THE VIOLIN


Why You Should Play the Violin!


A modern violin and bow lying on a wood surface

History of the Violin


Instruments like the violin that use a bow to produce a sound are called bowed stringed instruments. The Arabian rabab and the rebec, which were popular in Spain and France in the fifteenth century, are thought to be the ancestors of the modern violin.


A rabab against a white background. The sides are decorated with beautiful patterns.

The Rabab/Rubab

The origins of the Chinese erhu and morin khur can be traced back to the rabab, so they are relatives of the violin.


An erhu and bow against a white background. It has a small body and a very long fingerboard/neck.

The erhu

Though the violin came about in the middle of the 1500s, there was a similar looking instrument called the viol. The viol thrived in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and the violin and the viol were both played in the Baroque period.


A picture of a viol against a gray backdrop. It looks similar to a cello, with a short and intricately decorated fingerboard.

The viol

The baroque violin (from the Baroque Period 1600-1750) is recognizable by its shorter fingerboard, pointed bow, lack of a chinrest, and gut strings. It has a distinctive sound, and is still played by period instrumentalists today!


A baroque violin against a gray backdrop. It has a short fingerboard, which is a light colour and decorated with patterns like the tailpiece. Its gut strings are visible against the dark wood of the instrument.

A baroque violin



🧠 Benefits of Learning Music

  • language skills
  • brain development
  • math skills
  • discipline
  • increased coordination
  • development of memory, attention, concentration



Interested in Studying the Violin?


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Coded by Claire Sparrow-Clarke