The history of the fiddle
The history and parts of the fiddle
The violin and the fiddle are the same instrument. When a violin is strung up slightly differently and used to play ethnic or folk music, it is generally referred to as a fiddle. The fiddle has four strings, which, in standard tuning, are tuned GDAE and which are played with a bow, generally made of horsehair.
Because fiddles are small and therefore readily portable, they long ago became the instrument of choice for many ethnic communities throughout the world. Fiddles travel easily, and therefore were a popular instrument for immigrants for centuries. The fiddle is also a quite loud instrument, considering its size, and therefore worked well as a dance music instrument before electric amplification became possible.
In many folk and ethnic music forms, the fiddle is commonly cross-tuned or played in an open tuning, much like a guitar or banjo might be. Open tunings allow a fiddler to play chords while also playing the melody, and therefore get more sound out of the instrument.