NORMAN LUDWIN 3b

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BASIC STRING

TERMINOLOGY

Arco: playing with the bow

Pizzicato or pizz: playing with the fingers

Divisi or div.: divide the section on a specific part, could also

half section or divide in 3 etc.

Unison or unis: section playing in unison

Ponticello or pont: bowing near or on top of the bridge

Sul tasto or tasto: bowing over the fingerboard

Sordino or sord: with the mute

Senza sord: remove mute

Normale: normal playing, undoing any special effects asked

for previously

Bartok pizz or snap pizz: pulling the string back so it snaps

against the fingerboard loudly

On the string bowings: legato, detaché, martelé, slurred

staccato, brush strokes

Off the string bowings: spiccato, ricochet, flying staccato

Special effects: tremolos: measured and unmeasured,

fingered tremolos,

Simile: the same idea continuing

Sul G or D : play the following passage on the G string

(violin) or D string (cello)

Tutti: all together

¨  The top three strings are tuned in fifths, while the bass is tuned in fourths. Most professional bassists have their low E string tuned to a C1, a full octave below the cello.

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¨  When we change the viola’s clef, it is easier to understand the connections between the open strings: the violin and viola share three strings; the notes with the arrows are the same pitch; also note the one pitch that the cello and bass share.

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¨  If we view the viola in bass clef, you can see that the viola and cello open strings are exactly one octave apart.

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¨  An easy way to remember the note names of the violin and bass is to realize the violin and bass are the reverse of one another.

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Alto Clef

Learning the alto clef isn’t really difficult; the problem is that most of us

don’t use it very often. It can be difficult to remember the lines and spaces,

but here is a little trick:

First look at the notes in alto clef, for example, the open strings of the viola:

Then picture those same notes being in the treble clef, and alto clef is one

note name ABOVE where the notes would be in the treble clef:

Or picture those same notes being in the bass clef, and alto clef is one note

name BELOW where the notes would be in the bass clef: