Difference Between Violin and Fiddle - The Words Are Interchangeable

In history there have been many differences between violin and fiddle but now the two are becoming one and the same. Although that will depend on the person that you talk to. Some violinists will be offended if you tell them that they have a fiddle because it is deemed as a lesser instrument.

However the real difference between violin and fiddle is the music that is played. Fiddlers play fiddle and folk music whereas violinists will play classical music. The two types of music are inherently different and have completely different sounds. Many people now learn both types of music so the gap between the two names shortens even more.

However, the main difference really is due to the history of the two types of instruments. Originally, only those who had money could afford a violin due to the way that they were made. Fiddlers could be made from home and were generally played by those who could not read music. Everything was done through the sound or they simply wrote their own tunes to play.

The main cost difference was due to the cost of the strings. Violins traditionally used gut strings, which were much more expensive but easier to tune when using the wooden pegs. They gave off a better sound. Fiddles used steel strings, which were not so great for the use with the wooden pegs on a violin and they gave a much poorer sound. These strings are now commonly used with current day violins and the tuning mechanism was adapted to add fine tuners to help combat that problem.

Another difference with the look could be the bridge. Because fiddle music generally uses many double stops – which is when two strings are played at the same time – it has lead to finding ways to make this easier. The lowering of the bridge has helped with this. However, there are many people who play both classical and fiddle music, which has lead to people learning to play double stops without the need to change the look of the instrument.

The difference between violin and fiddle is all to do with the history of the instrument. There were many differences in the past and there was a reason why violinists would not allow themselves to be called fiddlers. However, now, those differences are within the type of music that is being played and the term is very interchangeable.