Tak-Sîm (Pt. 2) — by Jeffrey Zeigler

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Tak-Sîm (Pt. 2) — by Jeffrey Zeigler

Here in Part Two of my discussion on Tak-Sîm by Alireza Farhang, I am going to focus on his application on various extended cello techniques. On this topic, I found his approach to be quite fascinating and one that I am especially excited to share with everyone here in the cello community.

The piece begins with an audio trigger that I execute by pressing on a foot pedal. The trigger is a low, ambient sound that is sonically enhanced when I play a tremolo on the stick of the bow thus creating an almost a breathless quality.

Although a relatively simple technique, for this technique I would suggest using what I call a “guilt free” bow. The reason is because there is a large crescendo at the tail end of the note. This requires a great deal of bow pressure, beyond what I would feel comfortable doing on a decent bow. So what is a “guilt free” bow you ask? For me this is a bow that is not worth very much money and one that you don’t mind wacking around a bit. I have two. One is wooden that I playfully call “the club” and the other is a carbon fiber bow made in China. Both actually sound pretty good and can bounce pretty well.

At this point I would like to comment on the fact that Alireza did something that is unfortunately all too rare in the world of composition. It is true that in his quartet he asks all of us to do many things that we do not normally do. That said, he also did his homework. Alireza actually went out and got a hold of a cello and experimented to find various sounds on the instrument. So when I would say to him, “this is not playable” he would actually respond “you do it like this.” For this I have to give him a great deal of credit. Surprisingly enough, this is only the second time that i have ever had this type of experience working with a composer. And both times i have found that I have discovered new ways of creating sound. My guess is that this is probably due to the fact that a composer does not go in with a set idea of how sound is created on a cello. I would encourage all composers to try this sometime.

It is mainly near the end of the piece that Alireza unleashes his arsenal of extended cello techniques. In fact, the entire last 5 minutes or so is one big cello solo. The solo begins with a high double stop tremolo that rises up until you finally reach the bridge with your left hand. But you do not stop there! You continue tremoloing on the bridge creating a pitchless fuzz until you allow the bow to finally emerge on the far side of the bridge creating a dissonant chord. Again, you do not stop there! The tremolo continues down the cello to the point where the strings touch the tail piece. OK, now you hit a stop sign: fine tuners. So after taking a breath, you finish the phrase with a tremolo on the tail piece.

Next secton: bow the end pin. Whenever I bow the end pin I usually get a high harmonic. But as a result of his experimentation he knew a way to achieve a different sound. He asked for me to play a very low pitch which required a great deal of pressure. This is not an easy sound to make…and not very easy to control either!

And after a quick scordatura from C to B, Alireza next asks the cellist to play a tremolo between two harmonics located above the fingerboard in “rosin land.” As many of you already know, harmonics in this territory are pretty fussy. When I asked Alireza about them, he simply said, “I want the audience to feel your struggle.” Thanks, Dude.

But all of this leads to the solo’s most expressive moment. It is a melody played with left hand pizzicato meant to mimmic the sound of a setar. This melody is accompanied by sul ponticello tremolo and alternating between varied pitched and unpitched harmonics. This is a really beautiful sonic effect and a great moment in the music.

So how does a composer come to this point to ask a musician to do so much extreme extended technique. I cannot answer for all composers. But in Alirezah’s case the inspiration is actually completely musical. In his program notes, he writes: “The idea came to me in Autumn 2009 during a seminar at Columbia University,” recalls Alireza Farhang. “A young Turkish composer living in New York played a recording of some traditional Turkish music performed on a solo instrument. After the piece finished, he asked the audience to identify the instrument. The general opinion was that it could only have been a traditional Turkish instrument. This seemed right because everything about the sound, style, and intonation all sounded Turkish…nobody could guess that it was actually a cello! I then realized how the style, the intonation, the intervals, the articulations, all of the various qualities of holding a note, can change the character of an instrument and it’s identity. Thus was born Tak-Sîm.”

