Violin

While the violin has had very little usage in rock music compared to its brethren the guitar and bass guitar, it is increasingly being absorbed into mainstream pop wiith artists like Vanessa Mae, Bond, Linda Brava, Miri Ben-Ari, Nigel Kennedy, Yellowcard, Dave Matthews Band with Boyd Tinsley, Arcade Fire, Jean-Luc Ponty and Camper Van Beethoven also independent artists such as Final Fantasy and Andrew Bird have recently increased interest in the instrument. There are several video games for various platforms starring the X-Men. Violins also appear in ensembles supplying orchestral backgrounds to many jazz recordings. In 1996, FOX produced a television movie based on the X-Men spinoff Generation X. Other notable jazz violinists are Regina Carter and Jean-Luc Ponty. James Cameron, director of Aliens and The Terminator, was said to be the most likely director of the films but it never came to fruition. Since that time there have been many superb improvising violinists including Stéphane Grappelli, Stuff Smith, Ray Perry, Ray Nance, Claude "Fiddler" Williams, Leroy Jenkins, Billy Bang, Mat Maneri, Malcolm Goldstein. The first attempts to make a film version of the X-Men began in the late 1980s along with Spider-Man and Hulk films.

The first great jazz violinist was Joe Venuti who is best known for his work with guitarist Eddie Lang during the 1920s. The X-Men also introduced several fictional locations which are regarded as important within the shared universe in which Marvel Comics characters exist:. The earliest references to jazz performance using the violin as a solo instrument are documented during the first decades of the 20th century. Wells, having portrayed to some degree the experience of disfigured people in late twentieth century American society. It is, however, very well suited to jazz playing, and many players have exploited its qualities well. The comics have also featured mutants whose mutation results in physical disfigurement as well as the granting of powers, with the Morlocks, inspired in part by the Morlock characters created by H.G. The violin is used as a solo instrument in jazz, though it is a relative rarity in this genre; compared to other instruments, like saxophone, trumpet, piano and guitar, the violin appears fairly infrequently. Homosexual characters include Northstar, Destiny, and Karma, Anole, with Mystique portrayed as being bisexual.

A string quartet similarly has parts for first and second violins, as well as a viola part, and a bass instrument, such as the cello or, rarely, the bass. Examples of Jewish characters include Shadowcat and Sabra, whilst Dust is a devout Muslim, Nightcrawler a devout Catholic and Thunderbird III and Karima Shapandar are followers of the Hindu faith. Composers often assign the melody to the first violins, while second violins play harmony, accompaniment patterns or the melody an octave lower than the first violins. In addition, characters within the X-Men mythos also reflect religious, ethnic or sexual minorities. Violins make up a large part of an orchestra, and are usually divided into two sections, known as the first and second violins. Long before international characters became popular in the comics world, the X-Men franchise brought in characters from all over the world such as from:. Many leading composers have contributed to the violin concerto and violin sonata repertories. Since Giant-Size X-Men #1 (1975), the X-Men have also become famous for their wide cultural and ethnic diversity.

This may be due to the possibility of vibrato and of slight expressive adjustments in pitch and timbre. Thus, the effects of alienation on one's well-being and psyche are often explored in the franchise. The violin is also considered a very expressive instrument, which is often felt to approximate the human voice. For instance, Cyclops must wear a visor or specialized glasses at all times to keep his powers in control and has thus grown-up emotionally restrained; Rogue, whose mutant power prevents her from establishing physical contact with others, feels an enormous sense of personal isolation and the scientifically brilliant Beast must always fight the perception that he is a monstrous brute due to his furry, animalistic appearance. In the hands of a good player, the violin is extremely agile, and can execute rapid and difficult sequences of notes. This metaphorical content is also present, more personally rather than politically, in some of the characters. The tone of the violin stands out above other instruments, making it appropriate for playing a melody line. Part of the attraction of the X-Men is that it offers a sanctuary to openly explore and celebrate your differences within a unique subculture.

Since the Baroque era the violin has been one of the most important of all instruments in classical music, for several reasons. The mutant "power" that must be hidden from the world is analogous to feelings of difference and fear usually developed in everyone during adolescence. In addition to the skill and reputation of the maker, an instrument's age can also influence both price and quality. Director Bryan Singer has remarked that aside from specific differences of race or sexual orientation, the X-Men franchise has served as a metaphor for acceptance of all people for their special and unique gifts. Nevertheless, instruments of approximately 300 years of age, especially those made by Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesù, are the most sought after instruments (for both collectors and performers). Also the series District X takes place in an area of New York City called "mutant town." These instances can also serve as analogies for any minority within the population that establishes a specific subculture of its own. The majority of old instruments have undergone these modifications, and hence are in a significantly different state than when they left the hands of their makers, doubtless with differences in sound and response. In some cases, particularly in Grant Morrison’s stories of the early 2000s, mutants were portrayed as a distinct subculture with “mutant bands” and a popular mutant fashion designer who created outfits tailored to mutant physiology.

