Double Stop

What it is

A double stop is two notes played simultaneously on two adjacent strings. Both strings are sounded by the bow at once, and both are usually stopped by fingers, though one may be an open string. Use the free chromatic tuner to check yourself on this. It sits in the left hand section of the dictionary.

The name is slightly inaccurate. Stopping refers to pressing a string, so a double stop with one open string is technically a single stop. The term is used for any two-note simultaneity regardless.

Double stops appear throughout the repertoire and are one of the defining challenges of intermediate to advanced playing.

Why intonation is harder

Two reasons compound.

Two notes must be independently in tune. Each finger must find its own pitch, and there is no opportunity to adjust one while the other sounds, because both are sounding.

The interval must be in tune. Even if both notes are individually acceptable, the interval between them may not be. Two notes each a few cents off can produce an interval that is clearly wrong.

The second is what makes double stops distinctive. In single-line playing, the ear checks each note against a remembered context. In a double stop, the ear checks two notes against each other simultaneously, which is far less forgiving.

Certain intervals are more exposed than others. Perfect fifths and octaves are the least forgiving, because any deviation produces audible beating. Thirds and sixths tolerate slightly more.

The bow

Double stops require the bow to sound two strings evenly, which means the arm must find and hold a level between the two string planes.

Too high and the upper string dominates. Too low and the lower string dominates. The level must be precise and must be held throughout.

Bow pressure is also higher than for a single string, because two strings must be driven. Insufficient pressure produces a thin, scratchy sound.

Many double stop problems that students attribute to the left hand are bow angle problems.

The left hand

The hand frame must accommodate both fingers without distortion.

Some double stops sit naturally under the hand. Others require a stretch, and a few require an extension or a compromise in hand position.

Finger pressure must be adequate on both strings. Students often press well with one finger and insufficiently with the other, so one note is clear and the other is muffled.

Common intervals

Thirds. Very common, moderately forgiving intonation, but scale passages in thirds are technically demanding because both fingers must move accurately together.

Sixths. Common and generally comfortable under the hand.

Octaves. Difficult. The fingers are far apart, the hand must stretch, and the interval is unforgiving. Scale passages in octaves are a standard advanced technical challenge.

Fifths. Played with one finger flat across two strings. Physically awkward and intonation is very exposed, since a single finger must land at exactly the right point on both strings simultaneously.

Tenths. Very wide, requiring a large stretch. Advanced only.

What goes wrong

Bow angle. One string louder than the other, or one not sounding at all.

One finger in tune, one not. Very common, and students often cannot hear which one is wrong.

Insufficient pressure on one string. Produces a muffled or absent note.

Hand distortion. Reaching for the interval pulls the hand out of shape, so subsequent notes are out.

Tension. Double stops feel harder and students grip, which makes intonation worse.

How to practise them

The standard method is to separate the two lines. Play only the upper notes as a melody, then only the lower notes, then combine.

This works because the intonation problem is usually in one voice, and playing them separately reveals which.

The second method is to sustain the double stop and adjust each finger until the interval rings, listening for the elimination of beating. This trains the ear for intervals rather than for individual pitches.

Slow practice is essential. Double stops practised fast are practised out of tune.

Where you meet it

Throughout the repertoire from the intermediate level. Bach's solo works use them extensively. Orchestral parts include them regularly. Every concerto uses them.

Students meet them around the same time as third position and continue developing them indefinitely.

Hearing the interval

The skill double stops actually develop is interval hearing, and it transfers everywhere.

A perfect fifth in tune produces a clean, ringing sound with no beating. A fifth slightly off produces an audible pulsing as the two frequencies interfere. Once a student hears that pulsing, they can tune the interval by eliminating it rather than by guessing.

The same applies to octaves. Thirds and sixths beat less obviously but the principle holds.

This is genuinely trainable and is one of the most valuable things double stop practice provides, well beyond the ability to play two notes at once.

Practising them

Separate the voices first. Play the upper line alone, then the lower line alone, then together. The problem is nearly always in one voice and this reveals which.

Sustain and adjust. Hold the double stop and move each finger minutely until the beating disappears.

Practise fifths with particular attention, since a single finger must land accurately on two strings and the margin is very small.

Slowly. Double stops practised at tempo are practised out of tune, and the ear never gets a chance to correct.

An instructor watching you play catches in one lesson what left-hand work like Double Stop articles cannot describe. Private and group violin lessons in Duluth, Buford, Roswell and Buckhead. 470-789-2422, or book a no-commitment evaluation lesson.