viol
Also known as gamba (family of viols), viola da gamba (family of viols)
The viola da gamba (), or viol, or informally gamba, is a bowed and fretted string instrument that is played (i.e. "on the leg"). It is distinct from the later violin, or ; and it is any one of the earlier viol family of bowed, fretted, and stringed instruments with hollow wooden bodies and pegboxes where the tension on the strings can be increased or decreased to adjust the pitch of each of the strings. Although treble, tenor and bass were most commonly used, viols came in different sizes, including (high treble, developed in 18th century), treble, alto, small tenor, tenor, bass and contrabas
Key facts
- Instrument.name
- Viola da gamba
- Instrument.names
- gamba (informal)
- Instrument.image
- File:Viola Da Gamba Front and Side.png
- Instrument.background
- string
- Instrument.hornbostel_sachs
- 321.322-71
- Instrument.hornbostel_sachs_desc
- Composite chordophone sounded by a bow
- Instrument.developed
- Late 15th century from the vihuela
- Instrument.related
- Arpeggione Bass guitar Byzantine lyra Guitar Lute Vihuela Violone
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Wikidata facts
- Image
- GambeUilderks.png
Show 1 more fact
- P8168
Article
17 sectionsContents
- History
- Construction
- Viol bows
- Different versions
- Tuning
- Treatises
- Popularity
- Modern era
- New compositions
- Electric instruments
- Similar names and common confusions
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Sources
- Further reading
- External links
The viola da gamba (), or viol, or informally gamba, is a bowed and fretted string instrument that is played (i.e. "on the leg"). It is distinct from the later violin, or ; and it is any one of the earlier viol family of bowed, fretted, and stringed instruments with hollow wooden bodies and pegboxes where the tension on the strings can be increased or decreased to adjust the pitch of each of the strings. Although treble, tenor and bass were most commonly used, viols came in different sizes, including (high treble, developed in 18th century), treble, alto, small tenor, tenor, bass and contrabass (called ).
These members of the viol family are distinguished from later bowed string instruments, such as the violin family, by both appearance and orientation when played—as typically the neck is oriented upwards and the rounded bottom downwards to settle on the lap or between the knees.