Viennese Tuning : Frequently Asked Questions

Pf 1. It is possible to adjust the instrument to sound and feel very close to the original period setup, but not exactly as if one is just to pick an instrument that period player left on a stool after performing Haydn's symphony. Certain aspects of the instrument setup will unfortunately never be known, as we simply do not have a 100 percent originally preserved period Viennese instrument to use as a model. Thus a true and exact recreation of the period instrument is technically impossible - and even if it were, given the regional differences, it would be questionable if that particular setup was proper for all Viennese basses. Period solo bass setup would have also differed from the one intended for orchestra.

To address this question completely, this paragraph would need to be extended almost to the book level, where all the aspects of authenticity and all fine details of an instrument setup would be covered. To answer the question adequately but briefly, let it suffice to say that the different modern gut strings; different graduation, thickness and shape of the neck; different size and shape of the fingerboard; different curvature, thickness and mass of the bridge; original or non original tailpiece; possible regraduation and a new (and different) bass bar of the front plate; different endpin and so on – will all differentiate this instrument from the period one – even if we used the original 18th Century Stadlmann, Thir or Leidolff for example. More on extant Viennese instruments you can read in the Instruments section.

It may not be a common knowledge, but almost all the period Viennese basses have been modernized since 18th Century in some respect. Most would have had a different neck, fingerboard, tailpiece, and a bass bar installed already in the 19th Century. The original bridge and strings would have been gone for long, as well as the bow (an issue in itself). Likely if it were a true Viennese 5 string instruments, it was converted to the modern 4 string, and it would have been set for a modern orchestra performance sound. If this makes you puzzled, let it suffice to say that this coversion practice was applied to the most other period string instruments as well. Modern day Stradivarius violin is also a heavily modernized instrument with new neck, fingerboard and bridge, that looks and plays today very different than the instrument which went out of the Stradivarius' workshop.

Pf 2. No you do not. However, should your aspiration be to perform exactly as the period bassists did, than the answer is affirmative for the literature that used frets (orchestra and early to mid solo repertoire, 5 string setup). To use them on the later solo repertoire (ex. Sperger) is not necessary.

In technical terms, the barring is possible with fingers even without frets, and does not render the early literature unplayable, or extra difficult to play. This holds true for both gut and steel strings. However, the crucial element of the successful learning and performing experience is the proper string tension and the right instrument setup. For more information see the Playing Technique: Instrument setup section.

Pf 3. To use either type of strings is fine. The choice of strings depends solely on your own affinity and preference toward the period or the modern bass sound. Some players specialize only in gut strings, the other use the steel strings and it works well for both groups. All of the Viennese literature can be played on both setups, with a difference that the frets can not be used on the steel strings.

Looking long term, playing and developing your technique on the steel strings may offer an advantage, as you could perform the Viennese literature with a standard chamber and orchestra groups, while the gut string setup is obviously suited better to the specialized period groups.

Unless there is a clear determination to follow the true performance practice career path, there may be a slight advantage of using the steel strings too, since the articulation is the same as of the modern instrument. All of the famous Mozart's and Haydn's concertos for the other instruments are presently performed on their modern counterparts. Similarly, the Viennese bass does not need to be an exception to this practice, and locked solely in the realm of performance practice circles. The steel string setup is fully compatible with a modern orchestra ensemble, in both solo and orchestra role. If anything, because of its particular resonant qualities, the Viennese bass with steel strings projects even better than the modern solo tuning! See Instrument setup: Conclusion section

However, for the study and performance the most important thing is not the type of the strings itself, but the proper setup of the instrument. See the Instrument setup section for the details.

Pf 4. Yes it will, unfortunately. However, do not let this discourage you from attempting a journey in the Viennese system. This unfortunate "cross influence" is somewhat temporary in nature. It is possible to reach a level where you can perform on the Viennese tuning and regular bass in the same day without feeling any difference or discomfort from the "switch" process.

In the beginning it is not advisable to attempt a major performance on the regular bass while you learn the Viennese way though. Please do not try the Otello solo or a full recital on the regular bass, while you are just beginning to learn the Viennese system. You will be able to do that after few years of practice later on.

