As per usual: Extremely lucid, no-nonsense, concise, dense, yet utterly digestible and helpful. Thanks!

Yay, finally an episode I can make lots of comments about: Fully agree with AKD, if you aren't 100% certain of what you're doing, don't include bowings. Also, the note on Col Legno is absolutely accurate. I've met very few string players over the past 25 years who actually enjoy playing Col Legno. It still makes me cringe to this day. When I was studying music, I came up with the nifty trick of using a cheap conducting baton because I could get a lot of really nice/varied textures and volumes out of my col-legno. from a very small implement that I could put in my lap. I've used pencils as well, too. On a related note, most of us don't love playing Bartok pizz either, it's just as scary in terms of instrument health. On vibrato: Generally, we (string players) will naturally correlate the intensity of our vibrato with the dynamics (louder = more intense vibrato). If you want something outside of that natural tendency, write it in. The exception to this is that we usually won't ever go to molto vib unless we're told to, because it's too over-the top. If you want a sound like Rach, you have to tell us that. Some extreme/unmentioned techniques: Triple stops are very uncommon, even in performance music. We will naturally try to arpeggiate those block chords, because (at least on a cello), you're getting FFF if you want triple stops. That's how hard I have to press to get them to come out cleanly. Ricochet: Repeated up or down bows in the same direction on successive notes. Very "bouncy" feeling, with a lot of percussive element to it. This is the pinnacle of "off-the-string" technique. It's only even possible to do by controlling the natural "bounce" of the bow. Honestly, if you're not writing a solo line for a player that you already know is very skilled, DO NOT write ricochet. It's one of the most difficult string bowing techniques, and one that found nearly exclusively in solo repertoire. The first movement of Dvorak's B minor cello concerto has a very famous ricochet section and it took me many years to practice it to a point where it was comfortable to play in a way that sounded good. Left-hand pizz: Don't put this in unless you know what you're doing. It's not easy to do in a repeated/clean way. Very few players can sight-read and play left-hand pizz. It requires special fingering to accommodate the position of the left hand and which fingers you can press/pull hard enough to create an audible/clean pizz. Regular Pizz: THANK YOU for mentioning the timing part. It really does take us a brief moment to switch between pizz and something else. Re: bowing, we'll also typically try to end the previously bowed passage on an up-bow to get our hands close to the strings so we can rapidly switch to pizz. So, if you're marking bowing, if you for some reason mark a down bow right before a Pizz... unless you're at a slow tempo or there's a marked rest for the change between techniques, we wont follow that marking without some resistance. Artificial harmonics are doable. If you're writing for professional players, they will be ale to do sustained notes easily. Playing fast artificial harmonics is pretty virtuosic. We can do it, but it's hard. AKD: My favorite way to read/write artificial harmonics is a stem with two notes attached. The bottom pitch is a solid dot where you notate that first finger (where you change the base string note) and then a hollow diamond for the interval above where you want the harmonic played (typically a 4th above, for instruments tuned in 5ths like the vln/vla/vlc). Example here: www.violinonline.com/images/violinbasics_additionalskills/HARMONICS-ex5-noEX-TEXT.jpg I like this notation because it tells the player exactly what to do to produce the sound, without relying on them knowing where the harmonic lives on the fingerboard to produce the note you're intending. It does, however, require a much more intimate knowledge of the instrument. Great overview. I'm excited to see your take on woodwinds, I'm sure I'll learn a lot from you there.

You have a gift for explaining things plainly and sussinctly. Nice job!

Your channel is so invaluable, thank you for the 101, I hope you continue this as a series!

4:50 As a violinist, I'll add that the natural crescendo/diminuendo generally only matters during written crescendos and diminuendos. String players are experts at slightly adjusting their bowing pressure to avoid the difference in volume at a static dynamic (this also means the natural crescendo/diminuendo more noticeable at quieter dynamics and unnoticeable at loud dynamics because the bow's natural weight is a larger percentage of what causes the pressure at quieter dynamics). The natural crescendo/diminuendo is just used as a tool to make intended crescendos and diminuendos easier to play. Here's a useful metaphor to explain what I mean: Imagine you're pushing a ball up and down a hill. If you're holding the ball stationary, there isn't a very noticeable difference between the effort needed to roll it slightly up or down. But there is a noticeable difference in effort between pushing the ball up the hill a large distance compared to letting it roll down on its own. If you're a professional ball roller, you can certainly push the ball up the hill a make it look mostly effortless, but it's still easier to just let the ball roll down on its own. Rolling down is like playing a crescendo up-bow or a diminuendo down-bow. Rolling up is like playing a crescendo down-bow or a diminuendo up-bow.

