Questions tagged [orchestral-strings]
The bowed stringed instruments usually found in a modern orchestra: violin, viola, cello, and double bass.
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Strange Brackets in String Writing
I was arranging a piece and was wondering what these four notes inside a bracket on the Violin part mean. I'm not a string player, but I was assuming something weird, like retuning the strings, but ...
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string quartet + chamber orchestra + symphonic orchestra. Why?
In “Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis” by Vaughan Williams, we see a string quartet performing alongside a chamber orchestra of about eight people and a full-scale symphony orchestra. I wonder why ...
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Bass Ad Lib Instruction on conductor score of Britten Simple Symphony
I'm playing double bass for Britten's Simple Symphony as part of a string orchestra and the conductor score for movement 3 (Sentimental Saraband) has bass 'ad libitum' written at the first bar of the ...
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Does the pizzicato apply to the 2nd Violins or the Violas?
In the 69th bar of the 1st movement of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 1, it says for an instrument to be played in pizzicato, but I'm not sure which one.
The top instrument is the 1st Violins, middle is ...
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Glissando during arpeggiando on string instruments
(Related to this question for the case without glissando)
Consider following example of an arpeggiando on the four open strings of the cello (but the question also holds for violin or viola).
Is it ...
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Producing Natural Sound with Electric Double Bass [duplicate]
I'm looking into buying a double bass and have been considering an electric.
I know this is similar to a previous question, how do i make an electric upright bass sound more standard, but I'm asking ...
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I know these are sixteenth sextuplets, but I was wondering what these are called when they share the same staff? And how they're played?
I am trying to figure out what they are, I've searched on YouTube but I don't think I have the correct keywords to find out what I'm looking for... Are they played like double stops or played ...
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Is there an ideal size for viola?
I know that there isn't a standard "full size" for viola, but most people stop at 16 inches. However, I've also been told that for violas, the bigger the better. Is this true? If so, would ...
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Is this tremolo too fast for strings?
Is this tremolo with the specified tempo too fast for a viola, cello and contrabass?
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Cello: playing D notes on A-string vs. D string [duplicate]
I'm a beginner to cello. On some cello cheat sheets. You can play the
D note on A-string by holding down two fingers (in first position)
But you can also play the D note on the D-string without ...
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How to play tremolo on violin
I found an orchestral score in 3/4 time that instructs the first and second violins to play tremolos:
First violins should play those notes as quavers so do the second violins play semiquavers? I ...
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Secondary brackets in the string section
In an orchestral score, each section of the orchestra gets a thick square margin bracket, e.g. the woodwind section.
Within these, thin square secondary brackets are used to group instruments in the ...
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What is at the tip of large string concert instruments, and does it damage the floor?
I sat very close to the stage Friday night for the Pops.
I could see a cellist in the front row and noticed the bottom tip of a metal rod where the cello stands, making contact with the wooden floor.
...
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How difficult is this violin part?
I understand that the difficulty of a passage is quite subjective, but all the same I need to have some idea of what I'm asking. This passage looks OK to me. It sits in the middle of the register, ...
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How do orchestras synchronize bow movement?
The last few times I've been to see the orchestra, I've noticed that the bow movements of all the strings are synchronized. I've been in bands and choirs before but never a group with strings, so this ...
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Do scores or ancillary materials often specify the number of string personnel?
A question came up recently about the practice of specifying the performing forces for a score using a string of numbers (e.g. 2-2-1-1, etc), and I expressed surprise that it bothered to also make a ...
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The interaction between strings and woodwinds in an orchestral setting
I have only worked with relatively small orchestras, and in that time, one of the biggest problems is the combination of strings and woodwinds, especially in contrapuntal writing where the main voice ...
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Notation - when to use staccato vs rests
I'm arranging a piece of music I wrote for string quartet, and I'm not sure what the most practical way of notating the following rhythm is. I'm self taught and rarely use written music, so I'm not ...
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how can I study orchestration methods for electric guitar?
In this post, I was given some tips on arranging electric guitars. However, I would like to do further reading on the subject (spreads, range, register, coupling, doubling, unisons, etc), and I can't ...
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Which octave should sound for Stravinsky's viola harmonics in the "Pulcinella Suite"?
This is the viola part from Stravinsky "Pulcinella" Suite, movement 3a "Scherzino".
How should the harmonics (diamond notes written on open string places) sound? Norman del Mar, &...
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Why is violin tuning order the way it is?
I get that A is how we define concert pitch, so we tune that first, but then we always tune D-A, G-D, then A-E. Why is that? Is it just convention?
My best conjecture/hypothesis is that it makes it ...
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How can I determine if double stops are playable?
inspired by Are these double stops playable on violin? :
I have never had the opportunity to play a fretless string instrument. When writing music for violins or other string instruments, what rules ...
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Voicing in the Finale of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 "Pathétique"
In the opening bars of the last movement of Tchaikovsky's 6th, the strings have some four-part writing with a melody "F# E D C# B C#." However, the score reveals that the first and second ...
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Which instruments to physically familiarize with to become a better orchestrator?
Physically familiarizing with which two orchestral instruments would be a good compromise between having to buy all the instruments and gaining leverage in orchestral writing? My own opinion is ...
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Why does the exponential curve that shows up in the orchestra not overwhelm anything?
So, I've noticed these ratios of range in the modern orchestra, which is primarily strings:
Soprano:Alto - Factor of 4 or 5 more soprano than alto
Tenor:Bass - About twice as much tenor as bass
Alto:...
