Violin intonation on the harmonics), losing the desired tone, brilliance and intonation. String longevity depends on string quality and playing intensity. A violin is tuned in fifths, in the notes G, D, A, E. The lowest note of a violin, tuned normally, is G, or G below middle C. (On rare occasions, the lowest string may be tuned down by as much as a fourth, to D.) The highest note is less well defined: E, the E two octaves above the open string (which is tuned to E) may be considered a practical limit for orchestral violin parts, but it is
Viol for the lowest-pitched bass strings on viols, and on many other string instruments as well. Viols are fretted in a manner similar to early guitars or lutes, by means of movable wrapped-around and tied-on gut frets. A low seventh string was supposedly added in France to the bass viol by Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe (c. 1640–1690), whose students included the French gamba virtuoso and composer Marin Marais. Also, the painting (1618) by Domenichino (1581–1641) shows what may be a seven-string viol. Unlike members of the violin family, which are tuned in fifths, viols are usually tuned in fourths with a major