Excellent video, great advice on giving players a moment to adjust from con sordino

I was a cellist 4th grade through high school and some in college. I still have my beautiful cello (I’m 66 now) hanging on the wall. I always liked the tone of my cello with the mute on. You’ve inspired me today! I need new strings so I’m gonna get on that! I always love playing Christmas carols for my family.

Please continue this series for the complete orchestra 👏

Excellent video. I am writing a Piano Concerto. I want to include EVERY LAST ONE of these articulations! Thank you Anne.

This is the best and clearest rundown of the string section I've ever found. Thank you so much Anne, and if/when you ever have time, it would be great to get your take on the other sections. Thanks again.

I always learn so much from your videos.

Thank you Anne. I am currently reading/studying the book "Orchestration" by Walter Piston. This video brought a lot of "life and valuable" insight to what I am reading. The first chapter starts off with the Strings. I appreciate the information.

Thanks Anne-Kathrin for a fantastic review of the strings.

This is great. I am that 'dry sponge' here, this is all 100% brand new to me. PS, are high end bows seriously 10K and up? WOWZER!!!

im so thankful i found your channel

Excellent to learn all of these techniques with samples played over each one. I knew a fair bit, but certainly learned a lot more from this. Thank you.

Thanks for sharing. I had just asked last week on a discord group I'm a part of about what are the limitations and capabilities of the violin section. This was spot on of what I wanted to learn about. I appreciate it.

Thanks Anne, this has to be the clearest explanation of the strings that I’ve seen, especially the practical aspects for us non-players. BTW, when I was a kid in the sixties in NY, we were taught G clef and C clef. I never heard tenor and bass until much later. Hope to see future lessons on brass, woodwinds, percussion. Prost!

In my 80th year I’m learning the subtleties of music writing and arranging from you in such an easy on the heart and mind way. Thank you so much for breathing new life into the way I will be approaching my next recording project. 🌹from 🇿🇦

This was very informative indeed Anne-Kathrin. Thank you for posting and sharing your expertise.

And she does it again... Another excellent video loaded with useful info. I am a brass player and never exposed to the String Section and its capabilities. I had always wondered what all the terminology meant. Well done.

I've been casually learning about strings for awhile now, but this video was so comprehensive and dense with information. Not to mention perfectly-paced and easy to absorb. Great as usual.

Wow , so much info about strings I never knew ! Thank you!

Totally instruccional to know the basic strings issues to handle before writing for a string section or string quartet also. Great video.!! Thank you so much for sharing, Anne. Warm Grettings!!

I can't elaborate how much helpful this video was. You're a hero! Simple information, yet crucial and meaningful to us ignorants with no musical background. I appreciate your content, I hope I'll learn enough from you! Keep it up and best of luck to you ❤

cool...this was very informative! thank you!

This is an absolute masterclass, wow! Thank you so much!!

My new hero.

Great presentation, looking forward to more!

Thanks for this! I am taking Instrumentation in the Fall and I feel like this is a good overview and I love how it was applied to film scoring since my instrumentation class is more general. Please do the other sections!

Excellent 101 🙂 Like Adlers string chapter compressed into a 20 minute video

So interesting! Also, I shouldn't be surprised that your voice is always so beautifully recorded (it's like literally your job). It adds a sense of presence that makes your videos really pleasant to listen to. I know it's not just about the brand of the mic, but actually knowing how to set it up. No clicks or pops, no sense of distance or overbearingness, just a completely natural sounding "nice chat between friends".

Nice tips on the strings! You mentioned a couple of articulations I hadn't head of before, like punta d'arco detaché =)

I've learned so much tonight. ❤

1:50 On the tenor clef, something which non-cellists may not appreciate: If the part is in the tenor range, use it. Seriously, use it. Composers don't use it enough. Bassoonists and trombonists would prefer that you leave tenor clef for special occasions, but this is not true of cellists. This is even the case for high school, amateur, and community-level players, many of whom can't actually "read" tenor clef (in the sense of instantly naming a note), but can play it fluently. The reason for this is because of a quirk in the way the cello is designed: the tenor clef is the same as the bass clef, only "play one string higher". When cellists first learn tenor clef, it takes about an afternoon to get comfortable with it and then it's done.

Spoken right out of the book she recommend. Which I bought and have started reading to better understand and improve my writing abilities. Thank you Anne for making these videos. You got yourself a new subscriber! I've followed your work and your just amazing. Hope to see you soon in a new educational videos. Thank you

Hello Anne. A great short presentation about the string section. I think it's the most classic and versatile orchestra section. At the moment I'm experimenting mostly with short articulations. Hope you do 101 on the winds too. I love their expressiveness, particularly on solos. Many thanks!

TOP VLOG - 1. Video v. diesem Kanal gesehen, bin begeistert. Thx

Please make a video like this on every section of the orchestra!

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience 🙏

Writing for strings involves SO many things it can feel insurmountable to learn it all. What's great about this video is that you give the student the sense that "hey, you should give it a try, you can do it!" Yes, it's true there are so many things to consider. But you never talk down to a student-that's so great! May I add some thoughts about one of your comments? Yes, talk to performers!! Most instrumentalists I have met have been very happy to talk with me about what can and can't be done on their instruments. All you need to do is be respectful. Don't jump in with your question as they are packing or unpacking their instrument and are clearly preparing to rehearse (or leave rehearsal). Catch them at the right time and most will take pride in their own skill and be more than happy to talk with you. Tip: read the orchestration book first, THEN ask to clarify a point. It opens the door, shows the musician you have done your homework and are serious about learning more. After that, you can ask just about anything relating to the instrument. Also, I would recommend NOT putting a musician on the spot by placing sheet music in front of them and say, "can you play this for me?" I've seen it happen and it is always cringe-y. (Again: be respectful of your performers!) Better to ask permission: "May I email you some music I have a question about?" and agree to meet again at their convenience to talk it through. If the musician is still a student in college, they probably have a lot of money owed and very little income. Offer to talk about the subject during coffee or lunch - your treat of course. Lastly, if you think you might need it, take 2-3 months of weekly lessons with a college student (violin, probably) if you can secure an instrument to learn on. Explain "I'm a composer, not a performer, and I want to get the feel for the instrument and what it can do." Ultimately, that's the step I took. Not only did I feel more confident with string writing, it improved my ear immensely. (Piano is my main instrument.) A private teacher who knows your goal should be able to help you learn the ropes very, very quickly.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience.

thanks! this was really usefull... I have seen many of these tecniques in my string libraries, but didnt know what all of them were... a beer is on it´s way :-)

I enjoyed to listen the 3rd movement of Brahms 3rd symphony while you were talking about vibrato and romantic music. Great choice!!!

Great introduction for a complete newbie like me. Hope you'll continue this 101 serie with other instrument families!

Excellent video. Thank you.

thanks, very helpful during my soundtrack composer course 👍🏻

I find your voice extremely calming and relaxing. On top of that you have a very articulate vocabulary, very elocuent. And on top of that, you talk about my most appreciated activity with is music production, so yeah I suscribed to your channel after a couple minutes of watching my first video. Now I'm loving this new series. Congratulations and thank you for all your hard work and your willingness to share it.

Thanks for this video Anne. Since I followed (most of) your video's, I'm listening and watching live Orchestra's on a different way. I recently covered "Vivaldi's Summer" which was fun to do (try to do).

Really excellent. Looking forward to a brass and woodwinds video if that's in the works!

This is such a good video 👍

I just discovered your channel, it's amazing looking forward to learn from you. Thanks!

12:30 With Portato, the space between notes is a short but noticeable fade-out followed by a fade-in. In comparison, normal bowing (détaché) has much more sudden transitions and legato (played under one bow- slurred as string players say) has no transition.

Extremely useful again! Thank you!

Amazing explanation! Clear and concise, thanks for the great job ! Keep coming !

These videos are super helpful! I'm thinking some online course creators are getting a bit nervous at the level of quality and detail you provide to us for free, lol

I like your videos, but since I'm not a professional musician, this video definitely makes me feel weird. I don't think I'll ever apply this extraordinary knowledge you share with us. But I wish I could.

Well done Anne, such a deep subject to cover. I enjoyed listening to your music excerpts in the background matching the articulations & bowing required as you explain them. For me I have found Maurice Ravel scores very enlightening especially two Books by Dover publications that being, #1. Daphnis and Chloe. #2. Four orchestral works in full score. These answer many questions that you can listen to and read by following the score. There is also French translation to English at the beginning of the books for a greater understanding of the composes intentions.

Strings...there's so much they can do, yet everyone obsesses over the legatos when talking about sample libraries. :D

Very informative and clear video on a rather complicated topic, a little remark about differences between sul tasto and flautando: the first one just indicates the bow's position, as you correctly stated, but the second one is actually more defined by relatively fast bow movement combined with a less pressure in the left hand and not bow's position. It is indeed often used in conjunction with sul tasto and maybe that's where the confusion stems from. But you can actually write just 'flautando' or even 'flautando sul ponticello' (the second one is quite fun)

Great video, and valuable insights! Thanks a lot!

That was awesome! Thank you for that.

