String Instruments Facts & Worksheets

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A string instrument is a type of musical instrument that produces sound by vibrating strings. These strings are typically made of materials such as nylon, steel, or gut. When the strings are plucked, bowed, or struck, they create vibrations that resonate through the body of the instrument, producing audible sound waves.

See the fact file below for more information on String Instruments, or you can download our 37-page String Instruments worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

CLASSIFICATION

• Chordophones are the term used in musicology for string instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs concept of musical instrument categorization, it is one of the five major divisions of instruments.
• Hornbostel-Sachs categorizes chordophones into two groups: those without a resonator as a fundamental instrument component (classification number 31, also known as simple) and those with such a resonator (classification number 32, also identified as composite). 
• The piano and harpsichord are in the first category, whereas most Western instruments are in the second.
• The criterion used by Hornbostel and Sachs to determine which sub-group an instrument belongs to is that if the resonator can be detached without harming the instrument, it is categorized as 31. 
• The thought that the piano’s case, which works as a resonator, could be withdrawn without damaging the instrument may seem strange, yet the piano could still be played if the action and strings were removed from its box. 
• This is not true for the violin since the string travels over a bridge on the resonator box; hence removing the resonator would result in no stress on the strings.
• Curt Sachs further classified chordophones into four fundamental subcategories: “zithers, lutes, lyres, and harps.”
• Stick zithers, like the musical bow, tube zithers, the valiha, raft zithers (where several tube zithers are tied together to form a single “raft,” board zithers), the clavichord, piano, and dulcimer, and long zithers (which are a combination of half-tube and board zithers, like the Se and Guzheng families) are examples of zithers.
• Lutes are stringed musical instruments with a body and “a neck that serves as both a handle and a means of stretching the strings over the body.”
• The lyre features two arms connected by a “yoke” or crossbar and strings between the crossbar and the soundboard. 
• Sachs classified this as a box lyre, similar to the Greek kithara, and a bowl lyre, which employed a bowl on its side with a skin soundboard.
• The harp with strings that run vertically over the soundboard.

EARLIEST STRING INSTRUMENTS

• A cave artwork in the Trois Frères cave in France, dating to approximately 13,000 BCE, portrays what some assume is a musical bow, a hunting bow utilized as a single-stringed instrument. 
• The musical bow gave rise to families of stringed instruments; because each string played a single note, adding strings added new notes, resulting in bow harps, harps, and lyres. 
• This led to the ability to play dyads and chords. Another breakthrough happened when the bow harp was flattened out, and a bridge was utilized to elevate the strings off the stick neck, creating the lute.
• Franz Jahnel stated in a 1965 critique that it is uncertain what the first forebears of plucked instruments were.
• He felt that the harp bow was a far cry from the sophistication of Western Asian civilizations in 4000 BCE, which took primitive technology and created “technically and artistically well-made harps, lyres, citaras, and lutes.”
• Archaeological investigations have discovered some of the earliest stringed instruments in Ancient Mesopotamian sites, such as the Ur lyres, which comprise relics dating back over three thousand years. 
• The development of lyre instruments necessitated the development of technology to design a tuning mechanism for tightening and loosening string tension. 
• Lyres with wooden bodies and strings for plucking or playing with a bow are crucial instruments that hint at later harps and violin-type instruments; also, Indian instruments with 7 to 21 strings have been unearthed from 500 BCE.

RENAISSANCE TO MODERN STRING INSTRUMENTS

• String instrument design evolved during the Renaissance and into the Baroque periods of musical history (1600-1750). 
• Violins and guitars grew more uniform in structure, resembling acoustic guitars from the 2000s. 
• Intricate woodwork and stringing adorned Renaissance violins, while more complicated bass instruments like the band were manufactured alongside quill-plucked citterns and Spanish body guitars.
• String instruments were more readily available through mass manufacture in the 19th century, with wood string instruments playing an essential role in orchestras – cellos, violas, and upright basses, for instance, were now commonly used for chamber ensembles and smaller orchestras. 
• Simultaneously, the 19th-century guitar became linked to six-string models more than older five-string variants.
• The most significant improvements to string instruments in the twentieth century were advancements in electronic instrument amplification and electronic music – electric violins were available by the 1920s. 
• They were an essential element of burgeoning jazz music movements in the United States.
• The acoustic guitar was frequently utilized in blues and jazz. Still, because it was not loud enough to be played as an acoustic instrument, it was usually employed as an accompanying rhythm section instrument. 
• The acoustic guitar played supporting chords in huge bands in the 1920s, but that was not loud enough to play solos, unlike saxophone and trumpet.
• Jazz guitarists could play solos and be heard above a big band thanks to the creation of guitar amplifiers, which featured a power amplifier and a loudspeaker in a wooden cabinet. 
• The electric guitar’s design presented guitarists with an instrument that connects to guitar amplifiers. Electric guitars have magnetic pickups, adjustable volume knobs, and an output jack.
• Larger, more powerful guitar amplifiers known as “stacks” were created in the 1960s. 
• These enormous amplifiers allowed guitarists to perform in vast settings such as stadiums and outdoor music festivals (for example, the Woodstock Music Festival). 
• Along with the growth of guitar amplifiers, a wide range of electronic effects units, many of which were tiny stompbox pedals, were produced in the 1960s and 1970s, allowing musicians to create unique new sounds in the psychedelic rock era.
• In the 1960s and 1970s, advances in electric guitar and bass technology and playing techniques permitted significant breakthroughs in pop and rock music. The characteristic sound of the amplified electric guitar became the focal point of new musical genres such as blues rock and jazz-rock fusion.
• Early heavy metal music extensively used the loudly amplified, severely-damaged electric guitar, using it as a rhythm guitar with power chords and a lead guitar position.
• The continued use of electronic amplification as well as effects units in string instruments, ranging from traditional instruments such as the violin to the new electric guitar, added variety to modern classical music performances and allowed for experimentation in the dynamic and timbre (tone color) range of orchestras, bands, and solo performances.

PLAYING TECHNIQUES

• All string instruments make sound by vibrating one or more strings, which are conveyed to the air via the instrument’s body (or, in the case of electronically amplified instruments, by a pickup). 
• The three most prevalent techniques are plucking, bowing, and striking. They are typically categorized according to how the strings are made to vibrate (or, in the case of instruments where numerous techniques may apply, according to the dominant strategy). 
• The primary distinction between bowing and plucking is that the former is a periodic phenomenon in which the overtones are retained in a precisely harmonic connection to the fundamental.
• Plucking- Plucking is a style of playing on instruments such as the veena, banjo, ukulele, guitar, harp, lute, mandolin, oud, and sitar that involves plucking the strings with a finger, thumb, or quills (today a plastic plectra).
• Instruments generally played by bowing (see below) can also be plucked, a method known as pizzicato in Italian.
• Bowing -Bowing (Italian: arco) is a technique utilized in several string instruments, including the violin, viola, cello, and double bass (all of which are members of the violin family), as well as the ancient viol family. A stick with a “ribbon” of parallel horsetail hairs strung between its ends makes the bow. 
• The hair is rosin-coated to grab the string; sliding the hair over a string generates a stick-slip phenomenon, causing the string to vibrate and the instrument to emit music. 
• Darker grades of rosin cling well in cool, dry conditions but may be overly sticky in warmer, humid conditions. 
• Violin and viola players prefer firmer, lighter-colored rosin versus lower-pitched instrument players, who prefer darker, softer rosin.
• The ravanahatha is an ancient string instrument. The rebab of the Islamic Empires, the Persian kamanche, and the Byzantine lira are the ancestors of contemporary bowed string instruments. 
• The other bowed instruments are the rebec, hardingfele, nyckelharpa, koky, erhu, igil, sarangi, morin khuur, and K’ni. A wheel propels the hurdy-gurdy. 
• The guitar has occasionally been played with a bow (rather than plucked) for unusual effects.
• Striking-Striking the string is the third most popular way of producing sound in stringed instruments. 
• This form of sound generation is used by the piano and struck dulcimer. 
• Even though the piano smashes the strings, the felt hammers make the sound mellow and softened, unlike the brutal assault generated when a strong hammer strikes the strings.
• String instrument players of the violin family are occasionally encouraged to strike the string using the bow’s stick, a method known as col legno. 
• This produces a percussive sound in addition to the pitch of the note. Gustav Holst’s “Mars” motion from The Planets suite is a well-known application of col legno for orchestral strings.
• Other methods- Instead of physically manipulating the strings, some instruments with strings have a connected keyboard that the player uses to press keys to activate a mechanism that sounds the strings.
• These include the harpsichord, clavichord, and piano. Sometimes the strings on these keyboard instruments are manually pulled or bowed. Modern composers like Henry Cowell created music that calls for the performer to reach inside the piano and directly pluck the strings, “bow” them by wrapping a bow around the strings or roll the bell of a brass instrument like a trombone on the collection of strings to play them. 
• Other keyed string instruments that a passerby musician can play include:
• The autoharp, which is played with a pick.
• The nyckelharpa is played with a bow.
• The hurdy-gurdy is played by turning a rosined wheel.
• A magnetic field can be used to play steel-stringed instruments (for example, the guitar, bass, violin, etc.). 
• An E-Bow is a tiny, battery-operated hand-held instrument that magnetically stimulates an electric string to produce a singing, sustained tone resembling a held bowed violin note.
• The third bridge technique involves fretting a string and striking the side across from the bridge.
• Because electronic instruments contain a pickup that amplifies the local string vibration, this technique is mainly used with electric instruments. On acoustic instruments, it is also feasible but could be more successful. 
• For instance, to generate a tone reverberating on the opposite side, a musician would push on the 7th fret of a guitar and then pluck it on the head side. This method produces multitone sounds on electric instruments like clocks or bells.
• Using audio feedback, electronic string instruments like the electric guitar can also be performed without touching the strings. When an electric guitar is linked to a loud, powerful guitar amplifier using a loudspeaker, a high amount of distortion is utilized on purpose, producing a constant high-pitched sound. 
• The guitarist can create sounds without traditional plucking and picking methods by varying the guitar’s distance from the speaker. Jimi Hendrix and others helped make this method prominent in the 1960s. Heavy metal and psychedelic rock both made extensive use of it.

