Once, though, after I had spent three days playing in bone-dry New Mexico, I had to fly straight to a performance in Florida – the cello went into shock! Still, I keep the strings the same because I prefer that continuity of sound, but I have installed mechanical pegs to take off some of the strain on the bridge without losing control over the length of the string. The Gagliano sounds great in humid conditions, but is more likely to protest in dry weather. I used to use the Becker when I wanted a more strident tone, for instance in the Barber and Prokoviev concertos, but I adjusted the set-up on the Gagliano and now I can create the same effects with the Jargar and Thomastik strings. These days I don’t change my strings according to the repertoire I’m playing I’ve worked hard to learn how to use the same strings to create different sounds. ‘I’ve learnt how to use the same strings to create different sounds’ Spirocore G and C work just as well on this instrument too. I’m not sure of the scientific explanation, but using the Larsen strings makes the cello glow across the whole range and evens out the sound from top to bottom. I always feel that the choice of A and D strings affects the sensibility of the entire instrument. It sounds really beautiful with medium-tension Larsen A and D strings their steel cores make it sound richer and soften its slight edge. Although its tone is still maturing, I won’t be around to hear it when it’s at its mellowest. I also have a cello made by Becker & Sons from 1963, which has a much brighter sound. I use medium tungsten-wound Thomastik Spirocore for the G and C strings, as they help the instrument retain its deep, sonorous quality but with extra focus and bite. Steel-core Jargar Classic A and D strings, wound with a chrome alloy, vibrate very quickly and brighten the tone perfectly. I’d never broken a C string in performance, and certainly not one as durable as a Spirocore!īecause the personality of my 1772 Giuseppe Gagliano is so dark, I need strings that give the sound more of an edge and help it to project. We were playing the Brahms F major Quartet – not exactly a violent piece – but my strings were so cold that I managed to break the A right at the start and the C in the final movement. It was -15 degrees C and the concert was outdoors. I once learnt a hard lesson about temperature when I was performing in New York in the winter. Of course, climate does affect the way the strings behave but I don’t swap them according to the conditions I’m playing in. I almost had to work against them to open out my sound and to give it an edge. The previous A and D strings I was using had a sweetness to them, not unlike that of my Jargar strings, but they sounded quite ‘covered’ too and I didn’t like that at all. ‘I always return to the same combination – it suits the instrument so well’ It just suits the instrument so well – whether I’m performing works by Bach or Matthias Pintscher. If it still doesn’t work I might try different strings but I always return to the same combination. If something isn’t working, if I just can’t get the sound right, I try to solve the problem by adjusting my playing and approaching it from different angles. I play a lot of contemporary repertoire, but the music I’m performing doesn’t really affect which strings I use on my cello. It’s great to have strings that reflect that. One of the things I love the most about my instrument, a 1723 Montagnana, is that it’s a total chameleon capable of producing a broad spectrum of sounds. The strings aren’t just loud, they have a complex variety of shades. With medium Superior Jargar A and D strings and Thomastik Spirocore G and C, however, I can cover the widest expressive range and get my sound out to the back of the hall with no problems. With most strings, I find you can achieve either projection or a wide range of colours and subtleties, but not both.
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