Orchestra
l Strings
Allison Wegner and Ashley Lear
Viol family
Violin
Viola
Cello
Bass
* The harp is considered a part of
the orchestral strings.
Violin
History of theViolin
 European origins date back to the
“musical bow” of the 9th century;
ancient predecessor called the Rabab
possibly from Arabia.
 Practice of using a bow to rub the
strings was adopted in the 11th
century
 The rote and later the five-string
vielle slowly integrated ribs into the
design
 Before 1500, the viola da gamba was
widely used in many settings.
 Modern violin emerged during the
early 16th century.
Violin
Construction
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7AigxtoEPo>
Body is traditionally made from maple or sycamore. (Full size is
14 inches)
Tuning pegs, located on the scroll at the top of the neck are
usually ebony or rosewood. Fine tuning pegs are located at the
bass of the strings.
Originally strings were made from dried sheep intestines or
catgut, modern strings are made from synthetic core (metals) either
solid or stranded.
Bow sticks made from Brazilian wood Pernambuco; bow frog
made from ebony; ribbon made from horse hair.
Maker uses ribs to create an exact arching of the body for the
sake of acoustics.
The f sound holes are located on the surface of the body.
Friction between bow and string vibrates through the bridge and
the sound post to the body of the violin where it resonates.
Violin Tuning and Range
 Non-fretted instrument
 Open strings from left to
right; G, D, A, E.
(occasionally extra doubling
strings)
 Pitch range from G3 (below
middle C) to the highest
note on the modern piano
C8.
 Usually non-transposing
instrument. (exception =
scordatura)
 Violinists read treble clef.
Violin in the orchestra
 Typically 16- 30 violins
 Violin section divided into
first and second violin parts.
 Violin often called the “King of
the Orchestra”
 First violinist is the concert
master
 Violins can be warm and
soothing or bright and shrill
depending upon what is
needed and the skill of the
violinist.
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Other Uses for Violin
 Violins in folk music referred to as fiddles
(not usually memorized but passed on by
ear)
 Italian classical violin (Niccolo Paganini)
 Jazz violin used as lead melody line
 Electric violins used in progressive rock
 Part of string quartet (typically 2 violins)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FReGLY2lLuY
Viola
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Viola
 Emerged with violin during the early
16th century.
 Slightly larger than the violin (16 inch
body)
 Richer, darker, more full-bodied timbre
 Reads alto clef (sometimes treble)
 Four strings left to right C, G, D, A
 It is a perfect 5th lower than the violin
(still a non-transposing instrument)
 Typically carries an inner voice part.
Viola continued…
Part of a stringed quartet
10- 12 violas in typical orchestra.
Important role in chamber music
(Mozart’s six-stringed ensembles)
Used in some newer folk music
John Cale is a notable violist who
has helped in its popularity.
Important Differences
 Requires wider fingering so ideally larger
hands.
 Requires more intense vibrato
 Violists often use the pad rather than the
tip the finger much like a cellist.
 More weight must be applied by the bow
due to thickness of strings.
 When entering in unison with violinists,
violists have to begin the bowing a bit
early.
Tips for beginners
 Children should begin with a
1/2 or 3/4 violin or viola
 Requires a good ear
 Keep bow perpendicular to
strings
 Should be able to fit a pencil
between the hair of the bow and
the wood when tightened.
 DON’T USE TOO MUCH ROSIN!
 Draw bow closer to the
fingerboard than the bridge.
 Invest in a shoulder rest.
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Cello
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Cello
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• Developed from the bass viol (violin) around the
same time as the violin and viola.
• Body of a full size cello is 30 inches long
(recommended for children to start on 1/2 size)
• Four open strings C, G, D, A sound one octave lower
than the viola.
• Cellists read bass cleff.
• Although it varies according to the cellists skill, the
range is from C2 up to C6.
• Celli have a mellow warm timbre.
Cello continued…
• Part of the stringed quartet or quintet.
