THE SCIENCE AND APPLICATIONS OF ACOUSTICS - H. H. Arnold ...

528 18. Music and Musical InstrumentsFigure 18.16. The harpsichord: (a) its construction and (b) the string-plucking mechanismof a harpsichord.Bowed-string instruments are played by exciting the strings with a bow. Fourmodern instruments of this type, in order of increasing size, are: the violin, viola,violoncello, and double bass (cf. Table 18.3). Figure 18.17 is illustrative of thecomparative size of these instruments. Details and nomenclature of the violin’scomponents (the nomenclature also fairly applies to the other three instruments)are shown in Figure 18.18. The two smaller instruments, the violin and the viola,are generally played with the chin rest tucked under the chin, with the fingerboardcradled in the arch formed between the thumb and the index finger of the lefthand; and the fingers of that hand vary the notes of the strings by pressing themagainst the fingerboard surface. The bow is handled by the right hand. The largervioloncello and the double bass, being much larger instruments, are played heldin a tilted, almost vertical position, between the knees of the seated players, withendpins elevating the instruments from the floor.Table 18.3. Typical Characteristics of Standard Bowed-String Instruments.Typical OverallBowed-String Notes of Tuned Length of Full-Fize Typical Overall Range, NumberInstrument Open Strings Instrument, cm Length of Bow, cm of OctavesViolin a G 3 ,D 4 ,A 4 ,E 5 60 75 >4Viola C 3 ,G 3 ,D 4 ,A 4 70 75 >4Violoncello C 2 ,G 2 ,D 3 ,A 3 124 72 3Contrabass E 1 ,A 1 ,D 2 ,G 2 198 66 3a Smaller violins, as small as quarter size, have been constructed to accommodate small children learningto play. Even smaller ones have been constructed for 2-year-olds learning under the Suzuki method.