The art of violin making
first began in Italy. People got the idea of a violin from folk fiddles, which look very
much like musical bows and have up to six strings. When violins were first created they
had a shorter, thicker neck than the present day violin. Nowadays, the violin is usually
made out of well-seasoned maple, and horse hair. Today, it is perhaps the best known
instrument in the symphony orchestra. Because of its popularity, the violin
is often called "the king of the 
orchestra". The violin has
4 strings. The violin is the smallest of the stringed instruments and has a lot of solo parts because of its
beautiful sound. The violin is just as popular today as it was in Bach's time.
The viola
is the alto member of the violin family. It looks like an overgrown violin, but it's
thicker strings produce deeper and more mellow sound. The viola 2 to 7 cm. longer than the
violin. The viola sounds low and darker than the violin because it is tuned lower. In the
orchestra, violas barely ever have a solo. Sometimes the viola takes the lead, but
mostly they play in combination with the other instruments.
