Open Strings

What it is

An open string is a string played without any finger stopping it. The full length of the string vibrates, from nut to bridge. A chromatic tuner makes this easier to work on alone. See the acoustics section for everything related.

The violin's four open strings are tuned G, D, A and E, from lowest to highest, each a perfect fifth above the last.

Why they sound different

An open string does not sound the same as the identical pitch played with a finger on a lower string, and the difference is audible.

Three reasons.

No damping from the finger. A stopped string is terminated by soft flesh, which absorbs some vibration. An open string is terminated by the hard ebony nut, which absorbs almost none. The result is more sustain and a brighter, more ringing tone.

Full string length. The whole string vibrates, which produces a different balance of overtones than a shorter stopped length.

No vibrato. A stopped note can be given vibrato. An open string cannot, so it sits still in a way that stands out in a vibrated line.

This difference is a problem and an opportunity. In a melodic passage, an open string can stick out awkwardly against surrounding vibrated notes, which is why players often finger a note that could be played open. In bariolage, the difference is exactly the point.

As intonation references

The open strings are the only pitches on a violin that are reliably correct once the instrument is tuned. Everything else depends on the player's finger.

That makes them the reference against which everything is checked.

A first finger on the A string playing B can be checked against the open E string, since B and E form a perfect fourth. A third finger on the G string playing C can be checked against the open A string.

Advanced players do this continuously and unconsciously. Beginners are taught it explicitly, because it is the most reliable intonation feedback available.

The tuning

The strings are tuned in perfect fifths: G to D, D to A, A to E.

Tuning is done by playing two adjacent strings together and adjusting until the fifth is pure, meaning the beating between them disappears.

A perfect fifth tuned pure is very slightly wider than a fifth in equal temperament. Tuning all four strings in pure fifths means the G and E ends up slightly wider than a piano's equivalent, which is why an unaccompanied violinist and a pianist can both be in tune and still disagree.

Some players tune slightly narrow fifths to reduce this, particularly when playing with piano. It is a real consideration rather than a technicality.

Resonance

Open strings vibrate sympathetically when a related pitch is played elsewhere.

Playing a D on the A string sets the open D string vibrating, because they share a fundamental relationship. The instrument rings noticeably more.

This is a usable intonation check. A note that makes the instrument ring is far more likely to be in tune than one that does not, and students can learn to listen for it.

It also means certain keys sound better on a violin than others. Keys whose notes align with the open strings, G, D, A and E, produce more sympathetic resonance and sound fuller. Keys distant from them ring less. This is why so much violin repertoire is written in sharp keys.

Practical use

As pitches in their own right. Open strings appear constantly in music.

As a rest for the left hand. In a long passage, an open string gives the hand a moment.

In double stops. An open string as one voice makes many double stops far easier, since only one finger has to be accurate.

In bariolage. Alternating a fingered note with an open string of the same or similar pitch, exploiting the tonal difference.

As a drone. Sustained open strings under a melody, common in fiddle traditions.

What goes wrong

Sticking out. An open string in a vibrated melodic line sounds bare. The remedy is usually to finger the note instead, on a lower string.

Ringing when it should not. An open string left vibrating under a subsequent note produces unwanted resonance. The remedy is damping it with a finger.

Out of tune. If the instrument is not tuned, the open strings are wrong and the reference system collapses.

Buzzing. An open string buzzing usually indicates a nut groove worn too deep, a fingerboard problem, or something loose on the instrument.

How it is taught

Open strings are the first thing a beginner plays, before any left hand technique, because they let a student work on the bow without the complication of finding notes.

Then as reference points, once fingers are involved.

Then as an expressive choice: knowing when to play a note open and when to finger it is a real interpretive decision that students make constantly without being told.

Students come to us from Lawrenceville, Suwanee and Dunwoody for private and group violin lessons. Bring a question about tone and sound production to your first lesson: book a no-commitment evaluation lesson or call 470-789-2422.