Am Steg

[ahm SHTAYG]GermanArticulationPrinted in scores

At the bridge — the German equivalent of sul ponticello.

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the string staff in German scores as am Steg, often with tremolo or a dynamic, and in force until gewöhnlich, nat. or another bow-position word. Italian sul ponticello and French sur le chevalet name the same technique.

How Composers Use It

German and Austrian composers use Am Steg instead of sul ponticello. The effect is identical — thin, glassy, overtone-rich tone from bowing near the bridge.

Example

Schoenberg's "Verklärte Nacht" — am Steg passages create otherworldly string textures in the night-scene depiction.

Related Terms

Sul ponticello Am Griffbrett

Am Steg is one of 1760 terms in the Gradus musical dictionary: the words, abbreviations and instrument names that appear in printed scores, plus the vocabulary composers use to talk about them.

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