Home > Violin Lessons > Blog

3 Interesting Facts about Violin

Violin is one of the most popular stringed instruments besides the guitar. Its distinct shape and playing technique made it a must-have in ancient folklore and it is also the most expensive of all stringed instruments. The Stradivarius violin to be precise is the most expensive in the market not only for its perfect lovable tone, but also because it has been here longer than every person living today; since the 16th century. Violin has several interesting facts especially since it is a vintage musical instrument. Despite being the most expensive stringed instruments, violin are still considered low class particularly because they were originally made by hand and learned by listening to the tones produced. Nonetheless, here are 3 interesting facts you may not know about the violin.

1) The violin’s bow is made of horsehair

All violins come with bows made of horsehair which is quite interesting considering all the other possible alternatives that could last longer. In order to prevent these horsehairs, and there are several (about 200) of them, from breaking, you may need to constantly tighten or loosen them. If you do not keep adjusting them each time you want to play the instrument, they will get damaged much quicker. Rosin is also added to the horsehair to produce the perfect tone you hear from the instrument’s vibrations. Some also come with nylon strings

2) Playing violin can help you lose weight

According to scientific research study, playing a violin burns approximately 170 calories and this is only in one hour. Having this in mind, you should probably quit the gym and start practicing violin. You will not only learn how to play a popular musical instrument, but will also shed off some extra fat in the process. Nonetheless, you still need the gym for a toned frame and abs which violin won’t give you if you played for 10 hours straight.

3) They were originally made of sheep gut

The modern violins you find today are quite complex and versatile, having been made from more than 70 different wood pieces. However, this popular instrument was first made using sheep gut or catgut as they are commonly known. The sheep gut was stretched, dried then twisted to form the strings. Nonetheless, those days are long gone as the materials evolved to solid steel, then stranded steel and then synthetic materials.

The violin has made history in many different ways and times. Not only is there one costing some $18 million, there is a record for cycling backward while playing violin which took 5 hours and 8 seconds to complete 60.45km . In Italy, they call it the “kit” for no apparent reason while early Latin named it “vitula” for stringed instrument where the name actually originates from. Ultimately, there is much more to love about violins!

For more questions, contact us at info@willanacademy.com or 646-838-3990. Willan Academy of Music offers singing lessons, guitar lessons, and more in NYC, including Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens.