Skip to main content

How to Make Harmonics Come out on a Violin

The violin is capable of a dizzying array of playing techniques. The standard method of playing the violin is by depressing a string with a finger and then bringing the bow across the string. However, there is another method to produce pitch on the violin that creates a hazy, dreamlike sound. This technique was used in the opening of Gustav Mahler's 1st Symphony. It is a technique all violinists should know and learn to play. There are two different forms of harmonics, and each requires a different technique to play correctly.

Artificial Harmonics 


Step 1:  Determine the pitch that is two octaves below the pitch you wish to create.
Step 2:  Firmly press down with the first finger the note found in Step 1.

Step 3:  Lightly touch the pitch that is a fourth above the note from Step 2 with the fourth finger. Continue to hold the first finger on the first pitch. Lightly touching the string a fourth above the pitch will divide the string into fourths.

Step 4:  Pull your bow across the string. This will create an artificial two octaves above the firmly held pitch.

Natural Harmonics 


Step 1:  Find the middle point of the string you wish to play. The strings of the violin are G D A E, starting at the G below middle C and moving upwards in fifths. This method will create a harmonic that sounds one octave above the string.

Step 2:  Lightly press the middle of the string with a finger.

Step 3:  Pull your bow across the string using a normal bowing technique. This will produce the harmonic an octave above the lowest string.

Natural harmonics can also be produced by dividing the violin string into thirds, fourths and fifths. The string can be divided on either end of the string. Dividing the string into thirds produces the pitch an octave and a perfect fifth above the open string. Dividing the string in fourths produces the pitch two octaves above the open string. Dividing the string in fifths produces the pitch two octaves and a third above the open string.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sunday Stories: The Power of Audiation in Music Composition

Happy Sunday! Today, let’s explore the transformative power of audiation in music composition and share an inspiring story about a composer who mastered this skill. Audiation, the ability to hear and understand music in your mind, is a crucial tool for composers, enabling them to bring their musical ideas to life with greater detail and precision. What is Audiation? Audiation is the process of hearing and comprehending music in your mind without any external sound. It is similar to thinking in a language, where you can understand and manipulate words and sentences internally.  For composers, audiation is an essential skill that allows them to imagine, develop, and refine their musical ideas before they are played or written down 1 . The Benefits of Audiation for Composers 1. Enhanced Musical Understanding Audiation helps composers develop a deeper understanding of music. By hearing and analyzing music internally, they can grasp the relationships between different musical elements, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Similarities of Classical and Baroque Music

Music has evolved through the centuries and undergone drastic changes. One of the most significant transitions was from the Baroque to the Classical period of music. In this paragraph, I will compare and contrast some of the main features of these two styles, such as ensembles, instrumentation, and counterpoint study. The Baroque and Classical periods of music have many similarities. While the style of music changed drastically, certain key elements remained the same between the two styles. Composers in the Classical period sought to simplify music and create clearly audible musical lines. In contrast, composers from the Baroque period were interested in creating complex and highly ornamented musical lines. The Baroque period occurs from approximately 1600 to 1750, and the Classical period extends from 1750 to 1820. Ensembles Ensembles are groups of musicians that perform together. Both the Baroque and the Classical period had similar types of ensembles, such as operas, orchestras, str...
Post a Comment
Read more

List of Musical Techniques and Their Meanings

Musical techniques are the building blocks of any basic music training. These techniques allow performers to improve their coordination and develop accuracy through repetitive daily exercises. Musical techniques progressively build upon previously learned techniques. Scales Scales form the basis for other musical techniques. Student may study major and minor scales as well as modern scales, such as the whole-tone and octatonic scales. A scale consists of patterns of half steps and whole steps. These whole steps and half-step arrangements will be different for each scale. Scales are musical techniques that can help a performer to play faster and more accurately, and make learning new pieces easier. Chords Chords require knowledge of major and minor scales. Chords come in several different forms that affect the sound. Triads consist of three notes spaced a third apart and classified as major, minor, augmented and diminished chords. Seventh chords build on triads and have an additional no...
Post a Comment
Read more