It is still believed, perhaps erroneously, that at the beginning of the 18th century, the violin was built in a way that can be expressed as "perfect." It is commonly asserted that "Never since that time has a major improvement been made to the instrument", but changes have occurred, particularly to do with the length and angle of the neck, as well as a heavier bass bar. It should be noted, though, that issues of class stratification have never been part of the X-Men’s creed. The most famous violin makers, called luthiers, between the late 16th century and the 18th century included:. In the 2000 X-Men film Kelly exclaims "we need to find out who these mutants are and what they can do," even brandishing a "list" of known mutants (a reference to Senator Joseph McCarthy's list of alleged Communist Party members). It is now located in the Ashmolean Museum of Oxford. Senator Robert Kelly's proposal of a "Mutant Registration Act" is similar to the efforts of Congress to effectively ban communism in the United States. "The Messiah" or "Le Messie" (also known as the 'Salabue') made by Antonio Stradivari in 1716 remains pristine, never having been used. Occasionally, undercurrents of the "red scare" are present.

The oldest surviving violin, dated inside, is the "Charles IX" by Andrea Amati, made in Cremona in 1564. The mutant slave labor camps on the island of Genosha, in which numbers were burned into mutants’ foreheads, show much in common with Nazi concentration camps as do the internment camps of the classic Days of Future Past storyline. Needless to say, the violin immediately became very popular, both among street-musicians and the nobility, illustrated by the fact that the French king Charles IX ordered Amati to build a whole orchestra in the second half of the 16th century. In the comic books, Magneto has routinely sought to establish a "mutant homeland" which may be a parallel to modern day Israel. It is said that the first real violin was built by Andrea Amati in the first half of the 16th century by order of the Medici family, who had asked for an instrument that could be used by street-musicians, but with the quality of a lute, which was a very popular instrument among the noble in that time. At one point he even utters the words "never again" in a 1992 episode of the X-Men animated series. By this time the violin had already begun to spread throughout Europe. Magneto, a Holocaust survivor sees the situation of mutants as similar to those of Jews in Nazi Germany.

The earliest explicit description of the instrument, including its tuning, was in the Epitome musical by Jambe de Fer, published in Lyons in 1556. Somewhat more explicitly suggested is the comparison to anti-semitism. Most likely the first makers of violins borrowed from three different types of current instruments: the rebec, in use since the 10th century (itself derived from the Arab rebab), the Renaissance fiddle, and the lira da braccio. The comic books delved into the AIDS epidemic during the early 1990s with a long-running plotline about the Legacy Virus, a seemingly incurable disease similarly thought at first to only attack mutants. The violin first emerged in northern Italy in the early 16th century. Ian McKellen (who played Magneto in the film) was involved. The bow could be recharged by passing it over the collected rosin on the fiddle's belly. In addition, the first film featured a scene in which Senator Robert Kelly questioned whether mutants should be allowed to teach children in school, mirroring such debates as that over Section 28, in which Sir.

The practice of allowing the rosin to accumulate may have originated in times and places when rosin was hard to obtain. This was illustrated in a scene of the second X-Men film, directed by openly gay director Bryan Singer in which Bobby Drake "came out" as a mutant to his parents. Others playing in the same traditions do keep theirs cleaned. Comparisons have been made between the mutants' situation, including the concealment of their powers and the age they realize these powers and homosexuality. Some folk instrumentalists do not clean rosin from the body of the instrument, believing that an accumulation over time improves the tone of their instrument. Another civil rights metaphor applied to the X-Men is that of gay rights. There are now bows available made from fiberglass or carbon composite which are less fragile. He was, wrote Darius, explicitly counter-revolutionary.

When the bow is not being used the hair must be loosened in order to prevent the bow from becoming "sprung" and the hair stretched. In the earliest comics, Xavier expressed no concern with mutant rights but instead focusing on stopping mutant menaces. When so many hairs have been lost that the bow no longer plays well, the old horse hair is replaced with new hair. Sentinels are thought to often represent oppressive forces like the KKK giving a form to denial of civil rights and amendments, Disney's Gargoyles also did this with the Quarrymen. For the bow, the only real maintenance is regular cleaning of the stick with a cloth, and re-hairing. In 2002, comics critic Julian Darius argued in "X-Men is Not an Allegory of Racial Tolerance" that a close examination of early X-Men comics would make Magneto not Malcolm X, but the radical revolutionaries of the Black Panthers. A teacher can advise students how often to change strings, as it depends on how much and how seriously one plays. While this interpretation has become commonplace, it is not without its critics.

Violinists carry replacement strings with their instruments to have one available in case a string breaks. X-Men comic books have often portrayed mutants as the victim of mob violence, evoking images of the lynchings of African-Americans in the age before the American civil rights movement. The tuning pegs may occasionally be treated with "peg dope" when they either slip too freely, causing the string to go flat or slack, or when they stick, making tuning difficult.
. The violin should be occasionally checked by a technician, who will know if repairs need to be made. The X-Men’s purpose is sometimes referred to achieving "Xavier’s dream" perhaps a reference to King’s historic "I Have a Dream" speech. A common wine cork serves admirably, quietly scrubbing off the crust of rosin without damaging the winding of the string. and Magneto to the more militant Malcolm X.

