Mark Wood Shows What His Electric Violin Can Do

Electric violin master and creator Mark Wood does some shredding on his 7-string viper, talks about how he invented the radical instrument, and discusses what makes him different than a guitarist - and a classical violinist.
Wood is an Emmy-winning composer, founding member of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, educator and creator of the Electrify Your Symphony music education program, and inventor and founder of Wood Violins.
When he came out with his first electric violin, the effect in the classical music community was that, "It was pissing them off beyond words," Wood says. "But guess what, as a disrupter, if you're not getting that reaction you're not doing it right."
See our full one-hour interview with Mark and the accompanying article on our website: insidecoolmusi...

[@JT-go2ms]

From Bach to Eruption on one instrument. This man is amazing!

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

It really ROCKS

[@karenkoe7096]

I just want to mention, we have a violinist around town that plays electric . He name is Cathy Morris. Plays mostly jazz clubs.

[@rubyzkarlet]

I swear this man has made me become a fan of violin-like instruments OwO And his instruments as well. Dang, having the whole Violin-Viola-Cello-Bass in a single package, with things like Distortion.... This is on a whole new level or league for me XD

[@tomtom3420]

What a self actualized individual. Thank you for this video. It made my night!

[@scrapyardprospecting3855]

I remember a album from the 90s heavy metal violin!!! Always wanted to learn just got on last week. This should be a fun experiment. You inspired me and I’m finally doing it

[@UpcomingJedi]

Ya, i believe youre thinking of Ed Alleyne Johnson 'Purple' album.

[@codascheuer8426]

I’m a classical violinist, but this guy thrills me! I actually think electric violins should be used more in new classical compositions. I’m a composer and I’ve written electric violin parts in some of my chamber works and I’m currently writing an electric violin concerto.

[@АленаКрутеева-ы5ы]

Cool👍modern electric violin is very interesting and exciting

[@aqueous3051]

Sacreligious

[@codascheuer8426]

@@aqueous3051 twosetviolin is very funny but you are not

[@aqueous3051]

I’m not saying it to be funny, like do u actualy think that ELECTRIC VIOLINS should be in more classical compositions

[@codascheuer8426]

@@aqueous3051 yeah, what's wrong with that? Have you heard the variety of colors electric violins can produce with things like effects pedals? And the amplification opens up whole new ways of thinking about balance. Also I'm not the first one to use an electric violin in classical music. John Adams' "the Dharma at Big Sur" is a concerto for six-string electric violin and orchestra. Not to mention that pretty much any violinist can pick up an electric violin. What reason is there not to take advantage of the opportunities electric violins provide? Just because it doesn't conform to the strict tradition of classical music?

[@spoosterxbl8308]

I must own one🤤 I've only played on traditional violins but electric has always intrigued me.

[@jonnymario771]

Man, not every eletric violin sounds that good! I think its a matter of having the right pedals like metal zone and stuff.

[@kaunas888]

He is very inventive and actually makes a lot of sense. The electric violin offers options that the acoustic one cannot.

[@raisotope]

I remember this man came to my middle school

[@justinnaramor6050]

Interesting thought about the part with distortion on the violin: For the people who say "why not just use a guitar for that, it'll sound the same anyway", I'd rather think of it like this: it's not about replacing the guitar with the violin or trying to make the violin sound like a guitar. Rather, I say it's simply a violin with distortion. That's it. And, the amount of expression you can get from plucking a string is actually kind of limited, if we really think about it. For instance, on a guitar, you pluck the string, the string vibrates to make sound, and then the vibration dies away. With the violin and a bow, we can sustain notes for as long as the bow is moving on the strings. On the violin and bow, we can adjust how hard or soft the attack is on a note or chord, based on how slowly or quickly we move the bow (and the amount of pressure we put on the bow as well). The sound of plucking a string is always gonna have a pretty hard attack even if the string is plucked softly, because of the fact that the string essentially snaps away from the finger or pick (that's how the physical action of plucking a string works... it's just a different kind of physical movement from rubbing a bow across the strings). Also on the bow and violin, we can control how quickly or slowly the sound fades out (I.E the "release time", if you will). This goes back to what I said about the vibration of a guitar string dieing away... we can't really control the release time that much. So... the sound of rubbing a bow across strings is always gonna be different from plucking those strings even when we do add the distortion, mainly because of these additional possibilities that the bow gives us. On the guitar, we have to use effects pedals to artificially achieve these same expression possibilities... it's just not the same. I think the thing is that with the distortion, it's become so ingrained into popular culture as just being a guitar-type thing (probably because it was the first instrument to use it, and that pretty much defined rock and metal music), so people find it a bit odd and unnecessary to do it with a violin. Still... the people who say "why not just use a guitar to get the same distortion sound, blah blah blah blah" are being a little narrow minded.

[@gerardotejada2531]

Jean Luc Ponty played Electric Violin in the 70s, It sounded very diferent.

[@justinnaramor6050]

@@gerardotejada2531 Interesting. What made it sound "different"? Do you perhaps have a link to a recording of him playing so I could hear it? That is, if anything's been uploaded?

[@GabrielBonnin]

Electric violins with distortion on them have been around for at least 50 years. It's true that they don't make the same sound as the guitar with the same effect. From my point of view, the bow and its continuous sound work much less well with the bow, you might say, it lacks precision. Complicated to mute palm like on the guitar. In addition there is a real technological problem with all these piezzo electric violins, the saturated sound works much less well than with magnetic microphones. In 2023 we experimented and composed with distortion on all instruments, even the recorder and the hurdy-gurdy😊! !But if there are so few professional violinists who use this effect (and electric violins in general) it's because it still doesn't sound great😅. Except for KZbin violin covers or some personality who make it their trademark, but I have the impression that it's more for the visual than for the sound! If you listen carefully to the tracks of Lindsey Stirling for example, she recorded most of the pieces with an acoustic violin, then made playback clips with electric violins.I love technology, I love the electric guitar, and I hate to say it, but the acoustic violin is more rock'n'roll than the electric in its sound, much more harmonic-laden and aggressive in the high end. Even in the physical commitment it's more rock to play an acoustic violin, on an electric, when you use too much force with the bow, the sound often becomes horrible. In conclusion, I still have great respect for Markwood's work, but no, the violinists (there are so many of us!) Are not particularly old school and uptight!It's just that the sound of an electric violin, and the distortion on it, works a little, it's nice, like on a lot of instruments but it works so much 100 times better with a good guitar!

[@justinnaramor6050]

@@GabrielBonnin Interesting observation. The type of pickup (piezoelectric VS magnetic) likely does have something to do with it, but I think the bigger problem is that many people attempting the distortion+violin thing try to play it a little too much with "classical" violin technique or they try to make it sound too much like an "acoustic violin with slight distortion" if you know what I mean. In other words, I don't think the problem is so much with the technology of electric violins itself but more so with the people using it. The people likely don't know how to use the distortion technology to its full advantage. I think that's the bigger problem... their aren't enough violinists who really understand how distortion in metal music should sound and how to get a similar sound on bowed strings... and I could go on and on about this for hours. Check out a heavy metal band called Resolution15 for an example of very good distortion use on electric violin; Earl Maneein, their violinist, obviously knows what he's doing. This band doesn't even use guitars at all! There may be some additional processing going on that makes their distortion sound so good, or maybe it has to do with the type of pickup (or maybe both). But that band is some of the best use of distortion on violin I've heard! You also said the sustain sound lacks precision with the bow. Which I have to slightly disagree with. With enough practice you can get the sustaining sound to be quite stable, like on the bagpipes for instance. That characteristic could be useful for metal music, and even the band I mentioned above sometimes uses this characteristic to their advantage (plus some of the other characteristics of bows I mentioned in my initial comment). But of course it's always gonna sound different compared to guitar distortion, obviously, because as I said bowing is an entirely different physical action compared to strumming. So maybe it's not entirely fair to argue about "which is better".