By Jeffrey Zeigler|2017-10-02T02:53:57-04:00April 18th, 2012|Categories: Artistic Vision, Beyond the Traditional, Performance, Technology|Tags: Jeffrey, bow control, Zeigler, Style, intonation, Technique, articulations, creativity, bow technique, cello, extended cello techniques, cellobello, Tak-Sîm|

About the Author: Jeffrey Zeigler

Described by the New York Times as “excellent”, and a player who performs “with unforced simplicity and beauty of tone”, Jeffrey Zeigler was the cellist of the internationally renowned Kronos Quartet for eight seasons. One of the most celebrated and influential ensembles of our time, Zeigler has performed over a thousand concerts worldwide, has premiered over 200 works and has collaborated with many of the world’s most versatile and innovative composers and performers. In the process, Zeigler has played an integral role in redrawing the boundaries of the string quartet medium.

Zeigler has been the recipient of the Avery Fischer Prize, the Polar Music Prize, the President’s Merit Award from the National Academy of Recorded Arts and the Chamber Music America Richard J. Bogomolny National Service Award among others.

Zeigler has given many notable premiers including works by John Adams, Laurie Anderson, Damon Albarn (of Blur and Gorillaz), John Corigliano, Philip Glass, Henryk Gorecki, Vladimir Martynov, Steve Reich, Terry Riley, Valentin Silvestrov and Peteris Vasks to name a few. Notable collaborations include Asha Bhosle, The Bang on a Can All-Stars, jazz pianist Billy Childs, Noam Chomsky, The Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Philip Glass, Paul Hillier, Zakir Hussain, Nine in Nails, the great Azerbaijani singers Alim and Ferghana Qasimov, Afghani Rubab virtuoso Homayoun Sakhi, pipa virtuoso Wu Man, Tom Waits and Howard Zinn.

The 2013/2014 Season will see the launch of a number of new projects and collaborations. Highlights include a duo with Laurie Anderson and a trio with the experimental pianist Hauschka and the Finnish rhythm master Samuli Kosminen. Both of these collaborations premier at the River to River Festival in New York City. Zeigler will also be giving the world premier of a new Cello Concerto by Canadian composer Scott Good with the Vancouver based jazz band, The Hard Rubber Orchestra. Additionally, Zeigler will be premiering a number of newly commissioned works by Kyle Bartlett, Nimrod Borenstein, Anna Clyne, Bryce Dessner (of The National), Mohammed Fairouz, Jesse Jones, Glenn Kotche (of Wilco), Richard Reed Perry (of Arcade Fire), Paola Prestini and John Zorn.

Mr. Zeigler has appeared as a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Toronto Symphony, the Royal Danish Radio Symphony, the Basel Symphonie, the Brooklyn Philharmonic and the Sioux City Symphony and has performed under the batons of Seiji Ozawa, Christoph Eschenbach, Michael Tilson Thomas, Leonard Slatkin, Robert Spano, Sir Roger Norrington, Mstislav Rostropovich, Peter Oundjian, James Conlon, John Adams and Dennis Russell Davies.

Over the course of his celebrated career, Mr. Zeigler has released over a dozen recordings for Nonesuch Records, Deutsche Grammophon and Smithsonian Folkways and has appeared with Norah Jones on her album “Not Too Late” on Blue Note Records. Zeigler can also be heard on the film soundtrack for Darren Aronofsky’s film, “The Fountain” featuring music by Clint Mansell and including performances by the Scottish band, Mogwai.

Jeffrey Zeigler holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester where he was a student of Stephen Doane, and a Master of Music degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University where he served as the Teaching Assistant for Paul Katz. He then continued his studies at Indiana University under Janos Starker. Mr. Zeigler has also studied at the Britten-Pears School in Aldeburgh, England where he was a pupil of William Pleeth and Zara Nelsova. He is also the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts degree from the Cornish College of the Arts.

Zeigler served as the Cellist-in-Residence at Texas Christian University and as a Visting Lecturer at Indiana University at Bloomington. Recently, Zeigler was appointed to the Cello Faculty at Mannes College The New School For Music. This season, he will also be a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Oregon.

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