Vibrato would have to sound different. The subtle tempering of intervals that we subconsciously do would be impossible. Any makers reading this? You guys now want to start learning to place frets with the required mathematical precision? String lengths would all have to be the same, and the bridge position couldn't be altered.
Only factories would make them and probably not luthiers. Beginners learning this way would likely be unable to transition and give up in frustration when faced with a fret less fingerboard. And if they did continue on their fretted VSO, they would never be able to produce the uniquely expressive qualities of a fretless instrument, the very sounds that inspired them to want to play the violin in the first place.
Digital auto-everything photography, driverless cars, microwave breakfast sandwiches--where does it end? Motorized scooters for people who didn't have time to train for the marathon? Even the disk clavier pianos that play themselves utterly mystify me. Whatever is the point? Must we democrititize and eliminate the challenges for everything? In a couple of generations, humans will have no skills whatsoever. I played with my friend's guitar for the first time, I was very confused by the fact that my fingers go in between the frets rather than on the fret.
I could never get used to the guitar because of the fret, I'd see the similar problem if I were to switch from fret to no fret. Also some that are low profile just as a guide. If you have played for years without frets then they do feel awkward.
I'm sure it would be different for a beginner. Actually it's just a loaner from my brother so that we can see how it goes. We made it easy on her: It's fretless and short scale.
It's a Fender Mustang with the frets removed. We're working on "Killer Joe" with me on piano. Plucking the strings with her right hand is harder than stopping the notes with her left. She was able to adapt to the stringing in fourths and the positions of the notes pretty easily. Because the fret slots are filled, they're a different color which is kind of like having tapes on your violin. The modern player piano, Scott, is what one would call a quaint novelty.
That description should be sufficient to explain its popularity. I think it's obvious that guitarists are ahead on harmony.
Yes we play a few chords awkwardly but really, you try playing jazz chords on the violin. That was my reason for experimenting with frets as I'm a jazz player and want to understand harmony on my instruments layout. I don't really see it as a dumbing down - lets face it only a very few people will actually use them. It's not something I plan to use apart from for my own chord work but I have a couple of mature students with busy lives who would appreciate saving a few years.
Don't feel threatened - people may look at you in awe even more for playing fretless!! I can't speak for every fretted violin but I don't know how many times I have to say that on at least the fingerboard I've tried it doesn't really affect anything.
You do not hear the discreet steps - you can slide and I would defy you to hear a difference. You can even play quarter tones. I really think this and every other criticism of deviation is based in fear of losing something traditional and precious. I'm not saying it's better or should replace fretless fingerboards, just that everything has its place.
And it's more difficult for a violin to play a bass line along with a treble melody than it is for a guitar. I also wonder if the tuning of guitar strings may make some chords easier. My impression is also that guitarists are more willing to tune to non-standard tunings. Although fiddle players do that at times, it doesn't seem nearly as common to me.
The non-standard tunings on a violin, though, do make it easier to play certain chords and probably harder to play others. But the disadvantage to frets, as I see it, is that fretted instruments always seem to be subtly out of tune.
I don't play guitar myself, but my husband does -- and he is a stickler for being in tune. When I'm off on pitch on the violin, it's not the violin's fault.
I could, theoretically, get that note in tune by a slight move. But on the guitar, he's kind of stuck because of the frets. Well, he could bend the note into tune, but that's kind of another step. And I suspect it's not that easy or he'd do it.
I also wonder if the short scale length of the violin fingerboard would make it even harder to get the fret in the right place -- and the frets might have to be a lot thinner to get the pitches exactly right. I know it's accomplished on mandolins, but I wonder if the tolerance for sloppiness of pitch is a lot higher on mandolin because it's a plucked instrument.
The note is always going to be out of tune anyway because the string is either bent out of position or trying to find its way back, but the actual length of the note is fairly short so the pitch variance isn't noticeable. I just find it a lot easier to play the notes on a violin than I do on a mandolin, particularly when I move out of first position. The frets seem bulky. I started on mandolin, btw, so it's not because I was more used to the violin when I tried the mandolin. I play pretty decent lead guitar for certain genres, and I know all the chords, except them crazy jazz chords.
I've been obsessed with the violin since I started. Frets on a violin It is a magical, mystical instrument beyond compare, perfect just the way it is. I've got an old barcus berry, action is a bit lower than average and it plays really fast and easy, even without frets. If you wait until you hear something is out of tune to adjust, then your audience will hear that you play out of tune. Using your other two available senses to provide some support to ensure that the next note you play is going to be in tune is just an effective use of information, not an extremist approach where one only uses a single sense to solve a problem.
I don't think frets for the higher positions is a good enough trade off for frets in the lower positions. The first fret from the nut would be just under 20mm. By the time one reaches starts the third octave, the fret spacing would be around 5mm and decrease rapidly from there. I think one might have been Moby Dick but I could be wrong as its been a couple of years since I have watched them.
They are surprisingly different and wonder if he was the first musician to bow a guitar. How exotic! Really, this isn't like fretless electric bass vs "normal" bass-while both are viable, and still essentially both a bass. Frets are not just there to make playing easier. Guitarist found that there was more sustain on the note when the note was fretted as opposed to a fretless neck or the original use of gut frets. A guitar is string is played by strumming or plucking and produces a percussive sound that has a limited length once released.
The short answer is no; violins do not have frets. Your email address will not be published. Home » String instruments » Violins. Here, we can give a simple explanation why viloins don't have frets and give some advice on unique bowing techniques. By Alecia Steen Alecia Steen. In addition to being a private violin teacher, Alecia started writing music-related articles 3 years ago and has been enjoying this experience greatly. Loves quilting and scrapbooking in her free time. Marcus Marcus. Marcus has a vast experience in digital audio and sound design.
Thanks to his knowledge, he actively helps musicians with technical problems, improving their audio quality and even promoting their tracks so that thousands of listeners could enjoy some really good music. Last updated: October 16, At first glance, this is an easy assumption to make. Following a little research, it transpires that some of these instruments, viols, lutes, mandolins, for example, had movable frets. These were made of the same material often animal gut and could be altered to allow for different tunings and production of the tones.
Even though the viol was superseded by the richer-toned, vibrant and erudite violin, the viol did not have the restrictions that it may have appeared to have had. For the lute and possibly even early guitars, the moveable option would have been almost essential for the player to be able to perform in a manner expected of the time. The challenge faced by every student of the violin is quite often where to place the fingers on the fingerboard to produce the correct note; and one that is in tune.
The smallest movement of the finger can cause the most catastrophic results when it comes to tuning. What I have seen teachers of the violin do for the student is to place colored tape or spots at the various positions on the fingerboard to show the student where to place their fingers. Similarly, beginner guitarists are often encouraged to place their fingers close to the frets to ensure they play the correct notes.
The problem for the violinist or viola player , is that the line of sight is not easily directed towards the fingerboard. A guitarist can with a little flexibility, far more easily see the frets and learn by sight as well as feel where their fingers should go. For the violinist, the issue remains. Even if there were to be a violin manufactured with frets they are unlikely to be useful and give the real possibility of the student not being able to find the correct fingering at all let alone play with accurate intonation.
Curiously, a technical advantage brought about by the design of an instrument like the fret can be the cause of a major disadvantage in another. One historical account recalls the famous violin maker Antonio Stradivarius becoming increasingly worried about meeting his monthly quota of completed instruments. Antonio though she was offering feedback on his design of the violin and the rest, as they say, is history. CMUSE is a participant of the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program — it is designed to provide an aid for the websites in earning an advertisement fee — by means of advertising and linking to Amazon.
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