Cleaning the rosin off strings can also make a striking difference to the sound, and should be done regularly. Professor X has been compared to African American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. The bow stick should also be wiped off for the same reason. Also on an individual level, a number of X-Men serve a metaphorical function as their powers illustrate points about the nature of the outsider. If left for long enough, the rosin will fuse with the varnish. The conflict between mutants and normal humans is often compared to the experience minority groups such as African-Americans, homosexuals. Each time the violin has been used, the top and fingerboard should be wiped with a soft cloth to remove accumulated rosin dust. The entire X-Men franchise is built on a sociopolitical undercurrent.

The violin itself requires careful maintenance and it should last and improve for many years. Notable story arcs of this time are "House of M" in 2005, "Wild Kingdom" in 2005, and Decimation in 2005 and 2006. The sound of a violin may be said to "open up" in the first weeks and months of use, a process which continues more gradually over the years. Its conclusion drastically altered the mutant population on Earth, reducing it to a few hundred individuals with all others, including X-Men members, losing their powers. Then the instrument begins the playing-in process, as its parts adjust to the string tension. The mid-2000s have been dominated by the reality-warping changes of the crossover event House of M, which temporarily created a mutant paradise with Magneto as the world's leader. A chinrest may be put on at this time. As well, Cable and Deadpool's books, Soldier X and Agent X, were rolled into one book, Cable and Deadpool.

Vital to the sound and playability of the instrument is setup, which includes adjusting the neck angle if needed, fitting the pegs so they turn smoothly and hold firmly, dressing the fingerboard to the proper scooped shape, fitting the soundpost and bridge, adjusting the tailgut and installing the tailpiece, and stringing up. Several short-lived spin-offs and mini-series started including Gambit, Rogue, District X, Phoenix: Endsong, Colossus: Bloodline and Jubilee. When the body is complete, the neck, carved out of a separate piece of wood (usually maple), is set in its mortise to complete the basic structure of the instrument, after which it is varnished. This period also included the deaths and resurrections, most notably Psylocke and Colossus. The front and back are carved sections which fit the garland of ribs after it is separated from the mould. Decades-long relationships all disintegrated specially Jean Grey and Cyclops. The ribs, flat pieces of wood curved by means of careful heating, are built around the mould, being glued to the blocks. Also memorable villains, most notably Cassandra Nova.

The template is used to construct a mould, which is a thick violin-shaped piece of wood with notches to hold the blocks temporarily glued in place. This period also featured the return of Rachel Summers, now Rachel Grey, Jean Grey's daughter from an alternate future. From these plans a template is constructed, which can be made from thin metal or other materials, and is a flat "half-violin" shape. Notable additions to the X-Men have been X-23, Stacy X, Emma Frost, Xorn and Sage. The outer contour is designed by the violin maker, and today the outlines of the old masters' violins are usually used. Xavier left in order to restore a vague sense of order and stability to the wasted land, leaving Cyclops and Emma Frost as the new leaders of the Institute which now functions as a large-scale school. The traditional approach starts with a set of plans, which include a drawing of the outer shape of the instrument. The bright spandex costumes that had become iconic over the previous decades were gone, replaced by black leather street clothes reminiscent the uniforms of the X-Men movies.

Some composers have used practice mutes for special effect, for example at the end of Luciano Berio's Sequenza VIII for solo violin. Marvel added new series like Weapon X, Exiles, the new X-Force; later retitled X-Statix, New X-Men a teenaged soap opera comic focusing on the lives of the new young mutants at the Institute , Ultimate X-Men, a reinvention of the concept featuring of the X-Men set in the Ultimate Marvel Universe and meant to appeal to new readers, and Astonishing X-Men with writer Joss Whedon.. Such mutes are generally not used in performance, but are used to deaden the sound of the violin in practice areas such as hotel rooms. Morrison left Marvel on 2004 and Xtreme X-Men was cancelled. These are known as "practice mutes" or "hotel mutes". He was soon removed on his two flagship titles in early 2001 and created his own spinoff series, X-Treme X-Men. (The instruction to play normally, without the mute, is senza sord.) There are also massive metal, rubber, or wooden mutes available. In 2000s, Claremont returned to Marvel.

Parts to be played muted are marked con sord., for the Italian sordina, mute. In 1998 Excalibur and X-Factor ended and the latter replaced with the parallel world series Mutant X starring Havok. Attaching a small metal or rubber device called a "mute" to the bridge of the violin gives a more mellow tone, with fewer audible overtones. Marvel launched solo series for characters including Cable, Gambit, Bishop and Deadpool, the last a sarcastic mercenary antagonist of X-Force. The eerie quality of a violin section playing col legno is exploited in some symphonic pieces, notably the "witches' dance" of the last movement of Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique. These included Generation X starring another team of teenage mutants and X-Man starring a powerful young mutant Nate Grey, an alternate version of Cable from the "Age of Apocalypse" reality. This bowing technique is somewhat rarely used, and results in a muted percussive sound. The 1990s saw an even greater number of X-books with numerous ongoing series and miniseries running concurrently.

