From Violin to Double Bass, I have collaborated with many strings. Strings have lots of traditional repertoire. There are many standard Violin/Cello sonatas and concertos. The Viola repertoire and the Double Bass repertoire are more modernized. Either way, it is exciting to perform.

How to provide a better accompaniment for strings? I listen to the strings’ timbre – the level of vibrato, the degree of bowing, the pressure of bowing, articulation – and adjust my accompaniment to make a best fit.

While I was a music composition major, I learned the Instrumentation, which deeply treats the characteristics of strings. So I know how it should sound – such as harmonics, slur staccato, particular string usage, etc. Indeed, a Collaborative Pianist who works with strings must understand how the strings work.