An Introduction to the Parts of a Violin

1. An Introduction to the
Parts of a Violin
Mark Prince Superintendent

2. An
Introduction to
the Parts of a
Violin
 For the last 15 years, Mark Prince has worked in a variety of
educational roles, including as interim superintendent at Gill-
Montague Regional Schools and as a principal throughout Rhode
Island and New York. Mark Prince currently works as
superintendent of Framingham Public Schools in Massachusetts.
Outside of his educational responsibilities, Mr. Prince maintains
interests ranging from playing basketball to practicing the violin.

3. An
Introduction to
the Parts of a
Violin
 The first step when learning the violin is to become familiar with
various parts of the instrument. The scroll and tuning pegs, or
pegbox, are important pieces of the violin found at the top of the
instrument. While the scroll serves mostly aesthetic purposes, the
tuning pegs secure the strings and allow individuals to change the
tone of the instrument by tightening or loosening the pegs. The
strings run down from the scroll and pegbox along the neck of the
violin over the bridge to the fine tuners and tail piece. Despite the
name, fine tuners do not serve a similar function to the tuning
pegs. Instead, they secure the violin’s strings to the instrument’s
body. Amateur violinists should seek out instruments with four
fine tuners, as it reduces the likelihood of breaking a string.

4. An
Introduction to
the Parts of a
Violin
 The chinrest is located adjacent to the fine tuners and tail piece.
As the name suggests, the chinrest allows players to balance their
head against the instrument as they play. This allows the playing
hand to move up and down the neck while pressure applied by the
chin keeps the violin in place. The body of a violin is separated into
the upper bout, waist, and lower bout, with the waist and lower
bout housing the F holes. A violin’s sound and volume resonate
primarily from the F holes.