Pf 5. I have a good news to share here - the string pressure will not do any harm to your instrument! I have had this question set before me several times already, as people are rightfully concerned for the well being of their instruments. I have experimented with various setups since 1990, and have never experienced any problem due to the possible extra pressure on the instrument. For the last 12 years my bass was exclusively set in the Viennese tuning and has been retuned many times between E flat and D setup on the same set of strings. There was never any problem.

The matter that should be of concern here is the cumulative pressure on the top plate. There is a way to reduce this pressure even further from that of the normal orchestra setup, and the details of how to do this you will find in the Instrument setup: The Choice of Strings section.

Pf 6. The question of literature is naturally very important, particularly if the system of playing has not been in use since the early 19th Century!

Concerning solo music: The music for the Viennese bass can be any printed music intended for the modern instrument. However, if the arrangement is in C major for the solo part (some are) than you need to go through the process of "reverse engineering" and retranscribe this part in D major. Even if the solo part is already in D major, this is the arrangement for the modern instrument and it will contain many adjustments, possible cuts and transpositions. Some passages will be in the lower octaves. Many of the double stops and harmonics will be simplified and omitted, and the solo part will not be true to the original. Only few of the solo editions are indeed compatible both to the modern and the Viennese system performers (example Yorke Edition, Dittersdorf Concertos).

Thus the true solo Viennese tuning editions hardly exist, short of the manuscript copies from the libraries that house them. There are unfortunately still very few Viennese performers that could perform in the period way, and that makes the edition making economically not viable. What actually does exist, and can be used as a substitute to the fully functional edition, are the modern editions that contain either a facsimile of the original period solo part, or the score editions where the solo bass part was not converted to the modern bass notation. Those editions are all listed in the Music Scores section.

Concerning Chamber music: most of the chamber music (with exclusion of several solo chamber pieces) will indeed be printed and suitable for modern bass. Nothing in technical terms will distinguish them from the pieces written for the modern instrument. However, here the problem lies in the Viennese instrument setup, as this music usually requires a 5 string bass.

The five stringer is not common in all parts of the world. Moreover, those who have never played a 5 string instrument will need to go through the period of adjustment too. Thus regrettably, although an easy chamber music on the 5 string Viennese tuned instrument would be the best way for someone to start a journey in the Viennese bass repertoire, due to the lack of 5 string instruments, this way may be hard to accomplish. It is definitely possible to perform this chamber music with the 4 string Viennese instrument too, but than the low A string will be the limit of the lower range and few notes will need to be transposed an octave higher. Not very inspiring either.

Ironically and regrettably, the performance of regular classical chamber music intended for the Viennese bass, may remain solely in the domain of the normal orchestra setup for a foreseeable time in future.

Pf 7. You will definitely notice a difference! Your instrument will have a better projection and will sound brighter (similarly to the contemporary solo tuning in comparison to the orchestra bass). For the period performers who used gut strings it was an important matter, because otherwise they would not have been going through the extra step of producing the solo part in a different key from the rest of the group. Apparently it was making a big difference in solo setup on the gut strings. Should you wish to explore the E flat setup, and perform solo exactly as they did in the 18th Century, you are welcome to do so. Further information on this subject you will find in the Instrument setup section, and particualrily The Choice of Strings subsection.

Pf 8. The Viennese tuning is a bass tuning, and thus we are still concerned here with a bass instrument - not an oversized cello. If you are a cellist, you will be learning a whole new instrument and you will go through the same experience of managing a big instrument like most bassists did when they started to learn it. It will feel "big" at the beginning, but it will grow "smaller" trough the time. Welcome to the club!

Pf 9. No one should force anyone to do anything against their will, and accordingly no one should force anyone to study the Viennese tuning either. In a global scheme of bass things, the Viennese tuning and its literature are only a part of the general bass heritage. However, this heritage is also one of the most hidden and mysterious that the bass community has (example: the lost Haydn concerto [Morton 1997], and other possible gems that may still lie undiscovered in remote eastern European localities). The extant Viennese literature within itself offers a virtuosity comparable and exceeding the best of the romantic repertoire, and it also coincides with the activity of the greatest Classical composers: Mozart, Haydn, Schubert and Beethoven.

