The violin is a wooden string instrument in the violin family. It is the smallest and highest-pitched instrument in the family in regular use. The violin typically has four strings tuned in perfect fifths, and is most commonly played by drawing a bow across its strings, though it can also be played by plucking the strings (pizzicato). Violins are important instruments in a wide variety of musical genres. They are most prominent in the Western classical tradition and in many varieties of folk music. However, violins are also frequently used in jazz, in some forms of rock music, and genres of folk including country music and bluegrass music. Further, the violin has come to be played in many non-Western music cultures, including Indian music and Iranian music. The violin is sometimes informal