String Piano - Techniques

Techniques

String piano compositions can involve a wide range of techniques. Among those employed by Cowell, the first major proponent of the approach, are:

• plucking (pizzicato)
• flicking back and forth across a string with a fingernail (similar to a mandolin tremolo)
• sweeping chromatically across the strings with the fingers
• sweeping across the strings with the flat of the hand (producing a tone cluster)
• sweeping along one or more strings with the flesh of the finger(s)
• scraping along one or more strings with the fingernail(s)

Strings may also be pressed at specific points along their length with the fingers of one hand while being played by the other to produce different harmonic pitches. These sounding techniques may be combined with direct muting of the strings with devices similar to those used to mute violins. In string piano pieces that call for the performer to sit at the keyboard, the keys may be depressed and held down silently with one hand to create chords, including tone clusters, that are played by the other on the strings; use of the sustain and soft pedals offer additional variations to string piano playing. For string piano pieces in which the performer stands alongside the instrument without addressing the keyboard, the pedals of the piano (and even, silently, the keys) may also be employed with the help of an assistant or a deadweight. Cowell also wrote passages for techniques involving simultaneous manipulation of the strings—sliding along one or more with the fingers or a metal object—and keyboard sounding in order to produce glissando effects. Other objects, such as bows and brushes, may also be used to elicit sound directly from the strings.