First Violins

There are more violins in an orchestra than any other instrument. Violins are played by drawing a bow across the strings, which causes the strings and the wood of the violin to vibrate.

The violins are divided into two groups - ‘first violins’ and ‘second violins’. The first violins generally play the highest line, which means they often have the melody. Their music can be very tricky.

The first violinist sitting closest to the conductor is the ‘leader’ or ‘concertmaster’ of the orchestra. They are like the team captain and help everyone to play together. They stand at the beginning of a performance which signals the oboe to play the note ‘A’ which allows the orchestra to tune their instruments. Once every instrument is in tune, the conductor begins the concert.