Mark Wood Inventor Of The Heavy Metal Violin
You might not know Mark Wood, but you have seen what he invented, which turned out to be the man who made the violin cool again—the Heavy metal-looking Flying V violin.
Electric Violinist Mark Wood performs a Heavy Metal Electric Violin Solo at the MWROC Music Festival in Kansas City. Check out more here.
Mark Wood invented the flying V-shaped electric violin, the Viper, as part of his signature design. The Viper is available in 4, 5, 6, or 7 strings and can be fretted or unfretted. It also comes in a variety of finishes and exotic wood tops.
History Behind The Viper Violin
From the Mark Wood Website: Mark Wood was born into a musical and artistic family. His mother was a concert pianist, and his father was a renowned painter.
Mark and his three brothers were the first all-brother string quartet in the world during the 1970s. They toured and performed in prestigious venues such as Lincoln Center, performing the great classical string quartets and piano quintets with their mother.
Mark developed true self-respect and discipline working with the traditional 4-string violin. When he was a young boy, Mark’s father would bring him and his brothers to the family’s woodworking shop (where they hand-carved fine wooden furniture) and let them loose to build practically anything (at age 9,
Of course, after every one of their Wood String Quartet concerts, Mark would run home, put on headphones, and blast Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix…
At age 17, Mark attended the Juilliard School of Music on a full scholarship to continue his musical training.
In 1977 Started Building A New Type Of Violin
He was the first to build a 5-string electric. He then graduated to the first 6-string and then to the 7-string. Adding those three lower strings, he could have the entire orchestra in one instrument! Bass, cello, viola, and violin: E,A,D,G,C,F,B-flat. For the first time in history, he built the first multi-string electrics.
Let’s also not forget that the string world had not changed or innovated in 400 years until Mark came along.
In 1982, Mark Wood was Featured In Guitar Player Magazine
Ironically, on the cover of that very Guitar Magazine issue was the incomparable Randy Rhoads (the guy who wrote the great riff for “Crazy Train”)!
I First Heard Of Mark Wood From His First Album, Voodoo Violence
“the world’s first heavy metal violinist.”
The liner notes for Voodoo Violince proudly proclaim, “There are no guitars on this record.” As an Eddie Van Halen fan, watching Mark live was an incredible experience. I got the chance to meet Mark Woods when he joined forces as the string orchestra conductor for the Trans Siberian Orchestra. Just take a listen for yourself, and you will be blown away. Remember, this was 1991, and no one had ever heard a sound or style like this coming from a violin before.
The Trans Siberian Orchestra Years: 1995-2009
Mark became an integral part of the formation of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and toured the world with them for close to 15 years, receiving many platinum and gold records for his contributions. He left TSO in 2009 to focus on his other career adventures.
2025 Mark Woods And Wood Violins Will Celebrate Their 35th Anniversary
It is an incredible story, and Mark Wood’s influence on music and violin players is unbelievable. Most, if not all, of the rock and roll violin players you see in bands and on social media are likely playing one of Mark Woods’s violins.
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