??

u mean playing a simple tune ?

well maybe a more difficult one...i though Paganni played on of his only violin concerto by only using 2 strings...just wondering if it'll work on only one string on the viola..ie. the C string??

It depends on the range of the melody you want to play. Typically, the higher the string the wider the range of with an acceptable sound. For example, on the cello, I would say the useful ranges of each string for a reasonable player are:
A (I) - A below middle C to A above the treble staff = two octaves
D (II) - D below middle C to A in the treble staff = 1 1/2 octaves
G (III) - G at bottom of bass staff to G at top of bass staff = 1 octave
C (IV) - C below bass staff to C in bass staff = 1 octave

The reason for the reduced range in the lower strings is that they are thicker, and this makes their sound more muffled in the upper registers. You do get composers and arrangers writing in "sul G" etc in the parts but unless they have a good knowledge of the particular instrument in question, the results can be quite poor and one sometimes has to ignore these suggestions.

is this like that question of how long does it take to fill a bath with one or both taps?

if 1 paganini plays a concerto on two stings, do u need 2 paganinis to play the same concerto on 1 string, or is it .5 of a paganini?


if anyone can play paganini on the viola theyre fiddling it somewhere.

I suppose you could play the famous "Air on a C string".......of course that 's the viola arrangment

Cool is it the one by JS Bach??

Paganini was such a showman that the story goes that he put 3 old, decrepit strings on his violin and went off to play a concert. Predictably, a string broke; he shrugged and went on playing. Then the second string broke, ditto. Then the third. And then he knocked all their socks off by playing this virtuosic piece entirely on the G string.

Apparently he'd spent hours and hours practising on one string (the G string) - an absolutely brilliant way of mastering the entire fingerboard if you think about it. The G string's the hardest string to reach so whatever you can do well on that string you can do with ease on any other string; bingo - you've mastered the instrument.

Mind you, he also apparently had weird, flexible fingers and a memory and a musicality to die for. Wish there were sound recordings from back then.

Interestingly I've found some recorded samples of Joachim, Hubay and Sarasate, and none of them play with much vibrato; it was before Kreisler. Everybody tried to imitate Kreisler, who of course had a unique vibrato all of us that nobody has ever been able to replicate. And now we have the mediocre stomach-churning constant vibrato, that makes me squirm and want to beg for mercy!

Violinia

Too true. I was listening to a recording of Kreisler's 'Præludium and Allegro in the style of Pugnani' a few days ago. The opening was played with far too much vibrato; I think 'stomach churning' sums it up nicely....