A violin is a stringed musical instrument that belongs to the violin family alongside the cello and viola. It is the smallest member of this family of stringed musical instruments.
Colloquially known as a fiddle, violins come in various sizes enabling musicians of any age to find a size that they will be most comfortable with. Sizes that are suitable for kids, from three years of age and up, are referred to as fractional sizes.
How Big is a Violin?
As mentioned, violins come in various sizes but a full size model, one that is mostly used by adult musicians is a 4/4 violin. This one typically has a body length of 14 inches and a total length of 23.5 inches, with a width of about 7.5 inches.
Now, there are basically eight violin sizes; so apart from the full size there are seven other sizes that you may want to consider. Following the full size violin is the 3/4 violin which has approximately 13 inches of body length, a total length of 21.75 inches and is 7 inches wide.
After this comes the 1/2 violin. This one has a body length of 12.5 inches, total length of 20.5 inches and a width of 6.75 inches.
Next comes the 1/4 violin, which is about 11.5 inches in body length with a total length of 18.75 inches and a width of 6 inches. The 1/8 violin on the other hand has a body length of 10.25 inches, total length of 17.25 inches and is 5.5 inches wide.
The last two sizes are the 1/10 and 1/16 violins. The former has a body length of 9.25 inches, total length of 16 inches and a width of 5 inches; while the latter has a body length of 8.25 inches, total length of 14.5 inches and is 4.45 inches wide.
There is a special size not included in the above-given sizes. This is the 7/8 violin which is mostly custom-made for women with smaller frames who want to play an adult violin.
Simply put, they want to have the exact sound quality that an adult violin produces but want the violin a bit smaller so they can comfortably play music with it.
A 7/8 violin has a body length of approximately 13.5 inches, a total length of 22.5 inches and a width of about 7.25 inches. From these measurements, one can see that the differences between the full size violin and this type are minimal.
What Size is Recommended for Younger Kids?
If women or smaller-framed musicians have the 7/8 violin, children three years of age and under also have their special violin size. This is the 1/32 violin and is the smallest of the lot.
On the other hand, if your kids are already comfortable with playing the violin, you may also get them the 1/16 version which is also recommended for kids three years of age and under.
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