A marking of col legno (Italian for "with the wood") in the written music calls for striking the string(s) with the stick of the bow, rather than by drawing the hair of the bow across the strings. Notable story arcs of this time are the "The X-Tinction Agenda" in 1990, "X-Cutioner's Song" in 1992, "Phalanx Covenant" in 1994, "Legion Quest"/"Age of Apocalypse" in 1995, "Onslaught" in 1996 and "Operation: Zero Tolerance" in 1997. (The index finger is most commonly used here.) Sometimes in virtuoso solo music where the bow hand is occupied (or for show-off effect), left-hand pizzicato will be indicated by a "+" (plus sign) below or above the note. Notable additions to the X-Men have been Gambit, Forge, Jubilee, and Bishop. A note marked pizz. (abbreviation for pizzicato) in the written music is to be played by plucking the string with a finger of the right hand rather than by bowing. Months later, Liefeld and Lee left Marvel with several other popular artists including former X-Men artists Marc Silvestri and Whilce Portacio to form Image Comics. Various methods of 'attack' with the bow produce different articulations. Claremont left after only four issues of X-Men due to clashes with Lee and the Marvel editors, thus ending his fifteen-year run as X-Men writer.

Suzuki referred to the sounding point as the "Kreisler highway"; one may think of different sounding points as "lanes" in the highway. Internal friction split the X-Men books' creative teams. Dr. The original series of this title having been already renamed to Uncanny X-Men. Playing close to the bridge (sul ponticello) gives a more intense sound than usual, emphasizing the higher harmonics; and playing with the bow over the end of the fingerboard (sul tasto) makes for a delicate, ethereal sound, emphasizing the fundamental frequency.
In 1991, Marvel revised the entire lineup of X-books, creating X-Force led by the mysterious warhawk Cable written by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza and launched a second X-Men series simply called X-Men. The sounding point where the bow intersects the string also influences timbre. This period also included the arrival of the mysterious Madelyne Pryor and the return of Jean Grey.

The two methods are not equivalent, because they produce different timbres; pressing down on the string tends to produce a harsher, more intense sound. A controversial move was to have Professor X relocate to space in 1986 to be with his beloved Lilandra, Majestrix of the Shi'ar Empire, making Magneto the head of the X-Men. The violin produces louder notes with greater bow speed or more weight on the string. Notable additions to the X-Men have been Shadowcat, Rogue, Dazzler, Psylocke, Longshot and Jubilee. The right arm, hand, and bow are responsible for tone quality, rhythm, dynamics, articulation, and certain (but not all) changes in timbre. This plethora of X-Men-related titles led to the rise of crossovers, sometimes called "X-Overs", storylines which would overlap into several X-Books, sometimes for months at a time and usually once per year; including the Mutant Massacre, the The Fall of the Mutants and Inferno. Elaborate passages in artificial harmonics can be found in virtuoso violin literature, especially of the 19th and early 20th centuries. In the 1980s, the growing popularity of Uncanny X-Men and the rise of comic book specialty stores lead to the introduction of several spin-off series nicknamed "X-Books", most notably The New Mutants, X-Factor and Excalibur.

These harmonics are less commonly used; in the case of the major third, the harmonic does not speak as readily; in the case of the fifth, the stretch is greater than is comfortable for many violinists. New characters and teams that were introduced included Kitty Pryde, the Morlocks, the White Queen of the Hellfire Club, Rogue, Rachel Summers and Dazzler/Alison Blaire. The "harmonic finger" can also touch at a major third above the pressed note, or a fifth higher. The run met great critical acclaim and produced the "Dark Phoenix Saga" and "Days of Future Past"; arguably two of the greatest story arcs in Marvel Comics as well as X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills; the base of the 2003 movie X2. Finger placement and pressure, as well as bow speed, pressure, and sounding point are all essential in getting the desired harmonic to sound. The revived series was illustrated by Cockrum and later John Byrne and written by Chris Claremont, who would become the series' longest-standing contributor. Stopping a note on one string and having another finger just touching the string a fourth higher produces the fourth harmonic, two octaves above the stopped note. The "all-new, all-different X-Men" were led by Cyclops from the original team and consisted of the newly created Thunderbird/John Proudstar, Colossus/Piotr Rasputin, Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner and Storm/Ororo Munroe, along with three previously introduced characters, Sunfire/Shiro Yashida, Banshee/Sean Cassidy and, most notably, Wolverine/Logan who would become the breakout character.

Artificial harmonics are more difficult to produce than the natural harmonics described above. Rather than teenagers, this group consisted of adults who hailed from a variety of nations and cultures. There are two types of harmonics: natural harmonics and artificial harmonics. In Giant-Size X-Men #1 (1975), writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum introduced a new team that would appear in new issues of The X-Men beginning with issue #94. Harmonics are marked in music with a little circle above the note that determines the pitch of the harmonic. However, these early X-Men issues failed to attract sales and Marvel stopped producing new stories with issue #66, although a number of the older comics were later reprinted as issues 67-93. A responsive instrument will provide numerous possible harmonic nodes along the length of the string. In 1969, writer Roy Thomas and artist Neal Adams rejuvenated the franchise and introduced two new characters Havok/Alex Summers and Polaris/Lorna Dane.

