Performance Technique

Musical Term
Definition
Meaning
Example
Type
Emphasizeing a specific note or group of notes

Momentary emphasis on one or group of notes, usually indicated in the score by the symbol " > ".

Performance Technique
Basso Albertino, a repeated accompaniment figure common in 18th-century keyboard music

Alberti Bass is a technique commonly used in piano and other instrumental accompaniments, named after Italian composer Domenico Alberti. This technique creates a harmonizing effect similar to that of strings by repeatedly playing notes in the bass, high and middle registers.

Performance Technique
How specific notes or passages are played or sung

Articulation in music refers to the way in which individual notes or sounds are played on an instrument, including their duration, intensity, and connection to surrounding notes. Musicians use various techniques, such as fingering, tonguing, embouchure, or breath control, to produce different types of articulations, such as staccato, legato, accent, tenuto, or hooking. Different articulations can produce vastly different timbres and musical effects.

Performance Technique
The act or art of playing a stringed instrument with a bow

Bowing refers to the technique of using a bow to play an instrument, typically used in the performance of stringed instruments (e.g.: violin, viola, cello, double bass). Correct bowing technique can produce a more rich and nuanced sound from the instrument and can also express different musical emotions and styles.

Performance Technique
With the wood

Col Legno is a playing technique in which the wooden part of the bow (as opposed to the hair) is used to strike the strings of a stringed instrument. This technique can create unique sound effects, such as producing a deep percussive sound when played on string instruments.

"Col Legno" is typically indicated as "C.L." or "col legno" in musical score to indicate to the performer to use this technique at a certain point in the music.

Performance Technique
A playing technique on violin and other string instruments that calls for broad but separate bow strokes

Detache is a musical technique primarily used in string instrument playing. The basic principle of Detache is to play each note with the bow separately, creating a brief pause between each note and producing a clear and distinct rhythm and sound. There are various ways to perform Detache, and the performer can choose and apply the technique according to the needs of the music and their own style.

To perform Detache, the performer needs to master proper bow grip and wrist control techniques to ensure the sound of each note is clear, accurate, and powerful. The performer usually needs to gradually increase the speed and intensity in practice to achieve a proficient effect.

Detache technique can be applied to a variety of different music styles, including Baroque, Classical, Romantic music, as well as modern and jazz music. Detache can be applied to various instruments, including violin, viola, cello, and double bass.

Performance Technique
The tone sounding above the fundamental tone when a string or air column vibrates as a whole

Overtone refers to a series of higher-frequency harmonics that are produced along with the fundamental frequency when a musical instrument produces a sound. These harmonics have frequencies that are integer multiples of the fundamental frequency. Overtone is an important characteristic of the timbre or tone quality of an instrument, which can affect the instrument's sound and tone color. It can also be used for music composition and performance techniques.

Overtone is usually produced through specific playing techniques and instrument design. For example, on string instruments like guitar, harp, and guzheng, overtones can be produced by pressing the strings at specific lengths and positions; while on woodwind instruments, overtones can be produced by adjusting the airflow and the shape and position of the mouth.

Performance Technique
A singing technique that constantly and rapidly switch between low pitch and high pitch

Yodel is a traditional folk singing technique, generally believed to have originated from the Central Alps, and have developed from the shouting voice that used by Swiss and Austrian herders in calling their stocks, and communicating with other herders for a long-distance. It is a high-difficulty skill that requires the singer to constantly and rapidly switch between the chest voice (low pitch) and the falsetto (high pitch).

Performance Technique