violin![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Four-stringed instrument that the musician plays with a bow and holds between the shoulder and the chin.
nut ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Small piece glued to the top of the neck; its function is to separate the strings and to raise them between the peg box and the bridge.
sound hole ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Each of the openings whose function is to release sound from the sound box.
waist ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Each of the instrument’s side notches in the shape of an inverted C.
peg ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Piece of wood or metal that rolls the end of a string to adjust its tension to obtain the exact note.
peg box ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
The head of a stringed instrument, where the pegs are inserted.
neck ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Slender piece of wood, usually maple, along which the strings are stretched.
fingerboard ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Board on which the player’s fingers are placed to control the length of the vibrating string to determine the pitch of a note.
string ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
String made of gut or metal that is rubbed with a bow; its vibrations are transmitted to the bridge.
soundboard ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
The upper, slightly convex face of the instrument; it has two holes and receives vibrations from the bridge, which it transmits to the sound box.
purfling ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Ornamental strip of wood around the edge of the soundboard and the bottom of the sound box.
bridge ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Piece of wood over which the strings are stretched; it transmits their vibrations to the soundboard.
tailpiece ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Piece of wood to which the bottom ends of the strings are attached.
chin rest ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Slightly concave piece of wood or plastic on which the chin rests to hold the violin against the shoulder.
rib ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Each of the thin pieces of wood that form the sides of the instrument.