All the arrangements for the modern bass produced so far make probably no more than 10 percent of the extant repertoire for the Viennese bass, and determining for sure what is the artistic value of the remaining 90 percent can be done only be evaluating this music through the authentic performances. Attempting to discover this heritage by producing outright only the arrangements of those pieces is what has been done so far, with the outcome that this heritage is still very much unknown to most bass players. Perhaps the time has come to reconsider this approach. For example, if a new generation of proficient Viennese players were to be educated, than they could slowly start to uncover this literature, and one day we would finally be able to overview the entire opus of our Classical instrument. That in turn will benefit all bassists on all levels.

Pf 10. No, you will not! The point is good though. With so many pieces in the same key (D), and with the same string setup (D again), one would expect to eventually get a bit weary of this "D"! In my experience, the music itself will keep you sufficiently busy in the beginning, and the key issue itself will not appear at all while you struggle to absorb the system. Later on, you will actually feel happy to recognize the familiar patterns - the same ones that it took days to decipher just some time ago. Moreover, you will be able to play the Mozart symphonies in G minor and E flat major too, and there the flats are guaranteed!

Lit 1. No, unfortunately there are no period solo unaccompanied pieces written for Viennese bass. Furthermore, there is also no record of any original Viennese solo music being accompanied with a keyboard instrument in a way that we perform today recital pieces with the accompaniment of piano. From what we can deduct out of extant manuscripts, all the period Viennese bass music was always a collective undertaking involving other orchestra instruments within some type of an ensemble.

This may contradict the fact that today we have many editions of sonatas by Sperger for the "bass and piano", yet these are all harmonized transcriptions of his duos for bass and viola (or bass and violoncello). Although Sperger himself was also a capable organist with good keyboard skills, he for some reason never composed any "bass & keyboard" piece. Whether this was a curiosity, or a style preference for certain region and time, is yet to be determined. As an opposite to him Dragonetti did write the original pieces for bass and piano and was actually Sperger's contemporary - only 13 years younger.

Pe 1. The time required to master the Viennese system truly depends on the level of your ambition, your current technical level and the type of literature you would like to perform. Should your interests lie only within the realm of chamber music, you may hope to reach an adequate level within a month or two. However, should you wish to challenge yourself with a standard concert repertoire, than it will take approximately the same amount of time as it would take to prepare the piece on the modern instrument. It will be of help if you already studied that same piece on the modern instrument - than you will know the music and the fingers will find their new places much quicker!

In order to reach only a basic level of being able to play low position scales and arpeggios, it may take as little as few weeks, or up to a month. This level should be sufficient to carry you through an easy chamber music performance. This approximation however depends on your current technical level too. What matters the most with the Viennese tuning, is your cognitive ability to process notes with the different fingerings on different strings, and the technical adjustment of the left hand to the thirds within the tuning.

As a rule of thumb, considering some average dedication to the cause of preparing the solo performance, you may think of roughly 6 months of practice for an easier piece like Capuzzi or Pichl concerto. Dittersdorf may be a next step in the ladder of progression, and Vanhal, or Sperger concerti will require additional preparation, possibly up to a year of work or more. Vanhal and Sperger on Viennese tuning belong to a completely different class from any literature you have played on the regular bass - solo or otherwise, and require a truly exemplary technique.

If this sounds a bit discouraging, let me assure you that there are plenty of rewards once you master this system. The perspective of looking the common bassists struggling thorough the Dittersdorf and Vanhal concerti will be changed for ever – you will be able to play exactly as the virtuosos of the past did. That feel is really worth every minute invested.

Pe 2. It is preferable to have several years of modern bass study and the orchestra technique on a student level developed, prior to attempting the study of Viennese system. In regard to the solo music, it will be of a definitive help if some of the standard Viennese concertos such as Pichl, Dittersdorf or Vanhal are studied on modern bass, before attempting the Viennese system. The memory of the music will remain and the fingering will be adopted easier on the original tuning.

Pending on the circumstances, most bassists interested in Viennese tuning will start their study either in collegiate or graduate level. I have no information of anyone attempting to learn Viennese tuning at high school level, although it would be interesting to find out if anyone has attempted this.