Each node is at an integer division of the string, for example half-way or one-third along the length of the string. Then take in consideration that their arch Nemisis Magneto was Jewish, who survived a concetration camp and Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver (who would later be revealed as twin children of Magneto) where gypsies, which is a minority in Europe. Instead of the normal solid tone a wispy-sounding overtone note of a higher pitch is heard. Ironically, the team that was suppose to show the extreme horrors of prejudice and racism was mostly "Waspy", which is obvious just by their names. Lightly touching the string with a fingertip at a harmonic node while bowing close to the bridge can create harmonics. Early X-Men issues also introduced the team's archnemesis Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants featuring Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Mastermind and the Toad. This can be an obstacle to a classically-trained violinist wishing to play in a style that uses little or no vibrato at all, such as baroque music played in period style and many traditional fiddling styles. The original X-Men consisted of five teenagers whom the professor taught how to control their powers: Cyclops/Scott Summers, Marvel Girl/Jean Grey, Angel/Warren Worthington, Beast/Hank McCoy, and Iceman/Bobby Drake.

Music students are taught that unless otherwise marked in music, vibrato is assumed or even mandatory. Xavier gathered the X-Men under the cover of Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters at a large country estate at 1407 Graymalkin Lane in Salem Center, a city in Westchester County, New York. Vibrato does little, if anything, to disguise an out-of-tune note: in other words, vibrato is a poor substitute for good intonation. Professor X. Violinists oscillate backwards, or lower in pitch from the actual note when using vibrato, since perception favors the highest pitch in a varying sound. The X-Men were founded by the paraplegic telepath Professor Charles Francis Xavier, a.k.a. While various parts of the hand or arm may be involved in the motion, the end result is a movement of the fingertip bringing about a slight change in vibrating string length. .

Vibrato is a technique of the left hand and arm in which the pitch of a note varies in a pulsating rhythm. Co-creator Lee recalled in his book Son of Origins of Marvel Comics and elsewhere that he devised the series title after Marvel publisher Martin Goodman turned down the initial name, "The Mutants.". While sometimes also called a double stop, it is more properly called a drone, as the drone note may be sustained for a passage of different notes played on the adjacent string. The team's name is derived from the fact that mutants are "extra" powered due to their "X-Factor gene" which was coined by Professor X. Sounding an open string alongside a fingered note is another way to get a chord. This multicultural theme has persisted over the years with more and more characters of different ethnicities and cultural backgrounds constantly being added to the mythos. Sometimes moving to a higher position is necessary for the left hand to be able to reach both notes at once. During the 1970s, the roster was changed to further reflect this multiculturalism adding characters from Germany, Ireland, Russia, Africa and Japan.

Double stopping is when two separate strings are stopped by the fingers, and bowed simultaneously, producing a chord. Later on the philisophies' of Professor X and Magneto would be compared to that of Martin Luther King and Malcom X respectfully. Sometimes the two notes are identical (for instance, playing a fingered A on the D string against the open A string), giving a ringing sort of "fiddling" sound. The X-Men franchise contains a richly diverse cast that is perhaps comics' most multicultural.The book was suppose to be a social reflection on "American Perjudice". Playing an open string simultaneously with a stopped note on an adjacent string produces a bagpipe-like drone, often used by composers in imitation of folk music. Professor X, a wealthy mutant who founded an academy to train young mutants to protect themselves and the world from Magneto and other menacing threats. In classical music, an open string is sometimes considered to make a rather harsh sound and is to be avoided. The X-Men were gathered by the benevolent Professor Charles Xavier, a.k.a.

Other than low G (which can be played in no other way), open strings are usually selected for special effects. This fact is worsened by a number of mutants and most notably the team's archnemeses Magneto and Apocalypse, who use their powers to try to disrupt and dominate the human society. Open string notes (G, D, A, E) have a very distinct sound resulting from absence of the damping action of a finger. It must be noted, however, that not all of humanity fears and hates mutantkind. A special timbre results from playing a note on an open string, or without touching its string with a finger. Ordinary humans, Homo sapiens, often hate mutants, here termed Homo sapiens superior, because of prejudice and the fear that mutants will replace them. Sometimes the composer or arranger will specify the string to be used in order to achieve their desired tone quality. The X-Men are mutants, who in the Marvel universe are humans who, through a sudden leap in evolution, are born with latent superhuman abilities which generally manifest themselves at puberty.

The same note will sound substantially different depending on what string is used to play it. A third X-Men movie is scheduled for release in May 2006. The upper limit of the violin's range is largely determined by the skill of the player, who may easily play more than two octaves on a single string, and four octaves on the instrument as a whole. Its sequel X2 was released in 2003 and became the sixth highest grossing film of the year. Letting the first finger take the first-position place of the third finger brings the player to third position, and so on. The year 2000 saw the debut of following series X-Men: Evolution and the long-awaited X-Men movie directed by Bryan Singer. Moving the hand up the neck, so the first finger takes the place of the second finger, brings the player into second position. Since the 1980s, the X-Men universe has branched into both television and film including one of the most successful Saturday morning programs, X-Men: The Animated Series.

