Impromptu 1 (Viola da Gamba + Synthesizer)
I was actually trying to record two other pieces on that day, but got nowhere with it. So this whole thing was made up on the spot, including the somewhat imperfect camera angles.The Viola da Gamba is tuned Bb-F-Bb-Eb-g-c From Low to High. To be able to do real glissandi on the viola da gamba, I play with a technique similar to the sarangi. This means, that with my left hand I am not pressing down on the fretboard to create the pitches, but I press the nail and flesh of my left hand fingers against the strings, coming from the side. This way I am able to play microtonal pitches and real Glissandi, that would otherwise be impossible to do on a fretted instrument like the Viola da Gamba. I have never seen this technique utilized on the Viola da Gamba before, but since my first bowed string-instrument was a sarangi that I picked up in Nepal, this technique was obvious to me. To me it sounds perfect with the Gut-Strings on my Viola da Gamba, and I hope to get a chance to explore that technique to a fuller extent with a professional ensemble in the future.