CHAPTER 1. STRING PLAYER PERSPECTIVES Classical Training Folk/Roots Training How Much Detuning is Safe? American Roots Intonation
CHAPTER 2. TUNING, RANGE, AND TIMBRE A Few Words about Tuning and Intonation Standard Notation Violin Viola Violoncello (Cello) Double Bass Range Timbre Large Interval Skips String Range Quick Reference
CHAPTER 3. BASIC BOWINGS AND ARTICULATIONS Bowing Slurs Down-Bows vs. Up-Bows Tenuto Accents Articulation Choices for Fast Passages Dynamics Bluegrass: Hokum Shuffle
CHAPTER 4. STANDARD TECHNIQUES Vibrato Sul Tasto Pizzicato Using a Conductor Bartók Pizzicato Pizzicato Bass Trills Tremolos Mutes Harmonics Natural Harmonics Artificial Harmonics Double, Triple, Quadruple Stops Ricochet/Jeté Using the Stick of the Bow
CHAPTER 5. CHOPS, PONTICELLO/FEEDBACK, PORTAMENTO, AND FALLS Chop Technique Soft Chop Chunks Ponticello Enhanced Ponticello Glissando/Portamento Papa John Creach Portamento Fall
CHAPTER 6. THE STRING SECTION String Quartet Melody/Countermelody Fills Pads Comping Section Size One Player More Than One Range
CHAPTER 7. STYLISTIC APPROACHES American Roots Strong Rhythm Fiddle Keys First Position Western Swing Celtic Fiddle vs. Violin Jazz/Swing Gypsy Jazz Gypsy vs. Roma Rock/Pop Repeated Notes Funk/Fusion Hip-Hop/R&B Charanga Eastern Europe Klezmer Arabic Music And More
CHAPTER 8. IMPROVISATION OR WRITTEN PART An Improvised Part A Written Part Strings in the Score String Parts Enharmonic Spelling Music Writing Software
CHAPTER 9. RECORDING AND SOUND REINFORCEMENT Recording Acoustic Strings Make Tuning Easy Mic Technique for Solo Strings Mic Technique for String Sections Quartets or Less More Than a Quartet Seating Isolation Beware of Doubling Headphones A Big Section with a Small Budget Recording: Pickups vs. Electric Instruments Amplification: Acoustic Instruments with Pickups Amplification: Electric Instruments Effects Headphones Sound Reinforcement on Stage Acoustic Strings Headphones/Monitors Electric Strings Cellists Sitting vs. Standing
AFTERWORD Next Big String Things Even More New Techniques Go Forward and Create
APPENDIX. SELECTED LISTENING Classical String Quartets Movie and TV Scores Chopping American Roots Western Swing Old Time Country Music Celtic Jazz and Swing Rock/Pop Funk/Fusion Hip-Hop/R&B Charanga Eastern Europe Klezmer Music Arabic Music Free Improvisers Subharmonics Conductors of Improvising Ensembles