One of the most effective expressive techniques for strings is using slides to go from one note to another. It is something we aim use frequently when performing the violin and cello duets we have created and sell on our website.
Is there any string player in the world who has ever used this technique more inspiringly than Jascha Heifetz ? Just listen to the pure electricity in his inimitable performance of Deep River below:
Another example of superb use of slides
Great singers use this technique all the time : hear how beautifully Jonas Kauffman phrases the line in the Puccini aria below:
I play the piano, and while I love the way that this instrument – with its combined harmonies – is complete in itself, I really miss not being able to slide, do vibrato or crescendo on a note.
There is one work which we sell on our website which is all about slides: Lunchtime Blues – a slightly sleazy sounding piece Roger wrote after a lunchtime pint at his local pub. You could almost play this on one finger – and it would lose a great deal of impact if fingered more cleanly.
My former cello teacher – Christopher Bunting – once played The Swan with an orange at a party- a continuous slide effect – though not particularly healthy for the fingerboard!
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