The lowest note available in this position in standard tuning is an open G; the highest notes in first position are stopped with the fourth finger on the E-string, sounding a B, or reaching up a half step to the C two octaves above middle C. The X-Men franchise, with its original stories of youthful alienation in which teens literally are the freaks they often figuratively feel like, has grown to become one of the most popular comic books producing dozens of spin-off series over the years and turning some of its writers and artists into industry stars. First position, where most beginners start (some methods start in third position,) is nearest to the nut, or scroll end, and furthest from the player's face. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, they debuted in X-Men #1 from September 1963, the same month as the premiere of The Avengers. The placement of the left hand on the fingerboard is characterized by "positions". The X-Men are a team of comic book superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe. The yellow bars on the sides of the chart represent three of the usual tape placements for beginners, at 1st, high 2nd, and 3d fingers. The line-up of all three X-Men films:.

Note also (not shown on this chart) that the spacing between note positions becomes closer as the fingers move "up" (in pitch) from the nut. Reputable movie news site http://www.superherohype.com is now reporting that X-Men 3 screenwriter Zak Penn is now writing a third X-Men spin-off film as well. Note well: left hand finger placement is a matter of the ears and hand, not the eyes, that is, it has strong aural and tactile/kinesthetic components, with visual references being only marginally useful. Rebecca Romijn, who plays Mystique in the X-Men franchise has been approached about a Mystique film. The chart to the right shows the arrangement of notes reachable in first position. Turner has stated that "It's going to take place from 1939 Auschwitz up to 1955 or so." So it's unlikely that Ian McKellan will be reprising the role. Especially in instructional editions of violin music, numbers over the notes may indicate which finger to use, with "O" indicating "open" string. The plot will deal with the character's friendship turned sour with Charles Xavier.

The fingers are conventionally numbered 1 (index) through 4 (little finger). Screenwriter Sheldon Turner is currently working on bringing Magneto to the big screen in his own spin-off film. Jascha Heifetz, a genius of the violin, was said never to practice finger exercises, yet played very much in tune due to his ability to adjust more quickly than most people could hear. One film will star Wolverine, in which Hugh Jackman will reprise his role as the clawed warrior. Good intonation comes from long hours of practice. Spin-offs: Lauren Donner, producer for the first two movies, has said the movie studio is interested in producing two spin-off films. Placement of the left hand fingers on the strings does not rely on frets; the player must stop the string at the right spot from skill alone, or else sound out of tune. Singer did not direct the third X-Men movie, as he signed on to direct Superman Returns and director Matthew Vaughn was slated to direct, but dropped out in June 2005 due to "personal issues".

The left hand regulates the sounding length of the string by stopping it against the fingerboard with the fingertips, producing different pitches. In 2006, a third movie X-Men 3 directed by Brett Ratner will be released. The strings may be sounded either by plucking them (pizzicato) or by drawing the hair of the bow (arco) across them. It was an even greater success than the first movie and many fans and critics considered it a superior film. The violin is usually held under the chin and supported by the left shoulder, often assisted by a shoulder rest. This film was loosely based on the 1982 graphic novel God Loves, Man Kills. Acoustic 5-string insruments exist, with a scale length closer to that of a viola's; they are commonly called violas. In 2003, the sequel X2: X-Men United also directed by Singer, was released.

If the instrument's playing length, or string length from nut to bridge, is equal to a violin's (a bit less than 330 mm,) it may be properly termed a violin. The film, along with the Blade series and Spider-Man gathered approval from fans and enough good reviews to begin a revival of superhero-themed movies.. Usually the extra strings go lower, to C, F, and B flat. In 2000, 20th Century Fox released X-Men, a $75 million film adaptation of the comic, directed by Bryan Singer. Some electric violins have five, six, or even seven strings, others have the usual four. Avi Arad, CEO of Marvel Studios, stated "X-Men is one of Marvel's crown jewels and it makes sense to focus on the popular Wolverine character for our second animation project.". However, any number of other tunings are occasionally employed (for example, tuning the G string up to A), both in classical music, where the technique is known as scordatura, and in some folk styles where it is called "cross-tuning.". In 2007, Marvel Studios will put out a new X-Men animated show that will primarily feature Wolverine, this time using a mesh of 2D/3D animation for characters and backgrounds.

The tuning G-D-A-E is used for the great majority of all violin music. The series ended in 2003 after its fourth season. After tuning, one should make a habit of checking that the bridge is standing straight and centered between the inner nicks of the f holes, since bridges are free to move about, being held in place only by friction and the tension of the strings. In 2000, Warner Brothers Network launched X-Men: Evolution which portrayed the X-Men as teenagers attending regular high school in addition to the Xavier Institute. (When playing with a fixed-pitch instrument such as a piano or accordion, the violin must tune to accommmodate it.) The other strings are then tuned to the A in intervals of perfect fifths by bowing them in pairs. It was put back in Fox's line up for several months after the first movie was released. The A string is first tuned to a standard pitch such as 440 Hz or to another instrument. It continued for five seasons ending in 1997.

