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NOTATION

NAME

DEFINITION

Glissando

Anornamentaleffectnotatedastwonotesconnectedbyawavyorstraightline,
indicatingacontinuousslideinpitch.Insteadofplayingthetwonotesseparately,
thefingershouldsmoothlyslidealongthestringbetweenthetwonotes,playingall
ofthenotesalongthelineinasubtleorpronouncedmanner(includingthetwo
notatednotes).Thecontextoftheglissandoshoulddetermineitsinterpretation.

Gracenote

Usedtoornamentanote,agracenoteiswritteninasmallfontindicatingthe
musicianshouldquicklyplaythegracenote,thenthenoteitisattachedto(the
gracenoteisnotpartoftherhythmicvalueofthemeasure).
Harmonicsareovertonesofthestringandproducesoftflutelikesoundswhenthe
stringislightlytouchedatspecificfractionaldivisions(nodalpoints).Natural
harmonicsareproducedonopenstrings,andartificialorstoppedharmonicsare
producedonstoppedstrings.Composersoftenindicatewhichstringshouldbe
usedfortheharmonicbynotatingaboveorbelowthenotemarkingssuchassulD,
Dstring,orIII(meaning,playtheharmonicontheDstring,thethirdstringonthe
violin).
Naturalharmonicsareindicatedintwoways:byasmall"o"writtenabovethenote
tobelightlytouched,andbyasmalldiamondshapeataspecificpointonthe
stringwherethefingershouldbelightlyplaced.Themostcommonlyusednatural
harmonicsaredescribedbelow,withnotatedexamplesontheDstring.
1.Thestringisdividedinhalf(twoequalparts).Whenthestringis
lightlytouchedinthemiddle,theresultingpitchsoundsoneoctave
abovetheopenstring.Thisparticularharmonicisgenerallynotated
attheactualpitchwithasmallcircleaboveit.Ex.1isanexampleof
anaturalharmonicdividingthestringintoonehalfontheDstring.To
playit,findthemiddlepointoftheDstring(theindicatednoteD),
andlightlytouchthisnotewithyourfinger.Asyouuseyourbowto
playthisnote,theresultingpitchshouldbeoneoctaveabovethe
openstringD.

Harmonics
(naturalharmonics)

2.Thestringisdividedinthirds(threeequalparts).Ifthestringislightly
touchedatonethirdofthestringlengthfromeitherend,theresulting
pitchshouldbeanoctaveandaperfectfifthabovetheopennote.
Ex.2isanexampleofanaturalharmonicdividingthestringinto
thirds.

3.Thestringisdividedintofourths(fourequalparts).Ifthestringis
lightlytouchedatoneofthenodesdividingthestringinfourths,the
resultingpitchshouldbetwooctavesabovetheopenstring.Ex.3is
anexampleofthisharmonic:

4.Thestringisdividedintofifths(fiveequalparts).Ifthestringislightly
touchedatoneofthenodesdividingthestringinfifths,theresulting
pitchshouldbetwooctavesandathirdabovetheopenstring.Ex.4

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isanexampleofthisharmonic:

Artificialorstoppedharmonicsareproducedbyfirmlypressingthefirstfingerdown
onanotetwooctavesbelowthedesiredpitch,andthenlightlytouchingthefourth
fingeraperfectfourthabovethenotatedpitch.Thisdividesthestringintofourths,
similartoexample3innaturalharmonics.Theresultingsoundistwooctaves
abovethestoppedpitch.Lesscommonlyused,areartificialharmonicswitha
lightlytouchedfingerathirdorfifthabovethestoppednotes.

Harmonics
(artificialharmonics)

Whenartificialharmonicsarenotated,asmalldiamondshapeisusedtoindicate
thenotethatshouldbelightlytouched.Ex.5isanexampleofanartificialharmonic
ontheDstring,withtheartificialharmonicafourthabovethenotatedpitch.Toplay
it,firmlypressyourfirstfingerdownonthenotatedE,andlightlytouchyourfourth
fingeronthepitchAindicatedbythediamondshape.Theresultingsoundshould
betwooctavesabovethestoppedfirstfingerE.

Acollectivetermusedtodescribechordsplayedonastringedinstruments.
Specifictermsforeachchordinclude:
1.doublestops(achordusingtwostringsplaynotessimultaneously
ontwostrings)

2.triplestops(playthechordusingthreestrings)

Multiplestops

3.quadruplestop(playthechordusingfourstrings).

Whenperformingtriplestopsandquadruplestops,thechordsare
oftenplayedeithertwoatatime(bottomtwonotesofthechord,then
thetoptwonotesofthechord),orthenotesarearpeggiatedand
playedonenoteatatimeasinthefollowingexampleofan
arpeggiatedquadruplestop:

consordino

Muted

ordinario

ord.

pizz.

