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Violin
The violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings usually tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola, cello and double bass. One produces sound from a violin by either drawing a bow across one or more strings or plucking the strings. The violin is played by musicians in a wide variety of musical genres, including Baroque music, classical, jazz, folk, rock and roll and has come to be played in many non-western music cultures all over the world.
Viola
The viola is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello. The casual observer may mistake the viola for the violin because of their similarity in size, closeness in pitch range and nearly identical playing position. However, the viola's timbre sets it apart. Its mellow, rich and dark-toned sonority is more full-bodied than the violin and is frequently used for playing inner harmonies.
Cello
The cello is used as a solo instrument in chamber music and as a member of the string section of an orchestra. It is the second largest bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with the double bass being the largest. The cello is most closely associated with European classical music and has been described as the closest sounding instrument to the human voice. The instrument is a part of the standard orchestra and is the bass voice of the string quartet, as well as being part of many other chamber groups. A large number of concertos and sonatas have been written for the cello. The instrument is less common in popular music, but is sometimes featured in pop and rock recordings.
Double Bass
The double bass, also called the contrabass or upright bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra. The name, "double bass," derives from the early use of the instrument to double an octave lower (where possible) the bass part that was written for the cello. It is a standard member of the string section of the symphony orchestra and smaller string ensembles in Western classical music. In addition, it is used in other genres such as jazz, 1950s-style blues and rock and roll, rockabilly, bluegrass, Afro-Cuban, salsa and tango.
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