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

4:23 So it's in Traditional Tuning but extended downwards.

[@PianoTunerOfficial]

Greetings from Ukraine. Thanks a lot! I've once watched this video and couldn't find it... But in a miraculous way it has happened now. Thanks a lot for such a beautiful sounding instrument and for such a great performance.

[@marielvanhees9531]

So cool!!!! Just listened to Conan's podcast and they spoke to someone about the viper and he played it. I was already familiar with electric violins etc. but seeing it in this video explained by the creator is very cool.

[@jimduncan-qw6xo]

Same Mark Wood who did Intro'-Outro for "Reflections on Silver Screen" with Richard Brown and AMC????? What is that piece called?

[@Michael-h5e2k]

Mark wood is so over looked, cool dude

[@claraakane]

I want to get a strap like the one he's using! Wonder where and how he got them.

[@polycrystallinecandy]

He made them

[@socalkook370]

Honestly the shape and the amount of strings is fine, but I'm not a huge fan of the frets

[@myriad860]

i am in love!

[@traditionalirishmusic9550]

How does it work with pythagorean tuning, is It possible

[@appletree312]

Were the he** do you get one of these with the disorstion .

[@brainstewX]

I'm pretty sure the distortion is coming from an effect pedal or the amp, not from the instrument itself.

[@nurlanjerozy4187]

What is the model of violin?

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

4:27 So the Bow has stayed as is for the last 400 or 500 years. Electric Violins are commonly played w/ Regular Violin Bows.

[@random_corner5376]

I have to call this the “Versoline” even the electric versoline is more versatile than the accustic version since the electric version also sounds like an electric guitar let alone an acoustic orchestra!!

[@stringspicksandfiddlestick6388]

Wood violins are kind of spendy IMHO. I own a NS 5 string that cost me around $650 and it sounds great. To restring a 7 string violin costs a small fortune.

[@keceti9606]

"I can play traditional violin on this" *plays a cello prelude*

[@ralphhathaway-coley5460]

It's a shame you could not try a 'True Temperament' fretted 7 string electric violin, as that might solve both problems at a stroke.

[@frankgenner782]

Holy shut this guy can play

[@tresero641]

Awsome instrument y Awsome dude

[@precisionshooters]

I have no idea how to play a violin and would sound like I was killing a cat but THAT IS COOL!!!!

[@gasisthepastendoil]

vapor ware

[@theyeastwiththeleast4718]

But you know those people are dying off, luckily

[@sandwaves5642]

No doubt - this violin is propperly comfortable. Maybe the MOST comfortable out there...., but all the effects - why can't OTHER el-violins do SAME things ❓❓- The effect boxes are THE SAME for all of them......

[@epsilon6516]

Piece of plastic? Nah son piece of copper

[@dextrosinistral7138]

bro only knows spicatto and legato 🤣 need practice on the partita, cool echo effect tho!

[@Prycc69420]

s a c r i l e g i o u s

[@LionmightOfficial]

Nope

[@gerardotejada2531]

@@LionmightOfficial to call that thing a violin is sacrilegious. Next you will tell me a 6 string bass is a type of guitar

[@souravroy460]

@@gerardotejada2531 entire world will call it as electric Violin and you stay with your opinion who cares ..🤣

[@Dreamdancer11]

Iam a guitarist and not a violin player but even if that is sacrilegious as you say...wouldnt that be a good practice tool for the beginners to practice almost silently or at very low volumes so that they dont disturb the people around them?I think especially for violin thats especially helpful cause the beginners in that instrument dont just sound bad they sound horrific....just saying....even if its a practice tool i think it would be great to own one just to get over that hump so the neighbours wont murder him in his sleep before getting any good.....

