Glissando

What it is

A glissando is a continuous slide in pitch from one note to another, produced by sliding a finger along the string while the bow sustains the sound. Use the free chromatic tuner to check yourself on this. It sits in the left hand section of the dictionary.

Every pitch between the two notes sounds during the slide. There is no step; the pitch moves continuously.

The Italian derives from the French glisser, to slide.

How it differs from portamento

The two are related and often confused, but the intent differs.

A glissando is an effect. The slide itself is the point, and it is meant to be heard as a slide. It is usually notated explicitly and is often fast and prominent.

A portamento is an expressive connection between two notes during a shift. The slide is subtle, serves the phrasing, and is meant to sound vocal rather than to draw attention to itself. It is often not notated at all.

In practice the boundary is blurry, and the same physical action serves both. What separates them is speed, prominence and musical purpose.

How it is produced

The finger presses the string and slides along it while the bow continues.

Bow pressure and speed usually stay constant, though some effects call for varying them during the slide.

The finger must maintain consistent pressure. Too light and the sound breaks up; too heavy and the slide becomes laboured and the string may be pulled sideways.

Speed of slide is determined by the music. A fast glissando is a swoop. A slow one is a gradual bend.

Types

Between two written notes. The most common. The player slides from a specific pitch to another specific pitch, and both endpoints matter.

Open-ended. The score indicates a slide upward or downward without specifying the destination, common in contemporary writing. The player slides in the indicated direction and the arrival point is approximate.

Harmonic glissando. The finger touches the string lightly rather than pressing, and slides. This produces a series of harmonics rather than a continuous pitch, creating a distinctive whistling effect used in contemporary music.

How it is notated

A straight or wavy line between the two note heads, often with the word gliss. written above.

For open-ended slides, a line trailing upward or downward from a note with no destination note head.

The distinction between a glissando line and a portamento is often not made in notation, and the player decides from context.

What goes wrong

Inconsistent pressure. The sound breaks up mid-slide, or the slide becomes uneven.

Wrong speed. A glissando that is too slow becomes a portamento and loses the effect. Too fast and it becomes a smear with no audible slide.

Missing the destination. The slide must arrive at the correct pitch, which requires the same accuracy as a shift. A glissando that lands out of tune is as wrong as any other wrong note.

Bow problems. If the bow runs out mid-slide, the effect collapses. Long glissandi need bow planning.

Overuse. In romantic repertoire, glissando and portamento are stylistic choices. Applying them to every shift produces a mannered, dated sound.

Where you meet it

Common in Romantic repertoire, where it is used expressively.

Very common in twentieth-century and contemporary writing, where it is often used as a pure effect rather than expressively.

Common in film scoring, jazz violin, and popular styles.

Also common in Eastern European and other folk traditions, where slides are a defining feature of the style rather than an occasional ornament.

Rare in Baroque and Classical repertoire, where the style does not generally call for it.

How it is taught

We start with slow, deliberate slides on one string, focusing on maintaining even sound throughout.

Then accuracy of arrival, treating the destination as a shift target rather than an approximation.

Then speed control, since a glissando's character depends heavily on how fast it travels.

Then the stylistic question: when does the music want it, how prominent should it be, and when would it be wrong.

The last of these is the hardest and the most important. Technically a glissando is simple. Knowing when to use one is a matter of taste and style.

The harmonic glissando

A particular variant worth knowing: instead of pressing the string, the finger touches it lightly, as for a natural harmonic, and slides.

The result is not a continuous pitch but a series of harmonics appearing and disappearing as the finger passes their node points. The effect is a rising or falling whistle with gaps in it.

It is used almost exclusively in contemporary music and is notated with a diamond note head and a glissando line.

It is easier than it sounds. The main requirement is consistent light pressure, which is less demanding than the accuracy a pressed glissando needs.

Practising it

Even sound throughout the slide is the first goal, and most problems are bow problems rather than left hand problems. A slide with a fading bow sounds like a mistake regardless of how well the finger travels.

Then arrival accuracy. Practise the destination note alone first, then approach it with the slide, checking each time that the arrival is in tune.

Then speed shaping, since a glissando that travels at a constant rate sounds mechanical and most musical slides accelerate or decelerate.

If this is the part of playing you are stuck on, that is worth a conversation. Private and group violin lessons in Duluth, Buford and Berkeley Lake. book a no-commitment evaluation lesson, or call 470-789-2422.