Pe 3. It would be desirable to set aside a separate time of minimum few weeks to study of the Viennese system. Metaphorically speaking, one should endure a period of monastic solitude away from the regular bass in order to break and absorb the Viennese system well, as there are some important differences in notation and fingering in comparison to the standard bass technique.

For a college student this may require a semester or a quarter of study, and for an inquiring professional it may be during off season or holiday time (unlikely, but I hope some may show an interest). If fact the learning attempt may be easier for teachers and faculty, who can procure the off-regular-bass time better than some orchestra musicians. I can assure teachers and professors that their study of the Viennese tuning will vastly improve their ability to understand and teach further the standard classical repertoire. Even a sight read of a known concerto in the Viennese tuning will impart on a performer some unique period information on bowing, articulation, string crossing, phrasing and dynamic. Do not be surprised if a satisfying thought of "how simple, and I never thought they would do it like this", starts recurring to you as you progress with the study of this repertoire.

Pe 4. I would most definitely encourage you to do this if the general program in your school allows it! In practical terms the circumstance of the teacher, institution, personal ability and the future orientation of the student will be a determining factor. In technical terms there is no reason why it should not be attempted at the student level, particularly if the student has a predilection toward the historical performance practice area, or simply wishes to prove own ability by performing classical literature in the original. Personal impulse is a very valuable asset in any student, and it should not be left unutilized.

Nonetheless, should we desire to make this study effective, the design of a curricular program should favor a departure from the regular technique repertoire for a certain period of time – preferably a complete semester or a quarter. It is not desirable to combine the study of Viennese system and still attend orchestra rehearsals - at least not for the few weeks of the initial study - because it will make the learning process more difficult and inefficient. In the initial stages of learning the complete separation form the standard bass is desirable.

Pe 5. Absolutely! Playing form the original parts is one of the ultimate and most satisfying experiences you can get from the study of the Viennese tuning. Pending on your aspirations and technical level, it would help if you are already familiar with a particular piece, however even a straight out attempt of learning the unknown concerto directly from the manuscript is possible - and very rewarding too!

It may be hard to believe, but a well prepared and researched performance from a period manuscript can definitely teach a bassist an amount of information equivalent of a semester-long general performance practice course. The unique knowledge acquired by hours of staring in the casually inked manuscript notes will contribute not only to the discovery of period conventions, but also to the awareness of how modern scores are edited!

The beginning experience of looking in the unevenness of handwriting may appear bit tedious and distracting, as naturally we are all accustomed to the comfort of well engraved and consistently edited modern editions. But it should be mentioned that once you get accustomed to the handwriting "style", a great deal of details and nuances may be discovered that actually lack in printed editions!

Pe 6. Unfortunately, I am not aware of any at this time. To get started on the Viennese tuning you are welcome to follow the development of Playing Technique section on this site. This should give you a solid foundation for further development.

Should you wish to accelerate your learning process, it may be worthwhile to consult experienced performers, whose names are listed in the Contemporary performers section. This way you can save some struggle and avoid few common problems that are almost inevitable when you try to learn the Viennese tuning by yourself.

Pe 7. You are welcome to explore the Contemporary performers section, and see if someone is close to your geographic region. Some of the pioneers in the field of the Viennese tuning performance are David Sinclair, Tobias Glöckler, Miloslav Gajdoš and Peter Buckoke. All of them have performed with major orchestras, and could offer plenty of experience to start you on your Viennese journey.

Because our filed is so unique, you can actually expect more of a partnership in a relationship with your teacher, than some rigid conservatory approach. Once you start a study of the Viennese tuning, you will automatically become a part of small elite club.

Pe 8. Yes you can! Tobias Glöckler has put some editions on the market that enable the player to simply read the Viennese music as if it was meant for the modern instrument, but on the Viennese tuning. This way you can avoid all the trouble of learning the original system and you can perform those pieces as you would any other piece meant for the modern bass.

There are no obvious disadvantages to this approach, except that you may find the written music appears a bit unusual – the written notes will not coincide with produced pitches.

This approach however, is not true to the way this music was performed by period players, but it may be a solution for a busy bassist who may not have a time to master the intricacies of the Viennese system, and would still like to experience the benefits of the tuning.

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