Now, I have to admit I don’t think I’ve used Scordatura more than a handful of times in my entire life, but thought it worth writing about anyway as it could be an interesting compositional technique to experiment with in relation to a string arrangement. Scordatura comes from the word ‘Scordare’ which means to ‘mis tune’ and applies to any piece or passage where the normal tuning of the strings is altered. One famous example is the violin solo at the beginning of Saint Saens’ ‘Danse Macabre’ which de-tunes the perfect fifth of the A and E string to a diminished fifth (the E coming down to an E flat) - to represent the dissonant interval of the devil! Some violinists however prefer to simply play the passage with normal tuning so that they don’t have to fiddle around re-tuning the violin during the piece.
Apart from when you want your strings to represent the devil (!) there are other reasons for using Scordatura: one is to extend the range of the instrument down or upwards and the other is to change the tone colour of the instrument, either making it brighter by tuning upwards or mellower by tuning downwards (an example is Paganini’s violin concerto no. 1 in D major which the composer instructed should be played in the key of E flat major by tuning the entire violin up a semitone to create added brightness).
In terms of string playing, I am scratching my head to think of a single instance where I ever de-tuned my violin during a piece of orchestral music, but that’s not to say that an innovative or enterprising composer should be put off from trying it, to create an effect. With a whole section (e.g violas) having a string de-tuned, it could create some striking sonorities and would be well worth trying out if a suitable mood is required from the strings.
Posts Tagged ‘session musicians’
Scordatura
Monday, February 8th, 2010Playing Pianissimo
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010The ability to play a pianissimo on a stringed instrument might sound straightforward but it is an area that many amateur and student players can struggle with. I remember when I was at the Royal College of Music doing an orchestral technique masterclass with highly experienced Rodney Friend and he said that to create a real pianissimo as part of a big string section requires the ability to play infinitely more softly than you would ever be required to play in a chamber ensemble or as a soloist. It is a sound that is barely audible with only a few hairs of the bow in contact with the string, like the smallest whisper - but when 16 players are doing this simultaneously, the effect can be breathtaking.
In a studio, one must not be put off by the fact that the microphone picks up so much surface noise as the sensitivity of modern microphones can quite literally pick up the sound of the rosin against the string (as well as players breathing). Whether a full string section sound is gained by the accurate use of overdubbing or whether there are many players involved, the end result should be a blending of many players’ pianissimo creating a velvety sheen. Inexperienced session musicians can often make the mistake of individually playing a pianissimo that would be perfect if they were playing on their own, but with many people playing this way the result can be too loud and full for the desired effect.
Recording a suite for strings
Thursday, October 29th, 2009On Sunday, we recorded a wonderful suite of pieces by the talented composer Philip Henderson. Assembled in MBJ studios were myself on violin, one violist, a cellist and double bassist to record (with the use of accurate overdubbing), works written for the combination of 10 solo strings. One of the challenges of the day was to try and judge how much music we could record whilst maintaining the very highest level of playing which would do the pieces justice. On one hand, we needed to best utilise having four musicians together to cover the maximum amount of music (potentially 5 tracks, amounting to over 30 minutes of music), but it was vital to maintain an excellent quality of playing.
It was an enormous help to have the composer present as he could give us a very clear idea of how he wanted certain passages to sound and bring out the qualities he was looking for. With quite a lot of subtle shifts in tempo and phrasing and some quite tricky passages, we had all anticipated that the whole suite might even take a further day to complete - however it soon became clear that with the super efficient recording work by engineer Ben Jones, our motivation to get as much recorded as possible and crucially the input from Philip, all five tracks were able to be recorded.
We began by recording violin 5 with viola 2, cello 2 and double bass - and found that it took around 3 hours of recording before the double bass parts were complete. A further three hours and violin 4, viola 1 and cello 1 parts were complete. Then 3 more hours were needed to record the violins 3,2 and 1 parts for the first 3 movements of the work. The process consisted of building up from the bottom so that we could keep a tight rein on tuning as well as making the foundation for each track rhythmically perfect.
Any rhythmic untidiness will only become exaggerated with each overdub so there is a real skill in recording this way. We are all looking forward to hearing the end result as Philip Henderson has created some music of real scope which had quite a moving effect on all the musicians involved.
