) should match the second-highest string, and the main cavity resonance (resonance of the air the instrument contains) should match the third-highest string. On a viola these strings are D and G, respectively. The standard viola is too small to achieve this matchup of string frequency to resonance frequency."
"all versions of the instrument has the prefix of octa- which refers to the tuning of each set of double strings. Today it is most commonly found in the local variant of the rondalla, a hispanic string orchestra. The Octavina has a set of 14 strings ( in 6 courses: 6th-single, 5th-double, 4th-double, 3rd-triple, 2nd-triple and 1st-triple.It is numbered starting from the bottom. It is tuned similarly to that of the bandurria, but one octave lower, giving: Formed like a guitar with in most cases, a figure eight-shaped body and a round sound hole, the Octavina has a shorter neck,"
"Viola organista The viola organista is a musical instrument designed by Leonardo da Vinci. It uses a friction belt to vibrate individual strings (similar to how a violin produces sounds), with the strings selected by pressing keys on a keyboard (similar to an organ). Leonardo's design has intrigued instrument makers for more than 400 years. But though similar instruments have been built, no extant instrument constructed directly from Leonardo's incomplete designs is known. Sometimes it has been called harpsichord viola by mistake since it's a different instrument. Leonardo designed many different and elaborate models of viola organista, as preserved in"
"Viola Toeira The Viola Toeira is a stringed musical instrument from Portugal. It has 12 strings in 5 courses. The strings are made of steel. It is tuned A3 A3 A2, D3 D3 D2, G3 G2, B3 B3, E3 E3. The name of the instrument comes from the strings used on the third course – ""toeiras"". It is characterized by having a standard or small neck-to string-length ration, high bridge position, oval soundhole and headstock with an open design. The viola toeira is a larger version of the viola braguesa. The body of the Viola Toeira is slender in shape,"
"and debuted at the NAMM Show that year, in Anaheim, California. The musician Björk uses this instrument on the acoustic version of her album ""Vulnicura"" (), in the song ""Black Lake"". Viola organista The viola organista is a musical instrument designed by Leonardo da Vinci. It uses a friction belt to vibrate individual strings (similar to how a violin produces sounds), with the strings selected by pressing keys on a keyboard (similar to an organ). Leonardo's design has intrigued instrument makers for more than 400 years. But though similar instruments have been built, no extant instrument constructed directly from Leonardo's"
"quotations are: In addition to the solo viola, the score calls for flute (doubling piccolo), oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, percussion (bass drum, tabor, cymbals, and triangle), harp, celesta, and strings (not to number more than 6 first violins, 5 second violins, 4 violas, 3 cellos, and 2 double basses). The eight-part chorus should consist of 20 to 26 singers (six to eight each of sopranos and altos plus four or five each of tenors and basses). The work lasts approximately 20 minutes. The opening bars of the piece, which consist of a duet between the solo viola and the"
"Violone The term violone (; literally ""large viol"" in Italian, ""-one"" being the augmentative suffix) can refer to several distinct large, bowed musical instruments which belong to either the viol or violin family. The violone is sometimes a fretted instrument, and may have six, five, four, or even only three strings. The violone is also not always a contrabass instrument. In modern parlance, one usually tries to clarify the 'type' of violone by adding a qualifier based on the tuning (such as ""G violone"" or ""D violone"") or on geography (such as ""Viennese violone""), or by using other terms that"
"key and style. For the purpose of analysis the music scholar Jane Glover has divided Monteverdi's list of instruments into three main groups: strings, brass and continuo, with a few further items not easily classifiable. The strings grouping is formed from ten members of the violin family (""viole da brazzo""), two double basses (""contrabassi de viola""), and two kit violins (""violini piccoli alla francese""). The ""viole da brazzo"" are in two five-part ensembles, each comprising two violins, two violas and a cello. The brass group contains four or five trombones (sackbuts), three trumpets and two cornetts. The continuo forces include"
"different strings. On bowed instruments, the need to play strings individually with the bow also limits the number of strings to about six or seven strings; with more strings, it would be impossible to select individual strings to bow. (Note: bowed strings can also play two bowed notes on two different strings at the same time, a technique called a double stop.) Indeed, on the orchestral string section instruments, four strings are the norm, with the exception of five strings used on some double basses. In contrast, with stringed keyboard instruments, 88 courses are used on a piano, and even"
"have four strings each, are tuned in fifths (except the double bass, which is tuned in fourths), are not fretted and have four rounded bouts while always having a sound post and bass bar inside. In contrast, the viol family instruments usually have five to six strings with a fretted fingerboard, are tuned in fourths and thirds, often have sloping shoulders, and do not necessarily have a sound post or bass bar. The instruments of the violin family are the most used bowed string instruments in the world today. Although all share a place in classical music, they are also"
"strings. 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 overall, and weigh about . Viola bows may be about shorter and heavier. At the frog end, a screw adjuster tightens or loosens the hair. Just forward of the frog, a leather thumb cushion, called the grip, and winding protect the stick and provide a strong grip for the player's hand. Traditional windings are of wire (often silver or plated silver), silk, or"
"one of the most widely known living cellists, Yo-Yo Ma, is actually owned by the Vuitton Foundation.) Some notable cellos: Cello The cello ( ; plural cellos or celli) or violoncello ( ; ) is a string instrument. It is played by bowing or plucking its four strings, which are usually tuned in perfect fifths an octave lower than the viola: from low to high, C, G, D and A. It is the bass member of the violin family, which also includes the violin, viola and the double bass, which doubles the bass line an octave lower than the cello"
"similar to the baroque guitar. Like most Portuguese violas, it has a typical bridge design in which the bridge and saddle are separate. The strings are first tied round a piece of wood that is glued to the soundboard, and then run over a separate floating bridge that is left unglued. Viola Toeira The Viola Toeira is a stringed musical instrument from Portugal. It has 12 strings in 5 courses. The strings are made of steel. It is tuned A3 A3 A2, D3 D3 D2, G3 G2, B3 B3, E3 E3. The name of the instrument comes from the strings"
"for the lowest-pitched bass strings on viols, and on many other string instruments as well. Viols are fretted in a manner similar to early guitars or lutes, by means of movable wrapped-around and tied-on gut frets. A low seventh string was supposedly added in France to the bass viol by Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe (c. 1640–1690), whose students included the French gamba virtuoso and composer Marin Marais. Also, the painting (1618) by Domenichino (1581–1641) shows what may be a seven-string viol. Unlike members of the violin family, which are tuned in fifths, viols are usually tuned in fourths with a major"
"spans 52 string instruments, melding them together in sonoristic manipulation and counterpoint in a manner which, according to reviewer Paul Griffiths, makes the listener ""uneasy by choosing to refer to an event too terrible for string orchestral screams"". The vertical component of the score is varied, with 24 violins divided into four sections, 10 violas divided into two sections, 10 cellos divided into two groups, and 8 basses in two sections. Threnody's sustained tone clusters and various extended techniques – including a riot of varying vibrato, slapped instruments, playing on the tailpiece and behind the bridge – are matched by"