NAME
|
DESCRIPTION
|
NOTATION
|
LISTEN/VIEW
|
COMMENTS
|
mute(s)
on
|
a
damper is attached to the bridge to mute the sound
|
con
sord
(Germ. mit Dämpfer)
|
con sord |
There
are two types of mute: the clamp type (Ma Sihon) which is placed on the
bridge, and the sliding type (Roth-Sihon) which is permanently attached
to the strings. It is usually best to allow about 5 seconds for players
to put on or remove a mute. |
mute(s)
off
|
the
mute is removed
|
senza
sord
|
|
No
need to specify this unless a muted passage has preceded |
natural
harmonics
|
the
string is lightly fingered at a nodal point to produce a "fluted"
sound
|
The
notation of natural harmonics is often inconsistent. Frequently
it is either just a circle over the note, thus:
or
the word harm, or indeed a diamond notehead to indicate
finger position, or some combination of the above! To
be completely accurate, a harmonic would be notated thus:
Here,
the large round notehead indicates the fundamental (open G-string
in this case), the diamond notehead indicates the finger position
and the small note in brackets is the resulting sound. (However,
violinists would probably regard this as over-fussy for a straightforward
natural harmonic).
|
harmonics
natural harmonics |
The
nodal points on a string are as follows:
1/2 (gives 8ve above open string)
1/3 (gives 8ve+5th above open string)
1/4 (gives 2x8ves above open string)
1/5 (gives 2x8ves+maj3rd above open string)
There are more natural harmonics, but these are relatively unreliable. |
artificial
harmonics
|
the
string is stopped normally, and then fingered (with the little finger)
at a point a 4th or a 5th above the stopped note
|
The
same notational practices apply for artificial harmonics. Note
that in this case:
the first will produce a note 2x8ves above the stopped note,
the second an 8ve+5th above the stopped note. Often
a small notehead in brackets is used to indicate the sounding
result, as in the example above. Where the word flag (= "flageolet")
is written over the note, a whispered bowing might help the 'whistling'
sound, but this instruction can also mean, quite simply,
'harmonic'.
|
harmonics
artificial harmonic at 4th
artificial
harmonic at 5th
|
It
is possible to add vibrato and to play melodic lines in artificial harmonics,
but both techniques should be used with care. Two rarer artificial harmonics
are:
min 3rd above stop (gives 2x8ves+5th)
maj 3rd above stop (gives 2x8ves+maj 3rd)
|