• There are typically 8-12 celli in an
orchestra.
• Cellist tend to carry inner-voice harmony
in orchestras and there are often cello
solos.
• Celli are used in jazz but not quite as
much as the double bass.
• Notable cellist Yo Yo Ma
Tips for beginners
Students should sit on the edge of a
chair/thighs parallel to the ground.
Should be able to stand up quickly
without moving the tail pin from its
position.
The neck should come right past
your ear.
Should have relatively nimble
fingers (also large enough)
Elbows should always be high.
Use knees to stabilize the body
between them.
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Double Bass
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History
• From the viola da gamba
family
• Bowed, fretted, stringed
instruments appeared in
1400’s in Europe
• Germans shaped the
bass like a viol - with
sloped shoulders and a
flat back
• Italians built basses with
violin corners and a
curved back
• 1800’s - fretless bass
History
•
•
•
•
•
Early Baroque period - low profile
Domenico Dragonetti (1763-1846)
First great bass virtuoso
Revolutionary composer and player
Bass players had their own music to
play!
• Giovanni Bottesini (1821-1889)
• Italian composer, conductor, and
virtuoso performer
• Used the French bowing style
Construction
•
•
•
•
•
Usually 1.8 meters long
Top is made of spruce
Sides, back and neck made of maple
Fingerboard and Tailpiece made of ebony
4 or 5 strings made of steel (used to be
made of gut)
• Tuning pegs are made of brass
• All parts are glued together except for the
soundpost
• *Sizes and materials of the bass vary.
Sound Production
• Strings vibrate when
bowed or plucked
• Vibrations travel
through the bridge,
through the
soundpost and then
to the back of the
bass
• Vibrations ring
through the pores in
the wood and out
through the F-holes
Tuning/Transposition
• Four strings (E A D G)
• Bass is the only
transposing string
instrument - they sound
an octave lower than
what is written
• Solo Tuning (F-sharp B E
A)
• Most solo bass repertoire
is written in solo tuning,
so bassists don’t have to
transpose
• Read a minor 7th below
concert pitch in solo
tuning
Clef & Range
 Bassists play in Bass,
Tenor and Treble
Clef, but usually in
bass clef
 As solo music became
more difficult (notes
in higher octaves),
composers began to
write bass parts in
higher clefs
Range
 C Extension
 Most popular way
to extend the low
range of the
double bass
 Extends the E
string
chromatically
down to a low C
(lowest C on a
piano)
Timbre
 Depends largely on
the make of the bass
 Rounder back darker sound
 Flat back - brighter
sound
 Most basses have a
darker sound in the
normal octaves
 Sound gets brighter
outside of the normal
range
Role in the Orchestra
 Root of all chords
 Difficult to hear,
but absence would
be noticed
 The lowest sound
in the orchestra
 Doubles parts
with tuba and
contra bassoon
http://youtube.com/watch?v=hM_BlaKPWxY
Tips for Beginners
• Anyone can play the
bass - lots of
PATIENCE
• First: Bowing
technique
• Then add left hand
• Most kids start on a
1/8 bass
• Full size is 3/4
• 7/8 is used by
professional orchestral
bassists (more wood
and BIG sound)
Left Hand Technique
• Vibrato: stylistic oscillation of the
pitch caused by rotating the upper
arm at shoulder joint.
• Glissando: sliding of the finger up
or down the neck to create runs.
• Harmonics: touching or depressing
of the strings to create specific
tones or overtones (natural or
artificial)
Right hand technique
• Double Stop: playing of two notes at
the same time.
• Pizzicato: plucking the string with
finger of thumb directly.
• Col legno: use of the wood rather
than the the hair of the bow.
(usually percussive)
• Spiccato: striking strings with the
hair of bow.
