Sul re

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the string staff as sul D (commoner than sul re), or with the Roman numeral of the string (III on the violin), usually with a bracket or dashed line showing how long to stay on it. It ends with the bracket or another string indication.

Abbreviations: sul D

How Composers Use It

Keeping a passage on the D string gives a warm, mellow middle-register colour and avoids the brighter A string. It is useful for lyrical lines that would otherwise cross strings, and for a veiled sound in higher positions. Mark the span clearly and make sure the highest note can be reached comfortably on that string.

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