SOME EXAMPLES OF STRING INSTRUMENTS

• Guitar – figure-eight-shaped stringed instrument from the lute family is known as a guitar. It has six strings and frets.
• The dominant hand does the picking or strumming, while the opposite hand applies pressure to the strings and frets along the neck of the instrument.
• Guitars produce sound from their bodies through an electric amplifier or an acoustic resonant chamber.
• The strings, whether acoustic or electric, are the same length and are either composed of metal or nylon. They are available in various thicknesses to produce notes with different tones.
• While electric guitars are made of solid wood, acoustic guitars are frequently hollow and made of wood. Due to the use of magnetic pickups, which transform vibrations into an electric signal that passes via an amplifier, electric guitars are unique.
• Violin – they are another figure-eight-shaped instrument but are significantly smaller than acoustic guitars.
• However, violins, the tiniest instrument with the highest pitch, belong to their own instrument family.
• They need to be finger picked and played with a bow to make a sound.
• A violin, often known as a fiddle, is frequently made of wood with a hollow chamber for its body. Four strings on a violin are commonly set in perfect fifths.
• The shoulder supports the violins and lies beneath the chin of the player.
• Ukulele – A guitar-like string instrument called a ukulele, pronounced OOO-ka-lay-lee, is frequently linked to Polynesian music, particularly Hawaiian music. It belongs to the Lute family and gets its name from the Latin for “jumping flea.”
• Ukuleles have a wooden, hollow figure-eight-shaped body, similar to a guitar or violin. However, a ukulele can also be made from plastic, plywood, and laminate materials. 
• The instrument comes in various sizes and designs, such as squares, cutaways, ovals, and boat paddles.
• Ukuleles also come in various styles, but the soprano, concert, baritone, and tenor are the most popular.
• Based on their unique sizes, forms, and designs, these various varieties offer a range of sounds, frequencies, and pitches.
• Cello – Cellos are enormous four-stringed instruments related to the violin family and tuned to perfect fifths.
• They have a robust yet sensitive sound that is deep and earthy. They can contribute some bass and some treble to a piece.
• They resemble large variations of violins played with both an upright bow and a set of fingers.
• The primary material used in a cello’s construction is wood. However, aluminum or carbon fiber are also frequently used.
• Viola – The sound of a viola is lower and deeper than a violin’s, yet it is higher than a cello’s. It is a member of the violin family of instruments, and the word “viola” is derived from the Italian phrase for “of the arm.”
• A viola is a stringed instrument roughly 16 inches long and has a similar design to the violin.
• A bow or the fingers can control the strings, although other tools can produce a wide range of additional complex sounds.
• Small and large sizes are available, and most have an upper register with a rich tone.
• Double Bass – Due to its size, the double bass has the deepest, lowest sound projection of any stringed instrument. Additionally, as their name implies, they offer a lot of bass.
• Using a bow or picking with the fingers produces its sound.
• Although it’s unclear officially which family the double basses belong to, many people believe they belong to the Violin family. They are made of materials and have a similar structure to cellos, although they are tuned in fourths rather than perfect fifths.
• Banjo – A guitar-like instrument belonging to the Lute family is the banjo. A thin membrane of substance covers the cavity’s circumferential rim.
• This frame, which resembles a drum head nearly exactly, is where the music comes from. Banjos produce a smooth, traditional tone by rapidly plucking the strings with one or more fingers.
• The instrument may be made of various materials, including but not limited to wood or plastic, with an animal skin membrane.
• The banjo normally has four or five strings; however, some versions have six and are frequently linked to country music.
• Mandolin – The mandolin is one of the Lute family’s most varied and adaptable members. They are plucked with a plectrum with four sets of double strings with a teardrop-like, guitar-like form.
• Mandolin string sets are distinct from other string instruments since each pair has a unified tuning yet uses the same perfect fifths as most other stringed instruments.
• Mandolins come in a vast range of types, sizes, and aesthetics, each with a distinctive sound.
• Harp – One of the first stringed instruments is the harp. They are huge, stand upright, and are members of the Lyre family.
• Fingers are used to pluck the harp’s many rows of strings, which are angled toward the soundboard. Harps are triangular instruments made of wood, some of which have pedals.
• Harps stand out from other string instruments in part due to their enchanting, enigmatic sound, which encourages daydreaming. They have a wide range of pitches and tones, including high, low, deep, and light.
• Orchestral String Instruments – String instruments can contribute the majority of the treble to an orchestra’s rhythms, harmonies, and melodies, as well as accents, solos, and effects, depending on the composition.