Fast and aggressive strings
Monday, September 28th, 2009This week I was asked to arrange strings for a dance track where they had to be very prominent. The brief was to make them sound aggressive and fast right from the introduction. The existing track was structured around four chords: F minor, B flat major, D flat major and B flat minor so there was ample opportunity to add rhythmically vibrant chords which repeated in staccato quavers. The accents gave the strings a dynamic style which will be compatible with the rest of the track. The challenge was to build up subtly throughout the track without peaking too soon but to give cohesion to the verses and chorus by retaining similar material. A string ‘hook’ appeared from the outset which then re-emerged later in the song, along with a counter melody in octaves in the violins which gave the piece added interest. The whole song died away at the end, the client seems pleased with the score and it’s now ready to be recorded by live session musicians.
Glissando and Portamento
Saturday, August 29th, 2009The word ‘Glissando’ comes from a French verb ‘to slide’ and applies to any passage where one note slides rapidly up or down to another. On the piano this is done by drawing the finger quickly up or down the keys and the technique is often used in music written for harp, trombone or any of the string family.
On a stringed instrument, this glissando effect can be achieved by simply sliding from one note to another on the same finger on the same string - it can be used to give a slightly ‘folky’ feel (swooping up to a note as in bluegrass or Celtic fiddle music) or could be used more slowly to add tension or suspense to an arrangement. A common use of glissando is in horror films or psychological dramas when anticipation of something sinister is being built up. One well known pop song which utilised glissando effectively in the strings was ‘Day in the Life’ by the Beatles and it features quite widely in quite a few tracks by ELO.
Although Portamento seems quite similar to glissando in the fact that it’s a gliding from one note to another, it is different in the fact that it doesn’t tend to connect the two notes with the slide but is more of a gentle sliding at one end of the interval or the other. For example, a violinist could go from say, a D to the same note an octave higher, with the portamento providing a shorter slide at the beginning of the interval, before landing accurately on the higher D - or it could leave the first note, then land a little bit early and swoop up to the upper D. This gives an expressive slide but without the two notes being completely connected. In its’ best use, writing in portamento can add real character and feeling to a phrase, making it full of character and adding interest / life to the strings.
Including both glissando and portamento in a string arrangement can work well for solo instrumentation or a full string section, adding either one skilfully can liven up strings and add excitement or expression.
Adding a solo violin part
Wednesday, August 19th, 2009Recently we were approached to provide a strong violin solo on a large scale work - it was an elaborate solo over a multi-layered backdrop at the beginning of the piece and lasting approximately 2 minutes. As the composer had already written it for a midi file, all that was needed was a quick transcription to written notation, so that it was all set for the studio.
Because the violin part was to be the main focus, at the forefront of the mix, the sound had to be really strong with plenty of shading and a high level of accuracy. As such, we did 4 or 5 full length takes and chose the best one. In this way, we were able to capture a ‘live’ feel with all the spontaneity of an improvised solo. It’s important to try to vary the sound and style of playing according to the style of music - as this was a rock track the violin needed to sound bold and prominent with a little bit of ‘edge’. The playing on the track was certainly a completely different sound than I would produce for a folk piece of pop ballad - and experienced session musicians have the ability to vary their playing to really suit the mood and style of the track they are recording for.
Hiring Session Musicians
Monday, July 6th, 2009Although we’re often hired to create string arrangements or write string parts, also we’re booked by clients who already have their music scored and just want to hire some reliable session musicians.
Of course, one of the first considerations is how much this is going to cost - and we always stress that the more prepared and organised a studio is, the quicker we can get in and get the work done. Arriving at a studio and finding that the microphones are already set up, the engineer is ready to record and simple things like chairs are in place can all mean that we can simply sit down and record straight away - saving the client time. Time is money and we often arrive early just to make sure everything is set up so that the time we charge for is actually spent playing. From the initial enquiry, if a score (and if possible mp3) can be given to the musicians beforehand, it’s possible to give an accurate estimate of how much time the recording should take, and also to spend a few minutes looking at the score to spot any potential tricky areas that might take more time.
Sometimes - in particular when other instruments are going to be recorded at the same time - it’s hard to estimate how long a recording might take. As we charge a set amount of time per musician for the first two hours (with a reduced hourly rate thereafter), it can be much more economical to get strings added to several tracks on one day. It’s always good to leave the day open - ended without any pressing evening engagements so that if the recording session does over-run it’s all fine.
Once in the studio, one of the musicians will usually keep popping into the booth just to hear back what’s just been recorded and check for any tiny imperfections - things that a string player would pick up on - just in case the producer and engineer may not have heard it - it’s far better to quickly fix any small adjustments in tuning, tone or phrasing at the earliest stage possible, before any post production work has been done.
With developed ears for recording work and experience of how to get the best string tone in front of a microphone, the best session players are able to adjust the tone quality of their instruments to fit in with the ‘feel’ of each individual track.