IT alto sul ponticello bow contact point advanced Support my free tools
- Abbreviation
- a.s.p., ASP
How is alto sul ponticello played?
Draw the bow hard at or onto the bridge, beyond ordinary sul ponticello, so the contact point itself becomes part of the sound and bright upper-partial noise can dominate while the fundamental recedes. It belongs to a continuum beyond molto sul ponticello and near the rarer altissimo (sul ponticello); related but distinct directions include Saariaho's estremamente sul ponticello, 'on the bridge' and dietro il ponticello behind the bridge. The score legend must determine exact contact and pressure, since examples range from harmonic dominance to nearly pure bridge noise. Ord. or another bow-position label normally replaces the state.
How does alto sul ponticello sound?
Glassy, thin and overtone-rich to the point of noise: the high partials dominate and the fundamental is almost inaudible, so the colour reads as much as texture as pitch.
In context
Alto sul ponticello is especially associated with Grisey and related spectral string writing, where it denotes an extreme form of sul ponticello. Direct scores by Sirena, Mæland and Fineberg attest a.s.p., while Grisey's documented scheme and publisher scores use ASP. The abbreviation is stable specialist shorthand, but its exact acoustic target remains composer- and work-specific.
Equivalent terms
- IT estremamente sul ponticello (near equivalent)