Pg.+25-74

Pg 25-74 notes:

The Orchestral Strings:

Parts of the Orchestral Strings: 25-27 Bow Parts: tip / point, hairs, wooden part, frog / heel (back of the bow) String instrument parts: scroll - curved, carved end of instrument peg - pints of wood to tune strings peg box - hollow frame holding pegs nut - ridge over which strings pass after leaving pegs neck - part of instrument holding fingerboard fingerboard - wooden surface, what the strings are pressed against f-hole - openings in front (table) that allow sound to emerge bridge - thin wood over which strings pass, transmits sound to body mute - goes behind the bridge tailpiece - device behind the bridge to which the strings are anchored chin rest end piece - piece the tailpiece is attached to

Orchestral Strings: violin, viola, cello, double bass

Strings numbered I, II, III, IV, right to left, highest to lowest

Sound transmitted from bridge to sound post, rod inside the instrument, located at I string end of the bridge

Methods of sound production - plucking, picking with a pick or plectrum, striking with mallets, hands, wood of bow

27-29 String Bowings:

//arco// - bowing to be used down bow - movement from the frog to the tip, produces a natural decrescendo, associated with the downbeat, symbol:  up bow - movement from tip to frog, produces a natural crescendo, associated with the upbeat, symbol:

**V** Should allow natural bowing characteristics to fall in line with what is written to be considered "well bowed" Bowing groups are shown by slurs over notes that are to be played in one bow direction Number of notes that can be played in a single bow inversely related to the increasing dynamic of the notes played Durations of up and down bows should be about equal in general Indication of bow direction do not directly relate to articulation


 * Concept: "Good string writing often grows out of the bowings rather than the reverse."**

29-32 Bowed Articulations:

Separate Bows - détaché is term for alternating up and down bows, but does not imply legato or nonlegato, must be specified Legato Bowings - indicated by the slur, or phrase mark, must be clear to the performer that these slurs are not bowing marks Brush Strokes - also called louré, often used in a series of notes, caused by "pushing" of the bow in a single bow-stroke, causes an almost "sighing" effect, indicated by a line directly over the note

On-the-String Staccato - done with staccato, staccatissimo, and accents (^ and >), also called martelé, done by a bow change in direction between notes, but bow is left on the string Slurred Staccato - definite stop between notes, but no change in bow direction, created by slurring staccato notes together Hooked Bowing - usually applied to all figures like quarter-note, eighth-note, doted-eighth, sixteenth, true notation is the first long note followed by the staccato shorter note (pg 30), causes the shortening of the first note, reverse of the performance technique, both played in the same bow stroke

Off-the-String Staccato - very light, bouncy staccato effect, bouncing of the bow off the string, generally called //spiccato// // Spiccato - natural bounce off the strings, impossible at very fast tempos, artificial at slow tempos, can be facilitated by using wrist to provide the bounce needed in the bow // // Staccato Volante - up bow spiccato during which several notes are played in the single up bow // Saltando - down bow spiccato during which several notes are played

Repeated Strokes - Repetition of a single bowing direction, provides clear separation of notes, several down bows in a row is very heavy and accented, several up bows light and delicate Ricochet Bowing - also called jeté, dropping of the bow onto the string and allowing the bow to bounce naturally shown by note followed by several dots, slur over dots with //ric.// above the slur Bowed Tremolos - rapid alternation of up and down bows on a single pitch, measured or unmeasured, part of bow used in tremolo given by //al tallone//, meaning at the frog, and //punta d'arco//, meaning at the tip

32-33 Pizzicato Articulations:

Transition from arco to pizz quickest when an up-bow is the last stroke of a passage Switch from pizz to arco done fastest if first bowing is a down bow Normal pizz is "with the flesh" of the finger, using nail produces a more metallic sound, if desired, "with the nail" is required Snap pizz - also called Bartók Pizz, notated circle with a triangle pointed into it (32), pull the string so it snaps against the fingerboard Left-handed pizz - marked with a + sign over the note, left hand used to pizz the note when right hand is note available, must consider position of the left hand Pizz Roll - either measured or unmeasured, achieved by plucking the string alternating two or more fingers, tiring for performers

33-41 String Effects:

String Selections - varied timbres can be produced by selecting the string something is played on, each string has a very different timbre notated by writing //sul ___// with the blank filled by the string number

Harmonics: Natural - produced by placing the finger on one of the nodes (1/2, 1/3, 2/3, 1/4, 3/4, 1/5 the length of the string, etc) Produces a very flutey tone, devoid of upper partials (pg. 34 for chart of violin natural harmonic notes for each string) Notated with a diamond shape note head indicating the location to place one's finger on the string with a black stemless note above indicating the sounding pitch

Artificial - Stopping a note and then lightly touching the string a minor third, a major third, or a fifth above the stopped note. Touching a minor third produces a note two octaves and a fifth higher Touching a third above produces a note two octave and a third higher Touching a fourth above produces a note two octaves higher Touching a fifth above produces a note an octave and a fifth above the stopped note

Mutes - a device that attaches to the bridge and reduces the amount of vibration transmitted to the body of the instrument, produces a darker, more open sound Take about 5 seconds to put on a mute, 3 seconds to take off a mute, come in wood, metal, leather, rubber, bone, and plastic

Col Legno - bowing with the wood of the bow, //col legno tratto// for wood being drawn across strings, //col legno battuto// for percussive striking of the strings with the bow. To return to the hairs, use instruction //modo ordinario// Sul Ponticello - bowing near the bridge, produces a glassy, unearthly, metal-scratching quality Sul Tasto - played near the fingerboard, unfocused with little body, flutelike (flautando)

Glissando - the sliding between pitches using every intervening possible pitch (sliding with a trombone or a finger along the fingerboard, chromatic scale on the piano), glissando lasts for the duration of the note notated to gliss from. Pizz. glissandos are very effective in lower strings Portamento - Sliding from one pitch to the next but stopping a half or whole step above or below the note, then changing fingers to go directly to the note

Fingered Tremolos - the rapid switching between two notes, either by stopping and unstopping a not on the same string or by switching strings, can be measured or unmeasured Bariolate - alternation between two or more strings, higher strings often open and produce low pitches in passage, lower strings produce higher pitches, used to facilitate passages or as a color effect Vibrato - assumed as a part of string technique, //molto vibrato// for more vibrato (use with pizz. to increase duration of sound), //senza vibrato// for no vibrato, can be achieved on an open pitch by fingering the same pitch on a different string and adding vibrato to that fingered pitch. Squigglies above line can indicate specifics on vibrato width and frequency Scordatura -