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    Writing For String Quartet - Extended Techniques

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    David Wolfswinkel
    This document discusses extended techniques for string instruments that expand their expressive capabilities. It lists various techniques like sul tasto, sul ponticello, col legno, glissando, and mutes and describes their effects. The document emphasizes that composers should always have a reason for using effects and clearly indicate how they want techniques performed in the score. It also provides practical considerations for players, stressing the importance of a clear, simple score.

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    © All Rights Reserved

    Writing For String Quartet - Extended Techniques

    Uploaded by

    David Wolfswinkel
    478 views3 pages
    This document discusses extended techniques for string instruments that expand their expressive capabilities. It lists various techniques like sul tasto, sul ponticello, col legno, glissando, and mutes and describes their effects. The document emphasizes that composers should always have a reason for using effects and clearly indicate how they want techniques performed in the score. It also provides practical considerations for players, stressing the importance of a clear, simple score.

    Original Description:

    Writing for string quartet and learning extended techniques

    Original Title

    Writing for string quartet - extended techniques

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    This document discusses extended techniques for string instruments that expand their expressive capabilities. It lists various techniques like sul tasto, sul ponticello, col legno, glissando, and mutes and describes their effects. The document emphasizes that composers should always have a reason for using effects and clearly indicate how they want techniques performed in the score. It also provides practical considerations for players, stressing the importance of a clear, simple score.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    478 views3 pages

    Writing For String Quartet - Extended Techniques

    Uploaded by

    David Wolfswinkel
    This document discusses extended techniques for string instruments that expand their expressive capabilities. It lists various techniques like sul tasto, sul ponticello, col legno, glissando, and mutes and describes their effects. The document emphasizes that composers should always have a reason for using effects and clearly indicate how they want techniques performed in the score. It also provides practical considerations for players, stressing the importance of a clear, simple score.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    At a glance
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    The text describes various extended techniques that can be used to add expression and unusual tones to music, such as sul tasto, sul ponticello, col legno, glissando, mutes, vibrato, harmonics, and more.

    Some extended techniques described include sul tasto, sul ponticello, col legno, glissando, different types of vibrato, Bartok pizzicato, left hand pizzicato, bowing on the tailpiece and behind the bridge, microtones, and harmonics.

    Effects that can be achieved through extended techniques include wispy, warm, gentle sounds; glassy, metallic sounds; percussive effects; a smooth rising or falling of pitch; softer, more muffled sounds; a sharp, loud snap; a quick change between arco and pizzicato; a ghostly whisper; a tap or knocking sound; and an unpleasant screech.

    EXTENDED TECHNIQUES

    Expands the vocabulary of the instruments to add greater expression and variety
    Adds unusual sound worlds and tones to the music
    Expresses something other worldly
    Stretch the instrument to the max

    Always ask yourself WHY you are using a particular effect / technique. As players, we see a fine
    line between an imaginative use of an effect and an effect for its own sake. Always have a
    reason, and make it clear in the score where you want the effect. Some pieces have a short
    explanation of any effects and how the composer would like them performed at the beginning of
    the score.

    WHAT HOW EFFECT


    Sul Tasto Bow over the fingerboard Wispy, warm, gentle
    sounds
    Sul ponticello Bow very close to the Glassy, metallic sounds
    bridge
    Col legno Using the wood of the Percussive effect, with a
    bow to tap the string high pitch
    Glissando Sliding the finger up or A smooth rising or falling
    down the string of pitch
    Mute Attach mute to the bridge Dampens the vibrations to
    con sordino – with mute create a softer, more
    senza sordino – without muffled sound
    mute
    Practice Mute Attach a larger mute to An extreme version of the
    the bridge standard mute. Very quiet

    9
    Extreme vibrato A wider, less controlled Bending of pitch hysterical
    version of vibrato sounding
    Non vibrato Playing deliberately Sparse, pure tone colour
    without vibrato
    Bartok pizz Plucking hard allowing the A sharp, loud snap
    (noted by a circle with a string to hit the wood of
    vertical line at 12 o’clock the fingerboard
    above the note in
    question)
    Left hand pizz Plucked with the left hand Facilitates a quick change
    (noted by a + sign above between arco and pizz
    the note) (where the pizz is an open
    string) Sometimes bowing
    and plucking is possible at
    the same time.
    Bowing on the tailpiece Bowing lightly on the A ghostly whisper
    tailpiece
    Tapping Using your hand to tap the A tap or knocking sound to
    shoulder or body of the add rhythm or effect
    instrument
    Bow behind the bridge Bowing behind the bridge An unpleasant screech!
    where the string is very
    short
    Microtones Playing less than a An out of tune effect,
    semitone quite painful sounding
    Harmonics Pure - Touching the string Pure, flute-like quality.
    lightly with the left hand Especially effective in soft
    at various points of the dynamics
    string
    Stopped – lightly touching
    the string (usually) a
    fourth higher than the
    stopped note being held
    down

    For a full comprehensive diagram of how to write Harmonics for string instruments visit

    http://www.composershop.com/public/Strings%20harmonics%20table.pdf

    10
    Practical Considerations are important!

    For players it is essential that you have:


    A CLEAR SCORE – The clearer, the simpler, the better.

    ‘arghhhh!’……….

    11

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