String Instruments in Orchestras

• Violin
• Viola
• Cello
• Double bass
• Harp

String Instruments Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about String Instruments across 37 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about String Instruments. Some string instruments are played by plucking the strings with their fingers or a plectrum, while others are played by striking the strings with a small wooden hammer or scraping the strings with a bow.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

1. String Instruments Facts
2. Name the Instruments
3. How to Play It
4. Answer This
5. Puzzle Challenge
6. String Subgroups
7. Trivial Pick
8. Indigenous Instrument
9. Stop, Watch, and Listen
10. Famous For
11. Movie Marathon

Frequently Asked Questions

What are string instruments?

String instruments are musical instruments that produce sound by the vibration of strings. These strings can be plucked, bowed, or struck to create musical tones. The pitch of the sound is determined by the length, tension, and thickness of the strings.

What are some examples of common string instruments?

• Violin: A small, high-pitched instrument played with a bow.
• Viola: Slightly larger than the violin, producing a deeper sound.
• Cello: Larger and played while seated, with a rich, resonant sound.
• Double Bass: The largest and lowest-pitched member of the violin family, commonly used in orchestras and jazz ensembles.
• Guitar: A versatile instrument with six strings, played by plucking or strumming.
• Piano: A keyboard instrument with strings that are struck by hammers when the keys are pressed.
• Harp: A large, multi-stringed instrument played by plucking the strings with fingers.
• Banjo: A string instrument with a circular body and a long neck, often used in folk and bluegrass music.
• Ukulele: A small, four-stringed instrument commonly associated with Hawaiian music.

How do string instruments produce sound?

String instruments produce sound when the strings vibrate. Plucking or strumming the strings (as in the guitar or harp) causes the strings to vibrate, creating sound waves that resonate through the instrument’s body and air. In bowed instruments like the violin or cello, the bow, drawn across the strings, causes them to vibrate continuously, producing sound.

What are the main categories of string instruments?

String instruments can be broadly categorized into two main groups:

• Bowed String Instruments: Instruments like the violin, viola, cello, and double bass, where sound is produced by drawing a bow across the strings.
• Plucked String Instruments: Instruments like the guitar, harp, banjo, and ukulele, where sound is produced by plucking or strumming the strings.

How are string instruments tuned?

String instruments need to be tuned to produce the correct pitches. The tuning process involves adjusting the tension of each string to achieve the desired pitch. Standard tuning for the violin family (violin, viola, cello, and double bass) is typically G, D, A, and E, while guitars are often tuned to E, A, D, G, B, and E. Different styles of music and cultures may use various tunings to achieve specific sounds or accommodate different playing techniques. Tuning can be done by ear or using electronic tuners.

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Link will appear as String Instruments Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, July 26, 2023