String instruments: plucked, bowed and strummed

How a string makes a note

When a string is pulled and let go, it shakes back and forth. Three things decide its note: how long it is, how tight it is and how thick it is. A short, tight, thin string sounds high. A long, loose, thick string sounds low.

Most string players change the note with their fingers. Pressing a string down on the neck makes the part that can shake shorter, so the note goes up. That is why a violin player slides their fingers up and down one string to play many notes.

The hollow body is a loudspeaker made of wood. The string shakes the bridge, the bridge shakes the body, and the air inside the body helps push the sound out into the room.

The violin family

The four bowed instruments of the orchestra are really one family in four sizes. A bow is a stick strung with horsehair. Drawing it across a string makes the string vibrate for as long as you keep bowing.

Violin

The smallest and highest. Four strings tuned G D A E, held under the chin.

Viola

A little bigger than a violin, with a darker sound. Strings C G D A.

Cello

Played sitting down, resting on the floor. Strings C G D A, an octave lower than the viola.

Double bass

The biggest and lowest, so tall that the player stands or sits on a stool. Strings E A D G.

Plucked and strummed strings

Some string instruments are played with the fingers or a pick. A plucked note dies away on its own, which gives these instruments their quick, sparkling sound.

Acoustic and classical guitar

Six strings, tuned E A D G B E from the lowest. Metal frets on the neck mark where to press.

Electric guitar and bass

A pickup turns the shaking of the strings into electricity, and an amplifier makes the sound louder. The bass has four thick strings tuned E A D G.

Ukulele

A small four-string instrument that became famous in Hawaii, usually tuned G C E A.

Harp

A big triangle of strings played with both hands. A concert harp usually has 47 strings and seven pedals that change the notes.

Plucking and bowing in the music

In music, "arco" means play with the bow, and "pizzicato" means pluck the string with a finger. A violinist can switch between them in the middle of a piece. You can find both words in the lesson on Italian music terms.