A violinist is an instrumentalist who plays the violin. The terms fiddler or fiddle player are also used. In classical music the "fiddle" terms are usually somewhat informal or jokey: they are more standard expressions in folk music. In between there are nuances of meaning and usage which are difficult to formalize.

Composer-violinists were common in the Baroque era.

Sometimes violinists can be identified by a red fleck on the left side of their neck. This is due to long contact of the corpus of the violin with the neck, which the players normally hold on their left side. To freely move the left hand to press the strings, the violin is mostly only supported by the neck and the shoulder. Nevertheless some players also support it with their left hand.

Many violinists start playing when they are quite young.

See also

• List of violinists