Stringed instruments are musical instruments in which the source of sound is the oscillation of the strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs musical instrument classification system, they are called “chordophones.
History of stringed instruments
The ancient Greek ciphara is considered to be the ancestor of modern stringed musical instruments. It was based on a bow used for hunting and made a slow, fading sound when the bowstring was pulled. Over time, several strings of different thickness and length were used instead of a single string. The next stage was the replacement of the bowstring by a hollow box, which produced a more beautiful sound. As the result of experiments with the shape and size of the box new string instruments of different timbre have appeared: lute, mandolin, psaltery, cymbals, theorba, monochord, guitar…
The way of extracting sound from them also differed. Guitar was played with fingers, while mandolin was played on a special plate, plectrum. Later appeared different sticks and hammers, causing the strings to vibrate. It was this principle that formed the basis of the piano.
And soon the bow was invented: if the strike caused a short sound, then an ordinary stick with a bundle of horsehair caused the string to give a long, long sound. The construction of string and bowed instruments was based on this principle.
Stringed bowed instruments
Violas were one of the first stringed instruments. They emerged as a separate family in the 15th century. Violas are characterized by a gentle matte tone of weak power. They are represented by several varieties: viola, discant, double bass, tenor. Each subgroup is characterized by its own size and, accordingly, the height of the sound. Violas are commonly held upright, on their knees or between them.Having appeared in the 15th century, the violin quickly gained popularity throughout Europe, thanks to its strong sound and virtuoso capabilities. In the Italian city of Cremona, an entire family of violin makers emerged whose violins are still considered to be the standard. These are the well-known families of Stradivari, Amati and Guarneri, who formed the so-called Cremona school. Even today, playing a Stradivarius violin is a great honor for the most famous musicians of the world.
Violin was followed by other bowed instruments – viola, contrabass and cello. They are similar in timbre and form but differ in size. The pitch of the sound will depend on the length of the strings and the size of the body: the contrabass gives a low note, while the violin sounds at least two octaves higher.
Stringed bowed instruments resemble the violet, only with a more elegant shape and round “shoulders”. The double bass is the most distinctive instrument that has sloping shoulders to let the musician reach the strings.
Different bowed instruments can be positioned differently: the compact viola and the violin are easy to hold on the shoulder, but the cumbersome double bass and the cello are placed vertically on the floor or on a special stand.
And one more important fact is that it is the string-and-bow instruments that are usually given the main role in an orchestra.
String plucked instruments
The second subspecies of stringed musical instruments, plucked instruments are solo, often amateur, instruments. The most common among them is the guitar, used in various musical genres from the 15th century to the present day, the balalaika, gusli, domra, and their variants from piccolo to contrabass are also of this type of instruments. They are especially popular in folklore orchestras, less frequently used in symphony orchestras.