Violinist
A
violinist is an instrumentalist who plays the
violin. The terms
fiddler or
fiddle player are also used. In
classical music, the "fiddle" terms are usually used somewhat informally or in a joking manner, but they are more standard expressions in
folk music. In between there are nuances of meaning and usage which are difficult to formalize.
Composer-violinists were common in the
Baroque era.
Sometimes violinists can be identified by a red fleck on the left side of their neck, commonly known as the
violin hickey. This is due to long contact of the corpus of the violin with the neck, which the players normally hold on their left side. To freely move the left hand to press the strings, the violin is mostly only supported by the neck and the shoulder, sometimes using a shoulder rest, sometimes not. Nevertheless, some players do support the instrument with their left hand.
Today, the
Suzuki Method is a common tool for teaching beginning and intermediate violinists basic skills.
Because western styles of music use the violin heavily, violinists have a wide range of music styles to choose from -
Bluegrass,
Country,
Classical,
New Age,
Jazz,
Pop,
Rock, and many other genres of music.
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List of violinists*
Violinists - List and bios of internationally renowned violinists
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Violinist.com - An online community of violinists, including discussion, blogs and FAQ.
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The American String Teachers Association - The largest (nonprofit) community of violinists and other string instrumentalists in the United States. Home of the national
Certificate Program for Strings for violin, viola and cello.
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ViolinMP3.com - Violin Information, MP3, Music Downloads and Webcasts, Violin Literature*
Digital Violin - Electric violinist and acoustic, database of recordings.