Experienced players commonly use one on the E-string even if the other strings are not so equipped. The series was an extraordinary success becoming one of the most watched animated series in television history and helping widen the X-Men's popularity. Fine tuners permit the tension of the string to be adjusted in very small increments more easily than by using the pegs, and are usually recommended for beginners or those using metal strings. In 1992, the Fox Network launched an unrelated X-Men animated series with the roster of Beast, Cyclops, Gambit, Jean Grey, Jubilee, Professor X, Rogue, Storm and Wolverine with Bishop and Cable frequently guest starring. Violins are tuned by turning the pegs, or by winding the fine tuner screws, if present, at the tailpiece. Professor X and Kitty Pryde also appear. Another commonly-used marking technique uses dots of 'white-out' on the fingerboard, which wear off in a few weeks with regular practice. In 1991, an 4- and 6-player arcade game was based upon this failed series starring Cyclops, Wolverine, Colossus, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Dazzler.

Beginners often rely on tapes on the finger board in several places for proper left hand finger placement, but quickly abandon the tapes as they advance. The series was never picked up but the single episode aired infrequently in syndication during the Marvel Action Universe series and was later released on video. Some teachers feel that students can handle a size if they are able to reach around the end of the scroll and see the tips of the fingers, while others recommend smaller sizes as safer, preferring to have the scroll fall short of the student's wrist. In 1989, Marvel Productions produced a pilot X-Men episode for NBC called Pryde of the X-Men. When determining the violin size appropriate for a child, a general rule is to have the child hold the instrument against the neck, and reach out past the end of the scroll. The X-Men would return the following season in the episode entitled "The X-Men Adventure." Making appearances there were Professor X, Cyclops, Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Sprite, and Thunderbird. A 'full-size' viola averages 16 inches. The next appearance on Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends was in the episode "A Firestar is Born." Making appearances in this particular episode are Professor X, Cyclops, Angel, Wolverine, Storm, and Juggernaut (plus Magneto in a cameo appearance).

Viola size is specified as body length in inches rather than fractional sizes. Appearing in this particular episode (in a flashback sequence only) are Professor X and the five original X-Men: Iceman, Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Angel, and Beast. A 3/4 violin is 13 inches, and a 1/2 size is 12 inches. The X-Men made their first ever animated appearance on the Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends episode "The Origin of Iceman". The body length (not including the neck) of a 'full-size' or 4/4 violin is about 14 inches (or smaller in some models of the 17th century). Spider-Man, Iceman and Firestar were the three regular heroes. Occasionally, even a 1/32 sized instrument is used. The X-Men occasionally guest-starred on Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends.

Children learning the violin often use fractional sized violins, 3/4, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/10, and 1/16. Krakoa, the Living Island. Patterns of the nodes (places of no movement) made by sand or glitter sprinkled on the plates with the plate vibrated at certain frequencies, called "Chladni patterns", are occasionally used by luthiers to verify their work before assembling the instrument. Savage Land, a hidden prehistoric location in Antarctica. The arched shape, the thickness of the wood, and its physical qualities govern the sound of a violin. Muir Island, a Scottish island commonly associated with being the place of Moira MacTaggert's laboratory. Modern strings may be solid steel, stranded steel, or various synthetic materials, wound with various metals. Associated with Viper.

Strings were first made of sheep gut, stretched, dried and twisted. Madripoor, an island in Southeast Asia, near Singapore. Recent innovations have allowed carbon-fiber to be used as a material for the stick at all levels of craftsmanship. Genosha, an African island near Madagascar and a long-time apartheid regime against mutants. The stick is traditionally made of pernambuco or the less expensive brazilwood, although some student bows are made of fiberglass. Oceania: Aborigine (Gateway), Australia (Pyro, Slipstream, Lifeguard), Māori (Kiwi Black). Occasional rubbing with rosin makes the hair grip the strings intermittently, causing them to vibrate. Middle East: Israel (Gabrielle Haller and Sabra).

The hair of the bow traditionally comes from the tail of a "white" (technically, a grey) male horse, although some cheaper bows use synthetic fiber. Sinister, Pete Wisdom and Toad), France (Fantomex although by choice, Tarot), Germany (Nightcrawler, Fenris and Maverick), Greece (Avalanche), Ireland (Banshee, Siryn and Black Tom Cassidy), Netherlands (Beak), Poland (Magneto, also Jewish), Russia (Colossus, Omega Red, Darkstar, Magik, Soul Skinner, Mikhail Rasputin and Alexi Vazhin), Scotland (Wolfsbane and Moira MacTaggert), Spain (Empath). The winding may be wire, silk, or whalebone (now imitated by alternating strips of yellow and black plastic.) Some student bows (particularly the ones made of solid fiberglass) substitute a plastic sleeve for grip and winding. Europe: Austria (Mystique and Destiny), England (Chamber, Psylocke, Captain Britain, Mr. Just forward of the frog, a leather thumb cushion and winding protect the stick and provide grip for the player's hand. Asia: Afghanistan (Dust), Bangladesh (Thunderbird III), China (Xorn I and II), Japan (Sunfire, Sunpyre, Silver Samurai, Shinobi Shaw, Yukio and Mariko Yashida), Vietnam (Karma). At the frog end, a screw adjuster tightens or loosens the hair. Americas: Apache (Thunderbird I, Warpath), Brazil (Sunspot), Cajun (Gambit), Canada (Sabretooth, Alpha Flight, Wolverine, and the Quebecois Northstar and Aurora as well as the First Nations represented by Shaman), Cheyenne (Forge, Moonstar), Chinese American (Jubilee), Jewish American (Shadowcat), Mexico (Rictor), Puerto Rico (Cecilia Reyes, Tag), Venezuela (Wind Dancer).

The bow consists of a stick and a ribbon of horsehair stretched between the tip and frog. Africa: Algeria (M), Egypt (Apocalypse), Kenya (Storm), Morocco (Jetstream), South Africa (Maggott). Various brands of peg compound or peg dope help keep the pegs from sticking or slipping. The tapered pegs allow friction to be increased or decreased by the player applying appropriate pressure along the axis of the peg while turning it. Strings usually have a colored "silk" wrapping at both ends, for identification and to provide friction against the pegs.

At the scroll end, the strings wind around the tuning pegs in the pegbox. Fine tuners may also be applied to the other strings, and are sometimes built in to the tailpiece. Very often the E string will have a fine tuning lever worked by a small screw turned by the fingers. The tailpiece anchors the strings to the lower bout of the violin by means of the tailgut, which loops around the endpin, which fits into a tapered hole in the bottom block.

The sound post, or "soul post", fits precisely between the back and top, and may be moved slightly when adjusting the tone of the instrument. It also transmits the vibrations of the strings to the body of the violin. The bridge is a carefully carved piece of maple, having several purposes: its top curve holds the strings at the proper height from the fingerboard in an arc allowing each to be sounded separately by the bow. The neck graft allows the original scroll to be kept with a Baroque violin when bringing its neck to conformance with modern standard.

Many authentic old instruments have had their necks reset to a slightly increased angle, and lengthened by about a centimeter. Some old violins (and some made to appear old) have a grafted scroll, or a seam between the pegbox and neck itself. Fingerboards are dressed to a particular transverse curve, and have a small lengthwise "scoop," or concavity, slightly more pronounced on the lower strings, especially when meant for gut or synthetic strings. The shape of the neck and fingerboard affect how easily the violin may be played.

For this reason, if a fingerboard comes loose (it happens) it is vital to slacken the strings immediately. The maple neck alone is not strong enough to support the tension of the strings without distorting, relying for that strength on its lamination with the fingerboard. Ebony is considered the preferred material because of its hardness, beauty, and superior resistance to wear. It carries the fingerboard, typically made of ebony, but often some other wood stained or painted black.

The neck is usually maple with a flamed figure compatible with that of the ribs and back. The back and ribs are typically made of maple, most often with a matching striped figure, called "flame.". Ideally the top is glued on with slightly diluted hide glue, to make future removal possible. Painted-on faux purfling on the top is usually a sign of an inferior instrument.

It is also claimed to allow the top to flex more independently of the rib structure. The purfling running around the edge of the spruce top is said to give some resistance to cracks originating at the edge. A well-tended violin can outlive many generations of players, so it is wise to take a curatorial view when caring for a violin. Loose parts or open seams may cause buzzes and should be professionally attended to; in particular, no adhesive other than animal hide glue should ever be used on a violin.

The varnish and especially the wood continue to improve with age, making the fixed supply of old violins much sought-after. The voice of a violin depends on its shape, the wood it is made from, and the varnish which coats its outside surface. The hourglass shape formed by an upper bout, a lower bout, and two concave C-bouts at the "waist," providing clearance for the bow. A distinctive feature of a violin body is its "hourglass" shape and the arching of its top and back.

A violin typically consists of a spruce top, maple ribs and back, a butt, a neck, a bridge, a soundpost, five strings, and various fittings, optionally including a chinrest, which may attach directly over, or to the left of, the tailpiece. . A person who plays violin is called a violinist or fiddler, and a person who makes or repairs them is called a luthier, or simply a violinmaker. Cross-tunings, or scordatura, are more commonly found in some varieties of traditional fiddling.

A colloquial name for the violin is the fiddle, and a violin is typically called a fiddle when used to play traditional music (see below). A related bowed string instrument, the double bass technically belongs to the similar but distinct viol family. Music written for the violin almost always uses the G clef (treble clef). It is the smallest and highest-tuned member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello.

The violin is a bowed stringed musical instrument that has four strings tuned a perfect fifth apart, the lowest being the G just below middle C. South Indian Carnatic fiddling. Slovenian fiddling. Scottish fiddling.

Nordic folk fiddling (including Hardanger fiddling). Irish fiddling (with many distinct styles, including, for example, the Donegal fiddle tradition). French fiddling (including a rich Breton fiddling tradition). English fiddling.

Newfoundland fiddling, with a strong Irish Sliabh Luachra style of playing. Québécois fiddling, influenced from the Brittany area of northern France. Cape Breton fiddling, with a distinct Scottish and Acadian influence. Canadian fiddling, including