Bowed string instrument extended technique: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Advanced techniques used for the bow on string instruments}}

{{More citations needed|date=September 2020}}

[[String instrument]]s are capable of producing a variety of [[extended technique]] sounds. These alternative playing techniques have been used extensively since the 20th century. Particularly famous examples of string instrument extended technique can be found in the music of [[Krzysztof Penderecki]] (particularly his ''[[Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima]]''), [[Witold Lutosławski]], [[George Crumb]], and [[Helmut Lachenmann]].

==Bowing techniques==

=== Bowing the body of the instrument ===

Bowing the body of a string instrument (which can include bowing the [[sound box]], [[neck (music)|neck]], [[tuning peg]]s, or [[scroll (music)|scroll]]) produces a quiet sound whose amplitude differs according to the place bowed, bow pressure and bow speed. At most the sound is a whisper of the [[horsehair|bow hair]] moving over the wood. A good example of this technique in a musical work is [[Helmut Lachenmann|Helmut Lachenmann's]] [[Toccatina (Lachenmann)|Toccatina]], a piece written in 1986 for solo violin which uses many extended techniques.

Bowing the body of a string instrument (which can include bowing the [[sound box]], [[neck (music)|neck]], [[tuning peg]]s, or [[scroll (music)|scroll]]) produces a quiet sound whose amplitude differs according to the place bowed, bow pressure and bow speed. At most the sound is a whisper of the [[horsehair|bow hair]] moving over the wood. A good example of this technique in a musical work is [[Helmut Lachenmann|Helmut Lachenmann's]] [[Toccatina (Lachenmann)|Toccatina]], a piece written in 1986 for solo violin which uses many extended techniques.{{citation needed|date=July 2025}}

===Bowing on the bridge===

=== Bowing on the bridge ===

[[File:Bowing the bridge.JPG|thumb|Bowing the bridge, second method]]

Bowing on the [[bridge (instrument)|bridge]] produces two different effects depending on how it is done. If it is done while the performer is in normal playing position, the sound produced is quiet, whispery and a bit squeaky. This method could more properly be called 'bowing over the bridge', since the bow hair is usually still in contact with the strings. [[Sul ponticello]] (bowing near the

bridge) is a similar, more common technique.{{citation needed|date=July 2025}}

The other method involves the performer holding the instrument in their lap, placing the bow parallel to the instrument and firmly dragging it across the side of the bridge. In this case the sound is loud, high pitched and squeaky. An example of this playing technique can be found in [[Gérard Grisey|Gérard Grisey's]] [[Vortex Temporum]] (1995). [[Helmut Lachenmann]] often uses a soft version of this technique, creating a quiet, white-noise-like sound.{{citation needed|date=July 2025}}

===Bowing on the fingerboard===

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==Tapping techniques==

==="Silent" fingering===

A performer can stop the strings with his/hertheir left hand in an unusually forceful maneuver and thereby produce a percussive effect. Although quiet, the name “silent” is a misnomer and refers to the fact that the bow is often not applied when performing this effect.

===Slapping the strings===

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==Further reading==

*Blatter, Alfred (1980). ''Instrumentation/Orchestration.'' New York: Schirmer Books.

*[[Anne Lanzilotti|Lanzilotti, Anne]] (2016). [https://searchwww.proquest.com/docview/1847569458 ''Andrew Norman's The Companion Guide to Rome: Influence of Architecture and Visual Art on Composition'']. Phd Diss, [[Manhattan School of Music]].

*{{Cite journal|last=Lanzilotti|first=Anne|date=25 October 2016|title=Cut to a Different World: Andrew Norman|url=https://www.musicandliterature.org/features/2016/10/25/cut-to-a-different-world-andrew-norman|journal=Music & Literature|issn=2165-4026|ref=none}}

*[[Gardner Read|Read, Gardner]] (1969). ''Music Notation.'' 2nd ed. Boston: Crescendo Publishing Co.