The instruments of the violin family may be descended in part from the lira da braccio and the medieval Byzantine lira.
While the cello (which developed from the bass violin), the viola and the violin are … See more

The playing ranges of the instruments in the violin family overlap each other, but the tone quality and physical size of each distinguishes them from one another. The ranges are as follows: violin: G3 to E7 (practical, notes up to A7 … See more

The instruments of the violin family are the most used bowed string instruments in the world today. Although all share a place in classical music, they are also used to a lesser degree in jazz, electronic music, rock, and other types of popular music, where they are often … See more

The octobass, a larger version of the double bass, is a rarely used member of this family constructed in the 19th century. It is extremely unwieldy to play and thus has not found much acceptance; nevertheless, it can be found in some Romantic-era … See more

• Violin octet, an experiment in part to create an even more homogeneous blend of instruments related to the violin.
• Kit violin
• Tenor violin See more

1. ^ Witten 1982
2. ^ Viola da braccio literally means "viol [played or held] on the arm". Not all members of the family were or are held against the chest or between chin and shoulder, but that some were was enough to distinguish them from the violas da gamba, literally … See more

• Andrea Amati violin, Cremona, ca. 1560 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Violin makers: Nicolò Amati and Antonio Stradivari on the Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, The Metropolitan Museum of Violin See more