STRING WRITING

Slurs indicate bow changes.

Only provide up-bow ( ) and down-bow ( ) symbols if they are not obvious to the player.
String indications: you can indicate a note or passage is to be played on a specific string in two ways: 1)
using sul notation (e.g. sul G); or 2) Roman numeral indications I, II, III, IV from highest to lowest.
Make sure its clear how long the string indication lasts for (you might use a bracket.Only use string
indications if one of the following applies:

youre using a diamond-head natural harmonic (see below);

you have a downward glissando that crosses over the pitch of an open string;

you want to specify a string for colouristic reasons (e.g. playing in high positions);

the desired string is not immediately obvious (e.g. to indicate a tremolo between two strings).

Multiple stops can be difficult to write well if youre not a string player. A general rule is: any double stop
that includes an open string is easy. Otherwise, intervals from a semitone to an octave are possible, but
fifths can be awkward and hard to get in tune. Sixths are the most comfortable. Avoid fast changes
between multiple-stops. Check them with a performer.

STRING HARMONICS

There are two main methods of producing harmonics on string instruments: natural and false (or artificial).
Natural harmonics are played with one finger; false with two.

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Harp harmonics are notated using a harmonic circle, but unlike string harmonics, this does not signify the
sounding pitch they always sound an 8ve higher. They are played by touching the string at the midpoint
with the heel of the palm, while plucking with a finger of the same hand. The left hand can play two
harmonics at once, but no wider than a fifth. Harp harmonics sound best in the middle octaves (G3G5).

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Piano harmonics are available, but awkward to produce (it requires one hand inside the piano, the other on
the keys). It works best in the bottom two octaves: a harmonic circle above the note indicates an
indeterminate harmonic. If you want an exact harmonic to be sounded, you can also indicate the sounding
pitch as well as the played pitch (with the played pitch as diamond notehead, similar to flute harmonics)
but this requires the pianist to put Twink on the string at the node, which may not be allowed. Furthermore,
the big iron struts of the pianos frame can vary from piano to piano, meaning that exact harmonics may not
always be accessible.

NZSM Guide to Music Notation 2016

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