The viol , viola da gamba (Italian: [ˈvjɔːla da (ɡ)ˈɡamba]), or informally gamba, is any one of a family of bowed, fretted, … See more

Vihuelists began playing their flat-topped instruments with a bow in the second half of the 15th century. Within two or three decades, this led to the evolution of an entirely new and dedicated bowed string instrument … See more

Viols most commonly have six strings, although many 16th-century instruments had only four or five strings, and during the 17th century in France, some bass viols featured a seventh lower string. Viols were (and are) st… See more

Viols come in seven sizes: "pardessus de viole" (which is relatively rare, exclusively French and did not exist before the 18th century), treble (dessus in French), alto, tenor (in French taille), bass, great bass, and contra… See more

The standard tuning of most viols is in fourths, with a major third in the middle (like the standard Renaissance lute tuning), or in fourths, with a major third in between the 2nd and 3rd strings. The following table shows the t… See more

Descriptions and illustrations of viols are found in numerous early 16th-century musical treatises, including those authored by:
• Sebastian Virdung: Musica getutsch, 1511
• Hans Jude… See more