Variation 12

#upbowstaccato #wholebow #bowlift

            This variation marks the first use of two or more articulated notes within a slur, which in the context of the remaining variations will be referred to as up bow staccato or up bow spiccato depending on the variation. As explained in the introduction to this guide, up bow staccato is engaged from the string, and can either stay on the string after the note or in this case (as marked), it will involve an almost imperceptibly slight lift to help travel the entire bow length. While every effort should be made to follow the composer’s intention, some of the decisions to use a specific stroke will be for an alternate pedagogical benefit, or due to ambiguity in the score.

            In this particular case the two quarter notes should be articulated from the string, but with a lift after each note. Note that each half bar slur is marked with a G., indicating the use of the whole bow. The challenge here is to use the entire bow from frog to tip. The 16th note pickup should start one to two inches from the tip and should be extremely clearly articulated to encourage likewise articulation for the subsequent quarter notes.