NINE FINGERS (VIOLA SPACES NO. 4)
Garth Knox

NINE FINGERS (VIOLA SPACES NO. 4)

Garth Knox
(b. Dublin, Ireland, October 08, 1956)

Composed 2004-7; 4 minutes

Garth Knox, now based in Paris, began his career playing viola with most of the leading groups in London, in music from the baroque to contemporary. Seven years with Pierre Boulez and the Ensemble InterContemporain in Paris was followed by another eight with the Arditti String Quartet, touring the world. The past two decades have seen him develop a solo career, giving premières of new works, composing, collaborating with theater and dance projects and even developing a one-man show for children.

Violist composer Garth Knox wrote this virtuoso study in pizzicato techniques – plucking the strings, with no use of the bow – as part of a series of advanced concert studies. These Viola Spaces help demystify
contemporary playing techniques and make them accessible to advanced performers. Nine Fingers helps train viola players to actively use nine fingers (ie. eight plus right-hand thumb) to pluck and strum their instrument – the tenth finger (left-hand thumb) has enough to do holding and supporting the instrument! It’s interesting to observe how the pizzicato techniques used here relate to those used on both pipa and guitar.