Scratch Etude (2023)

for Violin Solo

"Scratch Etudes" is a series of studies created specifically for the modern violin technique of “Scratch Sound.” The scratch sounds are generally rejected by classical violinists and considered an improper playing method. However, through delicate and repeated practice, this sound can ultimately yield a velvety and silken resonance similar to velvet. When subjected to various poetic transformations or placed in different themes, contexts, and timeframes, this particular sound can be combined with traditional classical music performance techniques to create new sonic vocabularies.

I began using this technique in my "Monk (I)" work 2014. Subsequently, I have employed this modern performance technique in works such as the string quartet "Mandy's Hummingbird" (2015), "Bian Zhou (I)" (2016), "Bian Zhou (II)" (2017), "Cleaning the Temple" (2017), "b.bb…" (2018), "Nian Tu" (2020), and "Bian Zhou (IV)" (2020). This technique has gradually become part of my vocabulary. I conceived the idea last year to delve deeper into this technique's potential and solidify this process through the composition of études.

Each étude is created to practice a particular skill, often stuck in finger exercises and lacking musicality. Therefore, during the compositional process, I drew inspiration from Chopin and Debussy's piano études as models for musical exploration.

Duration: 10

I.   Cadenza

II.  Timer

III. In Between

IV.  Waltz

*This piece has received support from the National Cultural and Arts Foundation（國藝會）