string players, please help!

Is it easy to play long sustained double stop or multiple-stop chord in low dynamics ? Not only in violin, but also in celli and ddlbass ? Is smooth attack possible ?

It's very rare that any string player is going to be able to play 3 or more notes at the exact same time. It's possible sometimes, but only at very loud dynamics, and it sounds very gritty.

As for a double stop, those are much easier, since the plane is almost like playing on one string. There's actually many examples of long sustained double stops in some of the orchestral literature that we're playing this year at college. As for a smooth attack, that's definitely possible, depending that you have a good string section.

Triple Stop, don't try it. Not enough string players are good enough to sustain the stop for a long time. Double Stop, defininately, this is an extremely easy technique compared to triple stop. And it always sounds much clearer with double than triple.

Thank you Calehay and Will Kirk - Is double stop as easy in cellos and dblbass too ?

Thank you Calehay and Will Kirk - Is double stop as easy in cellos and dblbass too ?

Cello, yes. Double Bass, most likely. Try it out and see what comes up

A cello double stop, depending on the spread of the two notes, is very easy, (unless your asking for, say, a two-octave Bb stop or something). As has been said, a triple stop can be played at a higher difficulty, and smooth attack is possible, but it will be very loud and take practice. It would be safer for sound quality to have divisi cellos and basses playing two double stops, making up the chord.

I would advice some divis in the violins as well. It would sound much cleaner than a triple stop. Outside plays the double and inside plays the bottom note, or, if you prefer, another double stop.

Sustained double stops on cello are very easy. Triple stops are easy too but it requires you apply enough pressure to allow your bow come into contact with all 3 strings which causes a very loud sound. I suppose it would be possible to do it if you played sul tasto but it would still be exceptionally loud.

For real triple and quadruple stopping you need one of these novelty convex bows with loose hairs in the German baroque style. With a conventional bow it becomes awkward and you either need to arpeggiate the chord or simply stick to double stopping, which is easy.

You'll be very lucky to get the average orchestral player to do triple stops. You'd need such bow pressure it would probably sound horrid anyway.

Soloists using trick instruments/bridges or bows might bring this off.

Since tried this on viola and it isn't feasible. Make sure you know the performer(s) before you present a string part with triple stops intending all 3 notes to sound simultaneously.