Playwithamute.Mutesaresmallclampsofwood,metal,rubber,leatheror
plastic,whichfitontothebridgeandresultinasofter,mutedsoundwithaveiled
quality.MutedsectionsofmusicarealsoindicatedbytheGermantermmit
dampfer.Thetermsarco(bow),viasordini(takeoffmute),orsenzasordino
(withoutmute),areusedtoindicatewhenthemutedsectionendsandthe
musicianshouldresumeplayingwithabow.
Ordinarioorord.meansordinary,andisusedtoindicateareturntoordinary
playingafterplayingaspecialeffectsuchascollegnoorsulponticello.

Pizzicato(pizz.)

Indicatesnotesshouldbepluckedratherthanbowed.Violinistsusuallyplay
pizzicatowiththeirrightindexfinger.Todothis,theyoftenplacetheirthumb
againstthecornerorsideofthefingerboardtosupportthehandwhileplucking.A
returntobowingisoftenindicatedbythetermarco.Lesscommonlyusedpizzicato
effectsarelistedbelow.

Lefthand

Lefthandpizzicatoisindicatedbythe+signplacedoverorunderthenote,andis

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pizz.

sometimesusedwhiletherighthandcontinuestousethebow(itisgenerally
playedbypluckingwiththe4thfingerofthelefthand).

Nailpizz.indicatestheplayershouldusetheirfingernailinsteadofthefleshypart
oftheirfingertopluckthestring.Theresultisametallicsoundingpizzicato(this
formofpizz.isdifficultforviolinistssincetheygenerallykeeptheirfingernails
short).

Nailpizz.

quasiguitar

GuitarPizzicato

Guitarpizzicatoisindicatedbythetermquasiguitar,meaningtheviolinisheldlike
aguitarandstrummed.

Pizzicato
tremolo

Tremolonotationalongwiththetermpizzicato,indicatestheplayershoulduse
pizzicatotremolo.Todothis,thefingermovesupanddown,rapidlypluckingthe
notesforatremoloeffect.

Snap
pizzicato

Insnappizzicato,thestringispluckedwithsuchforcethatitsnapsagainstthe
fingerboardwhenreleased.Snappizz.isoftencalled"Bartok"pizzicato,sincethe
composerBartokfrequentlyuseditinhisstringmusic.

Scordatura

Scordaturameansabnormaltuning,andindicatesoneormorestringsshouldbe
tunedhigherorlowerthanusual(specifictuningdirectionsforthenewpitchesare
generallyprovided).

SulG
SulD
SulA
SulE

SulGmeansplayontheGstringandonlytheGstringuntilotherwiseindicated.In
violinmusic,itissometimesnotatedSulIVorsimplythenumeralIVoverorunder
themusic,sinceGisthefourthstringontheviolin.SulD(orIII,thethirdstringon
theviolin),SulA(orII,thesecondstringontheviolin)andsulE(orI,thefirst
stringontheviolin)alsomeantoplaythenotesonthesinglestringindicated.

Trill

Atrillornamentsanote,andisarapidalternationbetweentwopitches,usuallya
majororminorsecondabovethenote.Anaccidentalisoftenusedtoindicate
whetherthetrillisamajororminortrill.
Turnsareornamentsmainlyusedinmusicfromthe17th19thcentury.Aturn
generallyindicatesfournotesshouldbeplayed,encirclingthenotatednotesuch
asintheexampleprovided:

Turn

Violinvibratoissimilartovocalvibratoitisaslightandrapidfluctuationinpitch,
andisusedtoaddwarmthandexpressiontomusic.Therearethreetypesof
vibrato:finger,hand,armoracombinationofallthree.Manyviolinistsusea
combinationoffingerandhandvibrato.Thistypeofvibratoisproducedbyaback
andforthrollingmotionofthefingerandhandonthestring,resultinginthepitch
beingloweredandraised.Variationsinthewidthandspeedofthevibratocan
produceawiderangeofexpression.Thefollowingdefinitionsareexcerptsfrom
therenownedviolinpedagogueIvanGalamian'sbookPrinciplesofViolinPlaying
andTeaching,pages3840,andexplainthethreetypesofvibratoinmoredetail:

Vibrato

HandVibrato:"Inthistypeofvibrato,thehandswingsfromamoreorless
immobilizedarm.Thefingerelongatesitselfasthehandswingsbackwardstoward
thescrollandthenresumesitsoriginalcurvedpositionasthehandreturnstoits
startingpoint."
ArmVibrato:"Theimpulse,insteadofcomingfromthehand,nowcomesfromthe
forearm,and,inthiscasealso,thefingerhastoyieldpassively.Thefingershould
befirmenoughtoholdthestringdownandtoretainitsplaceonthestring,but
flexibleenoughtosubmittothemotionofthearm.Itmuststretchandrecurvewith
thebackwardandforwardswingofthevibratocycle."
FingerVibrato:"Theimpulsecomesfromthefingeritself,whichswingsfromits
baseknucklewiththehandslightlyyieldingandmovingpassivelyinflexible
responsetothefingeraction.Thisvibratoissmallerinwidththantheothertypes."

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