This is gold!

Thank you very much

So helpful. Cheers for that AKD !!

Great overview...I learned a lot!

I learned something tonight; very educational. Thx!

a very good addition to studying Samuel Adler 👍

Nicely done!!!

Such useful knowledge, huge thanks !

I also do like Brahms. :) Great video , happy to discover your channel.

This content is amazing. Nice tempo too. I had been wondering about how to improve articulation, when using strings (with midi) and this is absolutely fantastic, even for someone who just sometimes uses strings in random tracks. Might not be of interest to most people, but if you know some good educational material on the topic youre treating and reference it in the video description (for 'further reading') that would be ace too.

Again another awesome video! ❤ I loved the sound examples!

Thank you for this!

Thanks!

in Spain: Treble Clef=>Clave de Sol (G clef), Alto Clef=>Clave de do en 3ª (C Clef in third line), Tenor Clef=> Clave de Do en 4ª (C Clef in 4th line) and Bass Clef=> Clave de Fa en 4ª (F Clef i 4th line)

Thanks so much, great info and I learned a lot!

Very informative.

Orchestration videos you do are great! But do you have anything about composition?? I need that much more this time

Great educational info, Anne-Kathrin! Thank you. Do you have - or could you present a little "workshop" on how to write- for strings- those 'transitional' runs often heard in popular music? For example, the violins enter into a chorus section with an upward-moving 'run' of say 12 to 24 notes within the time of one beat. Ya' know? My ear tells me there must be several ways of writing for this. Thank you!

i like these

Great video! Will you, please, pretty please, make videos about the other instrument groups as well?

So, about that hoodie: Now we need to know your main role + champs.

If you have a sound in mind but aren't 100% sure of the technique required, just describe the sound, like "airy", "silky", "heavy", "dramatic", etc. The players themselves can then apply the appropriate technique. You may feel a little unprofessional, but we string players also appreciate when you appreciate our understanding of our own instruments.

If i ever get to work with an orchestra, i promise to do col legno with software, i don't want to be responsible for hurting violins!

“Bartok pizzicato”. Ha! Now I have a term for a common feature of the unique sound of Steve Harris (bassist and chief songwriter of Iron Maiden), where he deliberately plucks with such force that you can clearly hear the strings clang against the fingerboard.

Grazie.

Awesome video as usual :)

thx!

So that's String Theory!

Thanks for clarifying the difference between sul tasto and flautando. They are both my favourites, but I was never sure how flautando is produced as the name, unlike the other techniques, doesn't give it away. They do sound quite similar indeed, with flautando being, to my ears, even more fragile than sul tasto. Just one question about the legato stuff, can you not also have bowed legato for strings as well as tongued legato for woods, as opposed to slurred legato within one bow stroke/breath? Or is that technically not considered legato? Anyways, awesome content, as always! I would love to see a segment on strings uses in the orchestra like you did for the woodwinds, though I understand it would invariably be a rough and incomplete overview and would take longer, maybe even a video all onto itself?

Ich hab viel gelernt 👍😊

14 years owning EWQLSO and only now I fully understand the articulations and only of the string section... If it isn't too much trouble, I have one question that I can't seem to find the answer to and that's whether a section should play chords or just a single note at a time. The reason I ask is because in a sample library it seems like a section of 18 violins playing a triad is going to produce a sound of 54 violins, not 18 violins playing a chord each, if that makes sense. Should we avoid playing chords within a single section and instead opt for divisi or spread the chord notes across the different string sections?

Your French is 👌

Every time I watch you, I get inspired :) What is your favorite film score in which stings are used heavily? Mine is The last of the mohicans.

I'm heading over to buy you another beer. This is very helpful for better understanding what's possible when composing. (I have been learning violin and cello to be better at composing for strings.) But I have what feels like a dumb question but to which I can't seem to find an answer, Anne-Kathrin. I've been building my template and split out the articulations using every available articulation. Yet I see in so many templates the use of "longs" and "shorts" and sometimes legato. What the heck are longs and shorts, exactly? Why aren't composers adding each available articulation to their templates?

Great video as always! On topic of books, if you don’t mind, what’s the red book on the midi controller behind you?

Great video! What's the music used to examplify arpeggiando from?

I have EastWest Hollywood Orchestra only at this time. I chose that simply because it was what a tutor used and I felt the learning curve might be flattened some if I was using the same orchestra. Question: All these many articulations... are they achievable using EWHO? Thank you for your generosity on this and all of your KZfaq productions.

I'm watching now.. Nice new series, but have you already done a video aobut how to find new jobs as beginner composer? Do you think socials like Linkedin could help or i should search directors somewhere else?