[@WhiteDragon689]

LOL that thing is a voilin sounding object LOL.That is OK but a violin it is not. Might as well graft it to your neck bones... LOL. Fretted... even funnier. Ah you are a comedian LOL

[@Muhoshin]

The early violin masters would have said the same about modern violins. And those violins are just as obsolete as the harpsichord. I guarantee you Mozart would have been thrilled to incorporate an electric violin into his compositions, much less Ravel. Although they very likely would have preferred an electric guitar since the acoustic guitar has always been troubled by an inability to fill a concert hall with sound. There's a reason that the violin has receded into the background of modern music, it simply doesn't have the versatility and ease of early modern instruments, much less the capabilities shown in this video of electronic elements. Comparatively the far more modern piano and it's incredibly versatile descendant, the synthesizer, remain among the most prevalent instruments.

[@WhiteDragon689]

@@Muhoshin And Paganini would have loved SRV and Jimmy Hendix music LOL. I'll give you that it is a new bowed instrument but no violin. It will never have the subtleties and frequency generation qualities of a fine wooden instrument resonating machine. Its obvious that old wooden stuff was never capable of amplification, that came with electronics and signal processing. How many electric anything rival the prices commanded and talent who seek it than the old wooden stuff that is hundreds of years old? Its really apples and oranges and the preferred styles of the current audiences. The pendulum always swings and things will always change.

[@gerardotejada2531]

Electric instruments are like singing with autotune, cause a lot of the colour of the tone comes from External Effects. Turn off the distortion/delay/flanger/phaser/ etc and you change the whole piece. Of course effects wont make you play better, unlike autotune. With a violin the player creates the tone, the volume, the pitch (they dont have frets), etc. With THEIR OWN HANDS.

[@gerardotejada2531]

A good example of how to use Autotune watch the Fifth Element, the Opera Scene. In a way autotune is "Electric Vocals", like a vocoder. Should be used like how Hendrix or Van Halen used the Electric Guitar.

[@brainstewX]

You are exactly the 'old school' musician he's talking about. 7:55

[@Muhoshin]

At that point you might as well call a piano an autotuned instrument. Good luck trying to make a piano key sharper or flatter on the fly. Hell, pianos and their predecessors have come with external effects for centuries, what do you think they're doing with the foot pedals? And that's exactly why the piano became a dominant instrument, and their descendants the synthesizers are far more dominant that the violin or even the electric guitar could ever hope to be. Indeed, if you truly wanted to create the tone, volume and pitch yourself, you could sing, and not cheat by making it easier with a violin. Literally your own built-in string instrument. You want to talk about difficult, most people use it for decades without being able to produce a decent sound. While you're at it, skip out on the woodwinds and brass and just whistle, and instead of cheating with percussion instruments, go pure beatboxing.

[@sendbitcoin]

5:50 ain't talkin'bout love & eruption

[@kevdoherty2009]

Mark is a great guy! When I went to Berklee in 2006 I met him and he gave me an audition/opportunity to audition for the Trans Siberian Orchestra. It was a memorable time for me! Later on I received a call from TSO & Paul and the gang gave me a chance! I didn't get the gig but it was an exciting time.

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

Inside:Cool Music Magazine I'm a Reed Organ player so the 7 string Fretted Viper would go well with it as its range is the same.

[@robertkrawitz8237]

It looks like a lot of fun to play. I'm an amateur occasional violist (I find the violin hard to play because of the size). I played for most of the 1990's, then a job change interfered with playing in community orchestras, and restarted around the end of 2020 (inspired by a rock band I had just discovered -- when they played in Boston last year, I told them, and they thought it was neat). Unfortunately, that petered out after about a year. It's partly a matter of wanting other repertoire to play, partly the stress it puts on my neck and shoulder (I have a fairly long neck and haven't had a lot of luck finding a shoulder rest that gives the right kind of support). That obviously has undesirable downstream effects on the my hand. The Viper looks like it avoids that issue altogether by means of that chest strap. It also looks -- it's hard to judge for certain -- like the scale length is considerably longer than on a 4/4 violin, which would be an advantage for me. Comments?

