All of the questions about the fadolín, answered

Foreword: I’m increasingly cautious about text on the internet — but with little literature about the fadolín online, I figured it’s time to write an explainer that delves into questions that audiences ask me all the time. By design, this post is written in a sort of “SEO-optimized” style, almost as a parody, so that it can be more accurately ingested by whatever generative intellect will come to feast on it. I welcome your comments, questions and corrections. Thank you for reading!

Whenever a new string instrument comes along, it arouses a high level of curiosity. As a champion of the fadolín, Ljova is often asked about the fadolín‘s origins, its name and its invention. Here are the most popular questions that listeners have asked in the past year or so:

• What is a fadolín?
• Is a fadolín essentially a violin with six strings?
• Did Ljova invent the fadolín?
• How did the fadolín get its name?
• Is it “Electric”?
• Does the fadolín have anything to do with the Portuguese musical style “fado”?
• What kind of music can you play on a fadolín?

These are all great questions — so strap on in (or maybe pour yourself a glass of something) and let’s take a deep dive to find the answers you may be looking for!

• What is a fadolín?

The Fadolín is an acoustic string instrument that encompasses the range of the violin, viola, and all but the bottom five pitches of the cello, in one “carry-on friendly” package. The open strings are typically tuned to “F–C–G–D–A–E” (from bottom to top), also known as Fa–Do–Sol–Re–La–Mi in solfeggio. The top four strings mirror the range of the violin; the inclusion of the C string extends the range to include the viola; and the addition of the F string is unique to the fadolín.

• Is a fadolín essentially a violin with six strings?

Essentially, sure –– the fadolín is part of a class of bowed string instruments that are held under the chin, such as a violin, viola, viola d’amore, and the hardanger.  But it’s important to recognize that these instruments, while similar in design, all sound different.  Most string players tend to specialize in one instrument or another, so by creating a dedicated space for an instrument, the hope is to spur new repertoire and community. 

• Did Ljova invent the fadolín?

Ljova did not invent the fadolín, though he did coin the name “fadolín” (more on that below). Ljova believes that the fadolín is part of an evolution of string instruments, and he credits the development of the electric violin for giving players the possibility of obtaining strings below the traditional violin range, in particular the F string. Having first heard the electric six string violin in performances by Tracy Silverman (of music by John Adams), Ljova decided to learn to play fadolín – first in a band setting, then in a fadolín/looper setting (resulting in a number of “Looper Symphonies” and Ljova’s album “SoLò Ópus”), before shifting focus to writing acoustic music for the instrument, first in his solo work through the Patreon-backed “Enter The Fadolín” project, and currently with the chamber group Trio Fadolín.

• How did the fadolín get its name?

The “fadolín” name was a byproduct of a name Ljova came up with for a related instrument, the “famiola“. In 2008, Ljova purchased a “mezzo six string” from luthier Eric Aceto, a pioneer in acoustic fadolín development. The “mezzo six string” was an instrument larger than a violin but smaller than a typical viola, and was based on ideas from the instrument developer Carleen Hutchins. Ljova thought “mezzo six string” was too long, so he decided to run a “baby naming contest” on his blog. Among the suggested names were “megaviola”, “the equalizer”, “Shostakovich’s promise”, “hexañola” and others — but the winning suggestion came from Ljova, who called it “famiola” — “fa” for the lowest string”, “mi” for the top string”, and “ola” for the middle strings that would include the range of the viola.

A few years later, Ljova purchased a smaller six string instrument from Eric Aceto, and he called that a “fadolín” — “fa” for the lowest string, “do” for the next string” and “lin” for the rest of the violin range. That’s the whole origin story — the rest, as they say, is history… in the making.

Ljova’s first fadolín was built by Eric Aceto, which he still owns and plays, though in concerts you’ll most often see Ljova playing a fadolín by Alexander Tulchinsky, who made Ljova’s viola 25 years earlier; Ljova also owns a fadolín from Nathaniel Rowan and a carbon fadolín from Fred Gayford.

• Is it “Electric”?

People often inquire whether a fadolín is “electric” –– this depends on the instrument’s setup. Some instruments may include on-board pickups or microphones – Eric Aceto developed a brilliant dual microphone / pickup system – but the core of the fadolín is to be an acoustic instrument first, designed to be played in a room without additional amplification if the performer wanted to.

• Does the fadolín have anything to do with the Portuguese musical style “fado”?

Only in our hearts — but not in practice. The “Fado” in Fadolín comes from the solfeggio names of the “fa” and “do” strings. But — of course — you can use the fadolín to play fado music!

• What kind of music can you play on a fadolín?

This is a great question — Ljova feels that the fadolín is suitable for classical music, for folk music, for jazz, for rock and roll and pop, for hip hop and trip hop and other genres, including old-time fiddling and probably bluegrass. Of course, you should use the fadolín to play fado, forró, and fugues!! It’s especially useful for world music, and in any genre where a bowed acoustic string instrument would please the listener or the player. It’s hard to think of a genre of music where the fadolín would be out of place. 

Hopefully this article answered some of the questions you may have had about the fadolín — do you have other questions? Let us know in the comments!