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Why does a viol have frets while a violin does not?

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Koto — stringed instrument A Japanese musician plucking the strings of a koto with the right hand to generate a pitch and pressing the strings with the left hand to alter the tone.

The viol and the violin are distinct types of stringed instruments that evolved separately, leading to differences in their construction and fingerboard design.

The viol features frets—pieces of gut wound around the fingerboard—which ensure that every stopped note sounds similar to an open string. In contrast, the violin family, which emerged as a distinct group, utilizes an unfretted fingerboard.12

There are several reasons for this design choice in the violin:
* Ergonomics: Frets were likely removed from the violin because they impeded the player's ability to support the instrument and perform complex fingering techniques.2
* Tone Quality: The direct contact of the fleshy part of the fingertips against the string on an unfretted fingerboard produces a tone that is more assertive and flexible than the sound obtained from fretted instruments.2
* Pitch Flexibility: Because the violin is unfretted, players have the freedom to make subtle microtonal adjustments and inflections, allowing them to play in the spaces between standard notes.3