Crescendoing/Decrescendoing tremolo's
Hello,
I just began working on the 2nd violin part of Dvorak's New World symphony, and I'm having a bit of trouble with one of the tremolo's near the opening.
There are two half note tremolo's to be crescendo'd from piano to forte and decrescendo'd back to piano, and I was hoping I could get some tips on how to accomplish this. Currently I'm beginning the tremolo towards the tip of the bow making short strokes a few millimeters in length with the side of the bow hair. Then to crescendo it I tried simply adding pressure to my stroke, however this hasn't been very successful in my practice.
Should I perhaps attempt to increase the length of my bow stroke progressively to accomplish the effect, or maybe even try to turn my bow to add more hair to the stroke? I'm really not too sure how to go about this so any tips would be appreciated!
Thanks.
Replies (5)
I dislike when a composer uses violin as if it were balalaika.
Try adjusting your POC.
Cheers Carlo
Celibidache sometimes used to add speed to the palette. In some Bruckner symphonies, he'd divide the section four ways-- conventional tremolo, eighth notes, quarter notes (both untied to the meter) and random long bows. As the crescendo took hold, all of the slower stroke players would speed up, giving a color change to complement the dynamics.
I second the suggestion to use longer strokes for the crescendo. Also, make sure your tremolo doesn't line up with your stand partner's tremolo. That will help it sound more scattered, even if your bow strokes become slower as a side effect of being longer.
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September 11, 2016 at 04:25 PM · Mainly length, with only a little more pressure.