Violin, Hardanger Fiddle
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The Hardanger Fiddle is a folk violin from western Norway. Only the melody strings are played, but their vibrations make the matching sympathetic strings sound as well, giving a pleasant jangle to the tune. The hardanger fiddle most often accompanies singing and dancing at traditional village festivals and events.
| Family |
| Strings |
| Pitch range |
| About two octaves. |
| Material |
| Wood. |
| Size |
| About 23 in (58 cm) long. |
| Origins |
| The earliest example of a Norwegian hardanger fiddle dates from 1651. It was made by Jonsen Jaasted in Hardanger, western Norway. It still retains the elegant shape of a baroque violin, on which it was originally modeled. |
| Classification |
| Chordophone: an instrument that produces its sound by the vibration of strings. |
| And also... |
| There is no standard pitch for the strings of the hardanger fiddle, as there is for the violin : at least 20 different tunings are known. |
