# Violins And Fiddles **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 22, 2005, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violins-and-fiddles/322873 "2005-09-22T13:18:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Argo84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b19c9b/32.png) [@Argo84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argo84)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violins-and-fiddles/322873/1 "2005-09-22T13:18:36Z")
I’ve been listening to some bluegrass music lately and would like to find out what the difference is between a violin and a fiddle if any. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violins-and-fiddles/322873/2 "2005-09-22T13:24:23Z")
From what I know there really isn’t any difference. The only difference has to do with the bridge on the instrument. ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violins-and-fiddles/322873/3 "2005-09-22T13:25:54Z")
[http://www.folkofthewood.com/page4779.htm](http://www.folkofthewood.com/page4779.htm) [http://www.google.com/search?q=difference+between+violin+and+fiddle&sourceid=mozilla-search&start=0&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official](http://www.google.com/search?q=difference+between+violin+and+fiddle&sourceid=mozilla-search&start=0&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official) ---
**Author:** ![Argo84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b19c9b/32.png) [@Argo84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argo84)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violins-and-fiddles/322873/4 "2005-09-22T13:31:33Z")
Many thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violins-and-fiddles/322873/5 "2005-09-22T13:55:11Z")
The difference between a violin and a fiddle is the kind of music you play on it. ---
**Author:** ![av8rmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violins-and-fiddles/322873/6 "2005-09-22T15:46:39Z")
Another difference that those sites I clicked on don’t mention is that “fiddlers” generally prefer all-steel strings, which have a “tinny” sound. Classical violinists such as myself use gut or artificial core strings, which have a deeper, more nuanced sound and a different feel. ---
**Author:** ![Jpeg\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@Jpeg\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jpeg_Jones)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violins-and-fiddles/322873/7 "2005-09-22T16:34:03Z")
Classical violist here. I have very little experience with “fiddling”, though. What’s strange about the claim that some fiddlers shave their bridge down “in order to play double stops easier” is that double stops are already easy, no matter how curved the bridge. I mean, any two points can be connected by a straight line (the bow), no matter what the curvature of the bridge. Does that make sense? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violins-and-fiddles/322873/8 "2005-09-22T16:56:00Z")
And the difference between a violin and a viola? [spoiler] A viola burna longer. viola players are the butt-monkeys of orchestral humour [/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violins-and-fiddles/322873/9 "2005-09-22T17:01:40Z")
the difference is that a fiddle is fun to listen to. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violins-and-fiddles/322873/10 "2005-09-22T17:23:18Z")
The difference between a violin and a fiddle is comparable to the difference between a piano and a “pianey,” as in a saloon. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violins-and-fiddles/322873/11 "2005-09-22T17:24:16Z")
No difference at all. I took classical violin lessons. FYI, classical violinists call their instrument “fiddle” more often than they call it “violin,” at least when talking to one another. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violins-and-fiddles/322873/12 "2005-09-22T18:30:39Z")
The instrument is the same. The differences are in the style of playing. Once I picked up a fiddler’s instrument and I noticed that the bow was tightened so much that it had bent backwards. I asked the guy and he said that fiddlers like their bowhairs extra tight so that they can really mash down on them. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violins-and-fiddles/322873/13 "2005-09-22T19:00:05Z")
> [@Jpeg Jones](#): > > What’s strange about the claim that some fiddlers shave their bridge down “in order to play double stops easier” is that double stops are already easy, no matter how curved the bridge. I mean, any two points can be connected by a straight line (the bow), no matter what the curvature of the bridge. Does that make sense? I can understand the use of a less curved bridge in some idioms, where the double stops often involve ‘catching’ open strings above or below the main melodic patterns, particularly when you factor in various non-classical bowing techniques. To further add to the endless partial answers (if anyone hadn’t yet figured out that this is one question which depends on who and where you ask it), there’s instruments such as the Nordic [Hardanger Fiddle](http://www.fiddlemaker.com/hardingfele.html), which are very different from a violin. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violins-and-fiddles/322873/14 "2005-09-22T21:00:18Z")
Not the actual intrument per se, but a serious fiddler is going to use very different rosin than a classical violinist. A fiddler is more likely to use a (cheaper!) more powdery rosin on their bow, while you want something a bit smoother and darker for classical violining. Of course, all of the above is simply player preference, but different rosins will modify the tone quite a bit. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violins-and-fiddles/322873/15 "2005-09-22T21:05:37Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > Once I picked up a fiddler’s instrument and I noticed that the bow was tightened so much that it had bent backwards. I asked the guy and he said that fiddlers like their bowhairs extra tight so that they can really mash down on them. I mentioned bowing action in my earlier post, but I missed that you’d already said this…and yes, you’re right, but the differences are actually even greater. Fiddle-players’ bowing techniques are often fundamentally different from any classical technique, either current or historical. They use the bow in a completely different way, to completely different ends.