ARTS and

HUMANITIES
REPORT
(STRINGED
INSTRUMENTS
)
Reporter: Diana M. Manongsong
Apriel Bhoy D. Gracia
[BSBA-FMII-A]
String (stringed) Instruments - provide the basic orchestral sounds. They
produced tones by means of the vibration of a stretched string.

2 Types of String Instruments:

1. Bowed Strings - These instruments produced tone by means of a bow of horsehair

drawn across the strings. It includes violin, viola, violoncello, and double bass.

These have four strings which are made to vibrate by drawing a bow across
them. The hair of the bow is rubbed with rosin so that it will “grip” the strings. The
player holds the bow in his right hand. He stops the string by pressing down a finger
of his left hand at a particular point on the finger board, thereby leaving a certain
portion of the string free to vibrate.

Violin
 the highest member of the string section of
the orchestra.
 preeminent in lyric melody, and capable of
brilliance and dramatic effect.
 it has a wide range of tones which can be
sustained indefinitely.
 it can be played very quietly or loudly; very
slowly or extremely fast

Viola
 Viola is slightly larger than violin.
 strings are longer, thicker, and heavier; and
is lower in range.
 used more for harmony than for melody.
 Violoncello
-properly known as cello, is much longer than
viola.
-lower in range than viola and the strings are
thicker and heavier than those of the viola.
-the bow is shorter and heavier, and the
instrument has to be held between the knee of
a seated performer.
-notable for its rich and romantic tone.
-if the violin is the soprano of the string
section, and the viola is the alto, then the cello
is the tenor.

Double Bass
-also known as Contrabass.
-the largest member of the string family.
-it rest upon the floor, and the performer stands
to play it.
-it is the lowest in range of the string group

2. Plucked Strings - although instruments of the bowed string class can produce tone
by plucking the strings (pizzicato), the plucked string instruments produce tone solely
by this means. The player plucks the strings either with his fingers or with a plectrum
held in his hand.

O
 Classical Guitar and Electric Guitar

The Guitar Family seems to be the most popular stringed instrument today. It
varies considerably in shape, and in the number of is strings, but basically, it consists
of a finger board with frets (narrow, metal cross strips), attached to a light wooden
body with flat top and back. It is seldom used in orchestra but is nowadays a part of
jazz bands. This instrument is associated mostly with dance band instrumentation and
popularly used as an instrument to accompany the singing of folk songs as well as
popular songs.

Classical Guitar - also called Spanish guitar, is a member of the guitar family used
in classical music and other styles.

Electric Guitar - a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at

typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more
pickups to convert the vibration of its strings into electrical signals, which ultimately
are reproduced as sound by loudspeakers.