This summer, as an experienced cellist, I realized a long-percolating dream to play the viola da gamba, the stringed instrument of choice during the Renaissance and early Baroque periods. Gambas, or viols, lost favor to their louder, brasher violin-family cousins in the 18th century, but in recent decades they’ve enjoyed a rebirth. The Viola da Gamba Society of America claims more than 1,000 enthusiastic members, 200 of whom attend the society’s annual weeklong conclave, which takes place each summer in a different location.

Viols come in a variety of sizes (treble, tenor, and bass), but all are played in the same way—cradled between the performer’s calves: gamba is Italian for leg. Viols boast at least six strings (some basses have seven!), tuned in fourths and one third, as well as frets, and require an underhanded bow grip.

The chamber, or consort, music for viols is absolutely spectacular—and much of it was intended for home entertainment.

Because of their frets and the availability of music that is both gorgeous and manageable, gambas are unusually user-friendly instruments, and even outright beginners can sound pretty good from the get-go. This may explain why the conclave always includes a well-attended beginners’ class. This year’s 46th annual conclave took place on the campus of Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, New Hampshire, surrounded by bucolic fields, ponds, and the craggy peak of Mount Monadnock. Local beginners were encouraged to attend a daily class, instruments provided for free.

FUN FACTOR

This year’s crop of beginning students came from all over the map and included professional and amateur musicians, as well as folks who had never played an instrument before. This diversity can be challenging for any teacher, but gamba teachers Jane Hershey and Alice Renkin handled the class with aplomb and had students playing in three-part harmony by the end of the session.

Fledgling gambist Paula Erickson was particularly struck by this development. “I felt great about the beginner class because, as a group, we could actually play Tallis and La Folia, which are so familiar,” she says, “even though we had only been playing for less than a week!”

Recent retiree Ann Alexander, who had played the violin as a child, “was happy that the gamba did not sound as awful as the violin when I began that! The gamba was easier to play in tune than the violin because of the frets, although I have to admit that playing in tune was the least of my worries. If I found any note at all, I was pleased.”

Elizabeth West, a flutist, was thrilled with the possibilities of the gamba. “I have now learned an instrument I like that I can play for ‘fun,’ musically, without worrying about being ‘great’ on it right now,” she says. “I can just enjoy the social pleasure, the learning pleasure, not have the pressure of it being my serious musical focus and still make music.”

West, Erickson, and Alexander, all New Hampshire residents, plan to continue their gamba pursuits and to meet regularly with Hershey.

One advantage of an intensive summer course is that you can focus wholly on the task at hand. Cellist and teacher Amy Domingues found herself drawn “to the mysterious, delicate sound” of the gamba, but her hectic cello teaching and performing schedule hadn’t allowed her to learn something new. “At the conclave, it was easy to put aside my usual worries and obligations and focus solely on learning this amazing instrument,” she says. “Although I have the feeling my cello felt somewhat jealous!”

LEARN THE BASICS

When learning a new instrument, you want to be well versed in its terminology. As teacher Jane Hershey points out, it’s hard to communicate with your teacher if you refer to “these things” instead of frets. That also means learning the names of the strings—very useful in gamba, since the six gut strings will need frequent tuning.

Also, gambists have to switch clefs quite often, and tenor gambists must be comfortable with alto clef, as well as G-clef at pitch and down an octave. As a graduate student, I (sort of) played gamba in the school consort many years ago, choosing the tenor because the bass viol of the set was uncomfortably large for my left hand. Between the bewildering array of strings and the foreign alto clef, I found myself jotting down almost every note name in my music, which really limited my enjoyment of the instrument. Domingues had a much better experience at the conclave, since she immersed herself in playing. “I had to learn to be fluent in alto clef to play the tenor viol,” she says. “This was somewhat of a challenge! But after a week of intense study I feel very confident of my notes.”

The underhand-bow grip of the gamba turns everything upside down. Essentially, you hold the bow between your thumb and first finger while your middle finger and ring finger surround the hair. For Alexander, “bowing was the hardest, since you hold it opposite to the violin bow, and because it’s so easy to hit more than one string at the same time. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever be able to control that bow.”

Domingues found the grip “very precarious, but then I learned how to lean into the string for support and use my middle two fingers to help direct the pressure of the hair.”

Your fingers and hand must be very supple to make successful bow strokes.

Allen says, “I found the overall relaxed and flexible wrist and fingers I strive to have when playing my violin helped with the underhanded bowing technique of the gamba.”

On cello, beginning students can be puzzled by bow direction, since a down bow is really a pull to the right, while an up bow is a push to the left. Gambists use the terms “push” for an up bow and “pull” for a down bow. In gamba, the up bow, or push, is the stronger stroke. So main beats should be played up bow, and pickup notes should start down bow. If you’re trained in violin, viola, or cello, it can take getting used to.

Resonance is all-important on the soft-voiced gamba, and keeping left-hand fingers down on the strings often helps sustain the sound. Also, you want to strive for a vocal quality. This year’s conclave was titled Sing with Your Viol. Domingues found that “the most important thing I learned was how to create a voice-like sound using the bow. Viol-bow technique requires a much gentler approach than cello, and this was my most challenging technical change.”

BE PREPARED

Getting accustomed to a new instrument can be both exciting and frustrating, particularly if you’re already accomplished at another one. Domingues suggests you “be prepared to let go of previous technique and be open to change. Talk to your teacher if something doesn’t feel right or if something hurts!”

She also advises that you carefully observe teachers’ and performers’ movements and sound production. As Alexander says, “It was profoundly humbling as my brain, hands, and fingers struggled with having to do a lot of new things at the same time. But after only a few days, some of these started to fall into place.”

Erickson, an occasional guitarist, urges potential beginners “to not hesitate to try something new, even difficult things like picking up an instrument you barely knew existed. Just try—don’t hold back because you may make a fool of yourself! You may surprise yourself when you see what you can accomplish!”

Remember, it takes time to play anything well. “If you feel frustrated, realize that the technique will catch up to your musical ideals if you continue to practice,” Domingues says. “Be patient, especially if you’re proficient on another instrument and feel like you’re progressing slowly on the new one.”

Like me, most of the beginners were planning to continue with the gamba, and had purchased or rented instruments. Some are already making plans to attend next year’s conclave at St. Olaf’s College in Minnesota.

To learn more about the Viola de Gamba Society of America, visit their website at vdgsa.org.