| Author |
Comment |
vsteele
Registered User
Posts: 20
(1/26/01 9:48:21 am)
Reply
|
artificial
harmonics
I am an amateur adult intermediate player and am working on the
Scherzo and Nocturne of Geoffrey Burgon's Six Suites for solo cello.
Both these movements have artificial harmonics in them and I do not
know how to play them. I thought that I was supposed to put my thumb
on the note written in bold, and put my third finger in octave
position, and play it as a harmonic and I was supposed to get a
pitch of a fourth above the thumb note with this third finger. No
matter what I try, I get an octave or a fifth.
Here is an
example, measure 80 of the scherzo:
Treble clef, regular note
= B flat, harmonic of this chord is written as E flat, then play
regular A harmonic. Am I supposed to put my thumb on B flat, located
in the first position location on the A string?
Here is a
second example, measure 81 of the scherzo:
Bass clef, chords.
First chord is regular note is F sharp on the D string, harmonic is
B. Second chord, regular note is G sharp on the D string, harmonic
is C sharp.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
|
42
Registered User
Posts: 138
(1/26/01 10:20:09 am)
Reply
|
harmonics
HI, I hope I can be of assistance......
Artificial harmonics as
I recall them:
I believe the notation you are describing is a
solid note head where the thumb should be stopping the string, and a
open diamond on the 3rd finger.
The first thing to remember
is that these can be played a P4 or a P5 above the thumb. If it is a
P4 the note that sounds will be 2 octaves higher than the stopped
note. If it is at the 5th the sounding note will be 1 octave higher
than the 3rd finger (or a P12 above te thumb)......... I know that
is confusing, but its tough to write.
example 1:
the
sounding note should be a Bb 2 octaves higher. I would personally do
this on the D string if you have time..... I dont know the piece, so
I'm not sure.
Example 2:
the two notes should be F# and G#
respectively, agian two octaves higher.
I hope this helps a
bit and doesn't confuse you too much. It will take a bit of practice
to make them soung good, but you will get the hang of it. I Maybe
you can find someone to help you?..... it is much easier to
demonstrate than to explain in writing.
--Mike :-)
|
Andrew
Victor
Registered
User
Posts: 208
(1/26/01 11:32:45
am)
Reply
|
I love
harmonics
I love harmonics; cellos are so rich in them. Surely everyone has
scooted their hand up and down the top of the fingerboard and
sounded those ringing natural harmonics - especially on the top of
the A string. The same many harmonics are also accessible at the
bottom of the fingerboard (the same distance from the nut as they
are from the bridge) - maybe a little harder to sound. And for each
of these "natural harmonics" that has a certain linear-distance
relationship to the nut, there is an equivalent harmonic that can be
"fingered" or "artifically" accessed by fully stopping the string at
any place and touching the equivalent higher position with another
finger (the only limitation is the size of one's hand).
On
violins the use of fingered ("artificial") harmonics is more easily
accessed and much more common. On the violin, the common fingered
harmonic is the one that sounds an octave higher, which is the most
responsive one.
Andy
|
vsteele
Registered User
Posts: 22
(1/26/01 12:24:21 pm)
Reply
|
ah ha!
42,
Thanks. That helps quite a bit. Now can you explain the
meaning of life? 
|
Victor
Sazer
Registered
User
Posts: 66
(1/29/01 1:32:54
pm)
Reply
|
artificial
harmonics
Contrary to common practice when playing artificial harmonics,
there is no need to hold the finger playing the lower note against
the fingerboard. When you use your thumb and third finger for
example, your thumb can touch the string, perhaps just a little more
solidly than your third finger (but with the string still not
touching the wood). This reduces friction and can make playing
artificial harmonics a lot easier than the more traditional
approach.
|
celloflame
Registered User
Posts: 3
(4/3/01 3:04:50 pm)
Reply
|
ah ha
42?
|
Internet Cello Society
Forums
Email This To a Friend
Topic Commands (Moderator only)