Bowing Styles
 German: more power and
more sound, easier to
start on (hand is
underneath the bow),
Dragonetti bow
 French: used by cellists,
have more control, more
bowing style options,
more difficult because
gravity works against it
 Both are equally common
 Professional symphonies
Rosin
 Made from resin
(obtained from pines
and other plants)
 Bass rosin is softer
and stickier than
violin rosin (in order
to grab the thicker
strings)
 Increases friction
between the bow hair
and the strings
Other String Accessories
 Wolf tone
eliminators
 Mutes
 Humidifiers
 Endpin stops of
straps
 Tuners
 Metronomes
 Shoulder pad
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Harp
History
Construction
 About 80 lbs. / 6 ft. high
 6.5 octaves (46-47 strings)
 Lowest strings made of copper or steelwound nylon
 Middle strings made of gut
 Highest strings made of nylon
 Walnut, maple, cherry, and ash wood
can be used to make the body of the harp
 Soundboard is usually spruce
3 Types of Harps
 Arched Harp: soundbox and neck forming a curve
 Angular Harp: soundbox and neck form a right angle
 Frame Harp: neck and soundbox are joined by a
column to create a triangular shape
Pedaling
7 pedals (one for each note)
Discs at the top rotate when pedal is pushed
Pegs pinch off the string
3 pedal positions (flat, natural, sharp)
Sebastian Erard (1810) - double-action pedal
system
 Strings tuned to C-flat Major scale





Sound Production
 Taut strings are
plucked, vibrate
down into
soundboard
 Sound projects
out from the wood
and from the
sound holes in the
back of the
soundbox
Tuning
Tuned to a C-flat Major scale
It is possible to play in almost any key
Tune when string is open (no pedals!)
String is at full length when pedal is up (in flat
position)
 Can use a tuning key to adjust the pitch slightly
• http://www.soundjunction.org/theconstructionofthehar
p,andhowit’splayed.aspa?crid=0&lid=3152749




Transposition, Clef &
Range
 Non transposing
instrument
 Harpists set the
pedals to the key at
the start of a piece
(accidentals signal
pedal changing!)
 Play off of the Grand
Staff (Right hand
plays treble clef, left
hand plays bass clef)
Technique
 Two schools of
technique
 Salzedo: elbows up and
forearms parallel to the
ground, many gestures
while playing (visual),
never rest arms on
soundboard, louder
sound
 French: wrists are fluid,
right arm rests on
soundboard, not as
much gesturing, can
play faster, more quiet
Role in the Orchestra
 Add color to the orchestra
 Usually one or two harpists in a symphony
orchestra
 Sometimes the harps are covered by other
instruments, unless the composer knew how to
write for harps
Tips for Beginners
 Children and beginning adults start on a lever
harp
 Dexterity of the fingers and previous piano skills
would be an advantage
 Teachers: Be aware of your young harpist’s
needs - literature is limited for middle school
orchestras
 Beginners are also limited in the number of
keys they can play (using a lever harp)
 Teachers: Might need to arrange a harp part to
make it easier for student to read.
Helpful Sites
• Violinonline.com (viola, cello)
• Dsokids.com (guide to the
orchestra)
• orchestralibrary.com
• www.astaweb.com
Works Cited
• Elgar, Raymond. Introduction to the Double
Bass. London, Lowe and Brydone (Printers)
LTD, 1960.
• Brun, Paul. A History of the Double Bass.
Published in France, translated in 1989.
• http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/1187/Music/
basshist.html
• http://www.soundjunction.org/theconstruction
oftheharp,andhowit%e2%80%99splayed.asp
a?crid=0&lid=3152749
• www.youtube.com
• www.wikipedia.org
Works Cited continued…
• http://www.dsokids.com
• http://www.harpspectrum.org/pedal/woo
ster.shtml
• Stowell, Robin. The Early Violin and
Viola:A practice Guide. Cambridge
University Press. 2001.
• Cowling, Elizabeth. The Cello. Chalres
Scribner’s Sons New York. 1983.