Bowed string instruments are a subcategory of

string instrument In musical instrument classification, string instruments, or chordophones, are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer strums, plucks, strikes or sounds the strings in varying manners. Musicians play some ...

s that are played by a bow rubbing the

string String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

s. The bow rubbing the string causes

vibration Vibration () is a mechanical phenomenon whereby oscillations occur about an equilibrium point. Vibration may be deterministic if the oscillations can be characterised precisely (e.g. the periodic motion of a pendulum), or random if the os ...

which the instrument emits as sound. Despite the numerous specialist studies devoted to the origin of bowing, the origin of bowing remains unknown.Friedrich Behn, Musikleben im Altertum und frühen page 159

List of bowed string instruments

Violin family

Cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

(violoncello) * Pochette *

Viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

(altviol, bratsche) *

Violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

(violino) *

Double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

(contrabasso) ;Variants on the standard members of the violin family include: * Baroque violin * Cello da spalla * Five string violin *

Hardanger fiddle A hardanger fiddle () is a traditional stringed instrument considered the national instrument of Norway. In modern designs, this type of fiddle is very similar to the violin, though with eight or nine strings (rather than four as on a standard v ...

* Kit violin * Kontra * Låtfiol *

Lira da braccio The lira da braccio (or ''lira de braccio'' or ''lyra de bracio''Michael Praetorius. Syntagma Musicum Theatrum Instrumentorum seu Sciagraphia Wolfenbüttel 1620) was a European Bow (music), bowed string instrument of the Renaissance music, Renaiss ...

* Octobass * Sardino * Stroh violin * Tenor violin

Viol family (Viola da Gamba family)

* Alto viol * Bass viol * Tenor viol * Treble viol ;Variants on the standard four members of the

viol The viola da gamba (), or viol, or informally gamba, is a bowed and fretted string instrument that is played (i.e. "on the leg"). It is distinct from the later violin family, violin, or ; and it is any one of the earlier viol family of bow (m ...

family include *

Baryton The baryton is a bowed string instrument similar to the viol, but distinguished by an extra set of sympathetic but also pluckable strings. It was in regular use in Europe until the end of the 18th century. Design The baryton can be viewed as a ...

* Division viol * Lirone * Lyra viol * Pardessus de viol * Vihuela de arco * Violone * Viola d'amore

Lyra and rebec type

Byzantine lyra The Byzantine lyra or lira () was a medieval bowed string musical instrument in the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire. In its popular form, the lyra was a pear-shaped instrument with three to five strings, held upright and played by stopping ...

* Calabrian lira *

Cretan lyra The Cretan lyra () is a pear-shaped three-stringed Greece, Greek Violin, a traditional Greek musical instruments, musical instrument, central to the traditional music of Crete and other islands in the Dodecanese and the Aegean Islands, Aegean Ar ...

* Gadulka * Ghaychak * Kamancheh * Kemençe * Kemenche * Kemenche (classical) * Lijerica * Pochette * Rabeca *

Rebab ''Rebab'' (, ''rabāba'', variously spelled ''rebap'', ''rubob'', ''rebeb'', ''rababa'', ''rabeba'', ''robab'', ''rubab'', ''rebob'', etc) is the name of several related string instruments that independently spread via Islamic trading rout ...

* Rebec * Shah Kaman

Chinese bowed instruments

* Banhu * Daguangxian * Dahu * Dihu * Diyingehu * Erhu * Erxian * Gaohu * Gehu * Huqin * Jiaohu * Jinghu * Jing erhu * Laruan * Leiqin * Maguhu * Matouqin * Sanhu * Sihu * Tiqin * Tihu * Tuhu * Wenzhenqin * Xiqin * Yazheng * Yehu * Zhengni * Zhonghu * Zhuiqin * Zhuihu

Rosined wheel instruments

The following instruments are sounded by means of a turning wheel that acts as the bow: * Bowed clavier * Donskoy ryley * Dulcigurdy a.k.a. * Drejelire * Harmonichord *

Hurdy-gurdy The hurdy-gurdy is a string instrument that produces sound by a hand-turned crank, rosined wheel rubbing against the strings. The wheel functions much like a violin (or nyckelharpa) bow, and single notes played on the instrument sound similar ...

* Kaisatsuko *

Lira Lira is the name of several currency units. It is the current Turkish lira, currency of Turkey and also the local name of the Lebanese pound, currencies of Lebanon and of Syrian pound, Syria. It is also the name of several former currencies, ...

* Ninera * Organistrum * Tekerő * Viola organista * Violano Virtuoso * Wheelharp

Other bowed instruments

* Agiarut * Ajaeng * Arpeggione * Bowed dulcimer * Bowed guitar *

Bowed psaltery The bowed psaltery is a type of psaltery or zither that is played with a bow (music), bow. In contrast with the centuries-old plucked psaltery, the bowed psaltery appears to be a 20th-century invention. History Violin zither In 1925, a German p ...

* Byzaanchy * Chuurqin * Crwth * Đàn nhị * Đàn hồ * Đàn gáo * Daxophone * Esraj * Fiðla * Gadulka * Ghaychak *

Giga Giga- ( or ) is a metric prefix, unit prefix in the metric system denoting a factor of a Long and short scales, short-scale billion or long-scale milliard (109 or 1,000,000,000). It has the symbol G. ''Giga-'' is derived from the Ancient Greek, ...

* Gudok * Gue *

Gusle The gusle () or lahuta (; related to English ''lute'') is a bowed single- stringed musical instrument (and musical style) traditionally used in the Dinarides region of Southeastern Europe (in the Balkans). The instrument is always accompanie ...

* Haegeum * Huqin * Igil * Imzad * Jouhikko * Kingri * Kokyū * Kobyz * Masenqo * Morin khuur * Musical saw * Neola *

Nyckelharpa ''Nyckelharpa'' (, roughly "keyed fiddle" in Swedish language, Swedish, , plural: ) is a "keyed" Bowed string instrument, bowed chordophone, primarily originating from Sweden in its modern form, but with its historical roots scattered across med ...

* Ravanahatha * Salo *

Sarangi The sārangī is a bowed, short-necked three-stringed instrument played in traditional music from South Asia – Punjabi folk music, Rajasthani folk music, Sindhi folk music, Haryanvi folk music, Braj folk music, and Boro folk music (the ...

Sarangi (Nepali) The Nepali Sarangi () is a Nepali folk instrument. It is a chordophone played by bowing. Traditionally in Nepal, the Sarangi was only played by people of Gandarbha or Gaine, Gaine caste (both contested and interchangeable terms), who sing narrati ...

* Sarinda * Saw duang * Saw sam sai * Saw u * Shichepshin * Sohaegeum * Sorahi * Sorud * Talharpa * Tautirut * Tro sau thom * Tro Khmer * Tro sau toch * Tro u * Umbang *

Vielle The is a European bowed stringed instrument used in the medieval period, similar to a modern violin but with a somewhat longer and deeper body, three to five gut strings, and a leaf-shaped pegbox with frontal tuning pegs, sometimes with a fig ...

* Violoncello da spalla * Yaylı tambur

References

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