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Trying to lower string gauge - how to measure what I have now?
I've been playing shows at a local theatre for the past several years and when our April show was cancelled, they paid everyone anyway. So I'm planning to invest it in my kit. For the past few shows, ...
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Do any prominent string players tune the top and bottom string to be a just minor 10th or major 13th?
I'm thinking of bass, viola, violin, and cello, though my question could apply to any instrument tuned in stacked fourths/fifths. Typically the strings are tuned using the 3rd and 4th harmonics so ...
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Do planetary geared tuners obviate the need for tailpiece tuners?
I've read somewhere the claim that geared tuners (e.g Pegheds, Wittners) obviate the need for fine-tuners. Does this refer to the fine tuners that clamp onto the string, or does it also mean I can ...
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Do first violins take precedence over second violins for the main melody or the higher pitched part?
I know that in general within an orchestra, if the violins hold the melody it's usually the first violins which play the main melody and the second violins act as a support to them, but if the main ...
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Two Stringed Instruments in Unison?
I have been receiving conflicting information from orchestration bigwigs. Some say that composers should never orchestrate two stringed instruments together because they will be ever so slightly out ...
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Viola and Cello diamond notehead notation interpretation
I'm attempting to transcribe (for playback) Dukas' L'Apprenti Sorcier into Musescore.
I don't understand what the following notation means, how it should be played, or possibly be approximated, ...
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Is B major harder or easier to play on strings than Ab major?
I started improvising a nocturne in B major that I think I will write for a piano sextet(string quintet + Piano). But, there is one thing I feel that I need to ask first before I get 25% of the way ...
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Tempo conservation with Time Signature Change, How to notate this for Classical Musicians?
So, I am writing a Scherzo in the key of Eb major for a string quartet. And I was just thinking about what to do for the B section of my Scherzo, both in key and time signature. I was thinking that ...
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Meaning of notation in violin part
I've been working on transcribing a score for my own edification, and I've come across a piece of notation in one of the violin parts that I'm not familiar with:
In the third measure shown, the A has ...
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What is the techniques used at the beginning of "Victory" by Two Steps From Hell?
Apart from the drums and piano at the beginning of this piece, there is some kind of string arrangement happening. I'm not sure what technique is being used, it is also used in several of their other ...
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Learning the sounding of classical orchestra instruments with Noteperformer, Sibelius Sounds 7
This question is a follow-up of: How to distinguish between different instruments in a classical orchestra?
If I transcript some of my compositions (which are now written for piano) and make ...
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Difference between Martele & accent
I’m studying string articulations and I’m having trouble finding the difference between these off the bow articulations. Why should a composer choose to use martele in a situtuation instead of ...
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How to distinguish between different instruments in a classical orchestra?
I want to train myself into distinguishing the instruments being played simultaneously in orchestral music (primarily Wagner and Bruckner, maybe Mahler). Ideally I want to be able to say at each point ...
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How to write string divisi sections w/ different instructions correctly
There are two string parts in a piece I’m writing that use divisi, and I’m not sure how to write them correctly.
First, this violin section:
I want to make clear that all players should play sul ...
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How to indicate divisi with specific uneven players
My prior understanding was that when writing divisi with strings, the number you specified with “a[x]” indicated the number of players per divisi section; i.e., “div. a8” = 8 players on this line, etc....
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Why doesn't a marching band have strings?
In a regular orchestra the violin takes an important role. Why is it that in marching bands there are no strings usually? To give some context I'm working on a march composition and I like strings ...
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Is divisi notation needed for brass or woodwind in an orchestra?
I'm composing for orchestra.
I've read that divisions [of parts] should be notated using divisi. (or div.) above the staff. But I'm wondering whether this notation is mandatory for all instruments.
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Violin - How to keep fingers from touching other string when playing double stops
I am new to double stops. When I play a double stop where a finger is on a string while playing an open string (1st finger on the D string and open A string), my finger touches the open string, in ...
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Why are string bows so hairy?
All violin bows I have seen are designed to hold a width of at least 1cm of hair. However, in my string training, I was always taught to rotate the bow so that only the outer-most hairs contact the ...
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Why are modern string bows concave instead of convex?
Every bow that I have seen used to play an orchestral stringed instrument, regardless of the style of music being played, has the same concave design. By concave I mean that there is a slight curve ...
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What instrument is an "alto" string part in a score?
In the music score below, the bottom five parts seem to be string parts. We think the first two are violins, the last is string bass, and the second-last is cello. But what is the third-last? Is it a ...
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Why such a difference in balance adding 1 instrument?
I am writing a canon for piano quintet and I notice I'm getting a lot of balance issues.
When it starts with 2 measures of piano solo, of course there are no such issues. I introduce new variations ...
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Why are most string quartets in a key with few sharps or flats?
At most, in a string quartet, I've seen 4 flats or sharps. Now I have been told that this is because C major, G major, D major and A major are the easiest keys on a string instrument because they have ...
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What is this string/violin technique called?
In this song, from 2:40 to 2:41, the strings play a series of very short notes. It sounds almost like vibrato. I hear this string technique quite often in orchestral music. Is there a name for this ...
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Notation in Vasks "Stimmen"
Can anyone explain what is meant by the "wavy line" notation in the photo (bottom staff in each system)?
It's from Peteris Vasks, Symphony for strings "Stimmen".
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