Music theory Your instrument
Violin, viola, cello and double bass
Open strings, tuning in fifths and fourths, treble, alto, tenor and bass clefs, and how bowed string instruments make sound.
Practise this on its own page: Violin tuner, Reference pitch for tuning, Scale player.
How bowed strings make sound
A bow is a wooden stick with horsehair stretched between its two ends. Drawing the bow across a string makes it vibrate and sound, and it can keep the note going for as long as the bow keeps moving.
Playing with the bow is called arco. Plucking the string with a finger is called pizzicato.
The end of the bow you hold is the frog and the other end is the point. A down bow moves from frog to point, and an up bow moves from point to frog.
Open strings and tuning
Each instrument has four strings. The violin, viola and cello are tuned a perfect 5th apart, while the double bass is tuned a perfect 4th apart.
The viola and cello use the same note names, C G D A, with the cello an octave lower.
| Instrument | Open strings | Tuned in |
|---|---|---|
| Violin | G3 D4 A4 E5 | 5ths |
| Viola | C3 G3 D4 A4 | 5ths |
| Cello | C2 G2 D3 A3 | 5ths |
| Double bass | E1 A1 D2 G2 | 4ths |
Clefs for each instrument
The alto clef puts middle C on the middle line of the stave. Cello music moves into tenor clef as it gets higher, and into treble clef when it is very high.
| Instrument | Clef(s) | Sounds |
|---|---|---|
| Violin | Treble | As written |
| Viola | Alto | As written |
| Cello | Bass, plus tenor and treble for high notes | As written |
| Double bass | Bass | An octave lower than written |
The double bass is an octave transposer
Double bass music is written an octave higher than it sounds. Its open strings sound E1, A1, D2 and G2, but they are written an octave higher on the bass stave.
This keeps the music on the stave and easier to read.
Practice tips
General tips teachers often give:
- Tune carefully before every practice, or ask an adult or teacher to help at first.
- Practise open strings with long, slow bows to build a steady, even sound.
- Use a mirror to check that your bow stays straight and parallel to the bridge.
- Keep sessions short and regular, and stop if your hands or shoulders feel tense.