All About The String Orchestra

Have you ever wondered about a string orchestra? A string orchestra is an orchestra with only stringed instruments, it has the violin, the viola, the cello, and the double bass. Each of these instruments brings something unique to the orchestra.

The violin(to the left) is the main instrument in the string orchestra, there are more violins than any other instruments in the orchestra. They play in the treble clef and have the melody of many orchestral pieces. The violin has a scroll the part of the violin that is curved on the top, under the scroll there is the peg box, under that their is the finger board where the fingers are placed, on the finger board there are 4 strings E,A,D, and G. You tune the violin with either the tuning pegs or the fine tuners at the bottom. The violin is played standing or sitting, the violinist rests their chin on the chin rest and uses the bow or fingers(for pizzicato) The violins are in two groups the first violins and the second violins the first violins often get the melody and the second violins normally support the first violins with rhythm.

The viola looks a lot like a violin but sounds very different and the viola plays in the alto clef not the treble clef. All the parts of the instrument are the same but the viola is bigger by a minuscule amount. The viola almost never plays the melody and always is in the background. The viola plays on the A,D,G and C strings. There are so few viola players out there that it is quite easy to get a scholarship from playing it.

The cello, also known as the violoncello, can sound much deeper then the violin and viola but it can also play as high as the two instruments. The cello plays in the bass clef with the double bass. It Is the medium of all the instruments. You play cello sitting down and to let you play sitting down it has something called an endpin, it is a pin that comes out of the end of the cello and touches the ground. The cello plays on the A,D,G and C strings like the viola, in fact the word cello comes from the Italian word little big viola. The parts of the cello are the same but it does not have a shoulder rest but it has an endpin unlike the violin. The cello plays a mixture of playing the melody and rhythm and is regarded by some, as the best solo instrument with iconic solos like Bach's six cello suites.

The double Bass(Bass for short) is the biggest instrument in the string orchestra. It plays in the Bass clef and is the deepest instrument of the instruments in the string orchestra. The Bass can be played sitting or standing like the violin. It plays on the strings E,A,D and G like the violin but its notes are much, much, much deeper. The Bass, like the cello, has an endpin. The Bass almost always has the rhythm. The cello and the Bass often have the same or similar parts so the cellos and basses rely on each other so they can give the beat to the violin one in a way that sounds amazing.

In the end all these amazing instruments work together to make beautiful musical pieces that have entertained and inspired awe for centuries in the past and will do so in centuries to come.