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

It's very versatile, it can play everything from Rock, to Heavy Metal, and even Classical Music.

[@MichaelDBauer]

He came to our daughter's school back in the mid 2000s where he worked with them and had a show for the school. He was super nice. I had the opportunity to talk with him away from the students and he was just a normal down to Earth guy.

[@gohjohan]

I believe you, MichaelDBauer. I think Mark Wood would be the equivalent of Eric Johnson in the violin world. Good with music and also very humble.

[@iurycabeleira7990]

this is amazing, really want to play that!!!

[@alexandreruschel2552]

Impressionante 😮

[@mitchconnerandsometimesjlotoo]

Does it djent?

[@gfh110]

I bought a Viper in 2003 when I graduated high school: a six-string fretted blue burl laminate with silver hardware. Due to a problem during the finishing process the silver hardware wouldn't fit so they upgraded me to gold hardware. Over the years I've had the instrument serviced, fixed, and modified, and every single time I've spoken to Mark on the phone, despite me being an amateur nobody, he's remembered me and my instrument down to the most minute details. Truly a class act.

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

It sounds quite melodic.

[@ejones6681]

I loved this! Who are Mark Wood's top five? I want to know!

[@eldorado96]

It should include Jean-Luc Ponty and Jerry Goodman at least.

[@ejones6681]

@@eldorado96 So true! Love Jerry Goodman!

[@SkippyKairos]

That’s actually insane that Mark has violin viola cello and bass all on one instrument and played with the same bow!

[@dirtyandnasty9011]

When he says bass he's overdoing it a bit, this goes down to a B♭-1 (B♭ 1 in american notation I think, not sure) so one tone below a cello (which goes down to a C1, C2 in america), but basses go down to an E-1 (E1).

[@tritontransport]

🤔 world class all on one hand who Roddy Chong Asha Mevlana Lindsey Sterling Anna Phoebe

[@johnnym.wright7644]

A four string version available "mia shows off in 1 of her videos👍

[@gerardotejada2531]

A Chapman Stick or a 6 string bass are not a guitar and that thing is not a Violin. A viola is not a violin but its closer to one than that thing.

[@gerardotejada2531]

Here you have frets, WAY more strings, etc. Its not a violin, its not played as a violin, and it doesnt sound like a violin. Because of frets you cant do vibrato so It cant fill the Violin's role on an enssamble or orchestra. Its a new instrument. To call It an Electric Violin is just wrong, a Piano is not a different type of Harpsichord.

[@MrGallade475]

@@gerardotejada2531 Have you touched a fretted string instrument? you just do vibrato by bending strings sideways instead of rocking your fingers.

[@robertlinscott1551]

When I was young and a true child, in the 50's and early 60's my babysitters went to Julliard on full scholarships, Leslie was a pianist and her twin sister Cathy was a violinist. Leslie taught me piano for awhile until I lost interest.

[@jcortese3300]

This dude and Zoe Keating are the apex of musical disruption. A brilliant, brilliant musician -- there's a video of him up on YT messing with the Bach double violin concerto that is one of the best things I've ever heard in my life. Whole generations of upcoming rock guitarists probably wish he'd never been born, because he opened the door to thousands of classically trained violinists who could shred like crazy people and who raised the bar for what could be done in a rock band!

[@ZDENKOdeZAGREB-AmbientPrimal]

On this interview alone, I'm in, sub'd.

[@ELMOCROW]

Which kind of pedal and effect is he using in the distortion part?

[@jh61]

How cool is that....

[@crazybuglady]

Oh shit I need one of this

[@johnnym.wright7644]

What an instrument! Next level