These metal strings are not polymers, but there is a type of guitar that uses polymer strings. They even make low guitar strings that are wound with flat steel, nickel or silver "ribbon" like violin strings. Some are wire while the lower strings have a wire core with another wire wrapped around it. These don't have a normal bridge, but electrical contacts that carry the sounds (vibrations) of the strings out to an electronic amplifier and then to speakers. Then there are electric guitars with small solid bodies made from a wood like maple. Guitar bodies can also be made of composites containing carbon fiber. ![]() They have a similar wood body and a sound hole in front, not to mention the bridge that carries the sound of the strings into the wood. Guitars and their immediate family are constructed quite a bit like the violins. Speaking of the hair, there is even synthetic bow hair which can be made from nylon or fiberglass, but it is not considered as good as real horsehair for playing. These materials are light and very strong - well able to handle the tension of the tight bow hairs. There are composites used for the bow stick which are made from glass fiber or carbon fiber. The polymers in the bow also have synthetic alternatives. They are also treated with rosin so that they will have even better friction on the strings to make them vibrate well. These hairs are formed from protein and actually have a microscopic scaled texture which gives them friction against the violin strings. ![]() The bow which is used to vibrate the strings has a shaft made from wood which holds a tight arrangement of horsehair. This revolutionary new design allows the maker to construct a violin from only 20 parts. That's a lot of glue! Recently, a new violin was invented which is molded from a composite containing carbon fiber. In all, a violin has about 70 individual parts. The glue that holds the whole thing together is a tough adhesive made from horse hide - another form of protein. (Spruce is also used for piano sound boards.) The back resonator is made of maple wood. The belly of a violin is usually spruce, which has a density that vibrates well to amplify sound. The strings are held taught by a set of wood pegs, and the fingerboard where the player changes the pitch of each string during playing is also wood - more cellulose! Nowadays strings are made from steel or nickel wire wound with coils of nickel, silver, or aluminum. This stringy stuff is made of tough proteins, and though it was strong and vibrated well, it was very difficult to tune because of its sensitivity to weather and temperature. In the old days the strings were made out of stuff called catgut, which is a strange name, since it was really from sheep intestines. And it's all made possible by cellulose, the natural polymer that makes up wood. All that wood greatly multiplies the sound volume which is further amplified by the sound holes on the front. A wooden bridge carries the vibrations of the strings into the belly (front) of the instrument, and then the sound is resonated back outward by the smooth back panel. The violin, viola, cello and bass fiddle - which make up the strings of the orchestra - are very similar in construction, and all work the same way. And we all know (I hope) that wood is composed mainly of the natural polymer cellulose. Stringed instruments are very dependent on polymers for their sounds, since the vibrations of the strings are amplified by their wood bodies. Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass | Guitar, Mandolin, Lute | Banjo |
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