Sul la

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the string staff as sul A (commoner than sul la), or by the Roman numeral of the string (II on the violin, I on the viola and cello), with a bracket or dashed line for its span. It ends with the bracket or the next string indication.

Abbreviations: sul A

How Composers Use It

The A string is the bright, singing top string of the viola and cello and the strong second string of the violin. Asking for a phrase sul A keeps its colour even and avoids crossings that would break a legato line. In high positions the tone grows tense and expressive; check that the notes are reachable and leave the player a place to shift.

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