Much of the decoration is done with mother of pearl and or abalone, and ebony inlay, and ink drawings called rosing. The peg box or scroll on a hardanger fiddle is usually a lion's head or dragon head with an ornate crown. The hardanger fiddle also has a second set of strings, so eight or nine in all where a traditional violin only has four. The lower set of strings are sympathetic strings and vibrate to harmonic vibrations as the upper strings are played. The lower set of strings run under the finger board and through the center of the bridge.
Hardanger fiddles have a much different bridge design than a standard violin.
The bridge is also somewhat flatter , similar to a fiddle bridge used for American folk music. A hardanger fiddle bridge is actually two bridges in one with the over strings resting on top of the bridge and the under strings resting on a smaller bridge in the center. Traditional hardanger fiddle strings are somewhat different than modern orchestral violin strings, they are lighter gage and play a little softer. A hardanger fiddle can be fitted with modern strings, however this is not recommended and could damage the instrument. There are many tuning combinations for the upper and lower strings as.