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"Violin Section" Effects

Here's my "string section when you can't afford one" effect !

I like strings - often the gig won't pay for them though! With this simple device you can fool the audience into hearing the entire Sydney Symphony Orchestra string section... or maybe the Australian Chamber Orchestra anyway... no offense guys !

It's my impression of the effect where a violin section plays notes with a rapid tremelo on each note and moving voices happening between the two parts.

The doubling of parts in a string section creates a "chorus pedal" effect in itself, and the tremelo adds energy and more to the sound. It wasn't till I started looking at scores of classical and romantic symphonies that I even realised they were doing this.

Often they will play a long fast passage in eighth notes but bow in 16ths, for example. The effect is so well integrated in an orchestra that you just hear the melody or passage and somehow it sounds more "energetic" than usual.

I first heard Kazuhito Yamashita using a wide palette of tremelo effects on his arrangement of Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition". I would think that a lot of people do it now.

 
Check out this musical device and others in my
free guitar videos




How is it played?

The Right Hand - Rapid strumming with the side of the index finger. Notice that my index finger doesn't do much of the work - it's a rapid rotation of the forearm that provides the movement. One advantage of using the forearm movement is that you can play it much longer without tiring.

The thumb is anchored on a lower string, then the forearm rotation causes the index finger to move.



Question : "It seems like it would require some nail to be effective."

Answer : Nope - I have almost NO nail on that side of the 1st finger

Question : " I have found that rasgueado techniques are difficult to accomplish without nails. I wonder if anyone has ever gotten good at nail-less flamenco strums."

Answer : I don't know about flamenco but all the rasgueado and strumming effects on these free guitar videos are done with very short nails.

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