Violin

The modern Violin is the most widely used and distributed musical instrument in the world. It originated in the 16th century in Italy. The western Violin was adapted to Indian classical music in the last century. The Violin became quickly popular because of its closeness in timbre and range to the human voice. The Violin body is made of wood, and it has four strings that are played with a bow. The Indian Violin is played by sitting in a cross-legged position. Special features of Gayaki such as Meend, Gamak, and Andolan can be produced on the Violin by extensive micro-tones. In India, the Violin is used in both North and South Indian classical music. The ancestor of the Violin is believed to be the RavanHathha in India. The folk instrument, RavanHathha, found even today in India, is an ancient folk instrument, having some similarities with the Violin. Both are played with a bow. The body of RavanHathha is hollow with a single string. The fingerboard is twenty-two inches long, covering three octaves. In contrast, the fingerboard of the Violin is five and a half inches long and covers three octaves in four strings. When one multiplies five and a half by four, it is twenty-two, the exact length of the fingerboard of the RavanHathha.