Electric Violin vs Acoustic Violin

Summary

Agnes Laurens compares electric and acoustic violins, discussing their historical development, her personal preference for acoustic violins, and the role of electric violins in modern music.

Abstract

The article by Agnes Laurens, a violinist and writer from Bunnik, the Netherlands, delves into the differences between electric and acoustic violins. Laurens expresses her admiration for the traditional acoustic violin, noting its historical significance and its suitability for classical music, particularly in the Western classical tradition. She acknowledges the development of the electric violin in the early 20th century, with its ability to be amplified and used in contemporary genres, but maintains a skepticism about playing classical pieces on electric violins due to the difference in dynamics and sound quality. Despite this, she appreciates the fusion of acoustic and electric violins in modern compositions for orchestra.

Opinions

Agnes Laurens prefers playing the acoustic violin over the electric violin.
She doubts the appropriateness of playing classical music on an electric violin, questioning whether composers like Bach and Beethoven intended their music for such instruments.
Laurens admires the historic craftsmanship of renowned luthiers like Stradivari and Amati.
She is open to and appreciates compositions that integrate both electric and acoustic violins within an orchestral setting.
Laurens encourages readers to subscribe to her mailing list for updates on her writing and thoughts, indicating an interest in building a community around her work.

Electric Violin vs Acoustic Violin

Well, these instruments have been made to be played. I’m not kidding, I like them. I have heard so many opinions about it. I want to clarify how I think about electric violins.

I never have tried an electric violin. The sound is fine, but I don’t think if it is an instrument I should pick up. I think I am not a woman who loves pop music that much to start playing the electric violin.

Differences

Acoustic violin:

There are differences between an acoustic violin and an electric violin. An acoustic violin, which I am playing, is an instrument made from wood. They also called a fiddle. The acoustic violin belongs to the string instruments.

One of the first violins was shown in the 16th-century in Italy. In the 18th and 19th centuries, violin makers believed to make further adjustments to get biggers sounds from the violin.

Stradivari, Guarneri, Guadagnini and Amati families are well-known luthiers working on making great violins, in the 16th to the 18th century. They were busy in the Brescia and Cremona (Italy) area. In Austria, JacobStainer was one of its well-known luthiers.

This is instrument is well-known for the Western classical tradition: chamber music, orchestra and as a solo instrument.

The strings on the violins will be made from gut, Perlon or other synthetic, or steel strings.

Electric violin:

An electric violin has an electric output to hear the sound of the electric violin. You are plugging it in.

In the 1920s in the jazz- and blues scene, the artist Stuff Smith is one of the first ones who adapted the pickups and amplifiers to violins. In the 1930s and 1940s the Electro Stringed Instrument Corporation, National String Instrument Corporation, and Vega Company sold electric violins, later on, there were more companies that sold electric violins.

There are compositions for electric violin and orchestra, so these instruments are coming together. I like that. There is nothing wrong with compositions written for electric violin and orchestra which you hear the acoustic and electric violin together. I love that.

What I don’t understand is that people who are playing the electric violin, are playing classical music on this instrument. I don’t think that Bach and Beethoven want their music to be played on this instrument. You can’t make that proper sound that meant for the acoustic violin. The dynamic is not the same.

Agnes Laurens is a writer. She writes for the local newspaper. Agnes lives in Bunnik, The Netherlands, with her husband and three daughters. Writing is — aside from playing the violin — one of her passions since childhood. She is on Twitter and Instagram.

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