In the image, the high strings are arco and the bass is pizzicato. Some may say that I should not have tied the bass note since it is pizz and will probably die out, but here is why I did:
To match the timing of the other parts.
To show that the note should ring and not be damped too soon.
What is your opinion? Do you agree or disagree with this notation?
Note: In other places, I wrote the high string pizzicato parts as dotted quarters in 12/8 time, since that is easier to read than a lot of short rests.
I think your notation is perfect. The player will keep the note stopped with the LH for the required duration (whereas with a l.v. it would be indeterminate).
The question is: how long do want the notes to sound? Presented with the following, players will make each sound different…
just know that the resonance of a pizzicato note is pretty short. even for the double bass. In an ideal solo environment, in a room with a bit of reverb, with no ambient sound, sure, you’ll hear the note resonate for a bit…
but in a concert context, with an orchestra or other musicians involved, and an audience and the hall conditions? you won’t be hearing the resonance. I’ve had enough string pieces performed in the last few years to have pretty good experience with that, as well as playing a bit of viola.
The memory of the listener is also a type of reverb. Hit a bass note once, it will last ‘forever’ in the mind of the audience, unless cancelled by a new bass note.
I’d suggest the second variant. The first suggests too much of a legato (not realistic), and the third suggests making the notes expressly short, dampened. It’s OK to show that a pizz. note lasts shorter than an arco note. I’m tempted to say it’s even useful to show the difference between the length obtained in arco and pizz. It helps the sight-reader see the difference.
