There is no physical difference between a fiddle and a violin. A fiddle is a violin and a violin is a fiddle.
This is possibly the most frequently asked question I have ever received as a player. I often facetiously retort, “It’s a violin when you buy it and a fiddle when you sell it.”
Actually, there is no real difference between the instruments. Some say,” a violin is a fiddle and a fiddle is a violin.” Sometimes, the bridge is flatter on a fiddle so the player can more easily play on two strings. Oftentimes “fiddlers” use a different quality string, such as a coarser steel string as opposed to a gut string used for a sweeter sounding instrument, but in the end, it’s the approach to the instrument and the style of music played that determines Carnegie or the Ozarks.