Can anyone out there settle a family argument.?

One very slight difference between "fiddles" and ordinary violins may be seen in American (e.g., bluegrass and old-time music) fiddling: in these styles, the top of the bridge may be cut so that it is very slightly less curved. This reduces the range of right-arm motion required for the rapid string-crossings found in some styles, and is said to make it easier to play double stops and shuffles (bariolage), or to make triple stops possible, allowing one to play chords.

Absolutely none...they are one in the same

A violin is a fiddle; a fiddle is a violin. There are no differentiating features period. The only true reason you'd call one instrument a violin and the other a fiddle is the approach...someone who plays fiddle tunes, a fiddler, will address their violin as a fiddle.

Some fiddlers will shave their bridge flat to ensure an easily attainable double-stop (two strings played at once)...so the set-up may be different on a fiddle...they're still one and the same instrument.

The term fiddle refers to a violin; it is a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music. Fiddle playing, or fiddling, is a style of music. A violin is sometimes informally called a fiddle, regardless of the kind of music being played with it. The word "violin" is derived from Italian and the word "fiddle" is native to English

I play the violin (:

Okay, first off they are exactly the same instrument. It is just two names give to one instrument. Fiddle is just a name that came to the violin after many "fiddlers" took over the violin. Which is a name used to describe someone who plays the violin for country dances, or ho downs.

Same thing, Violin is 'proper' name, fiddle is the collegial name!

Nothing. Fiddle is an old name and implies folk music, that's all.

Fiddles are played by merry people - they sometimes have little beards.

If a hillbilly is playing it, its a fiddle

if its in a orchestra its a violin

The spelling is different.

not a thing!