Is it called a double stop if you play the same note on two different strings?

Yes. The word "stop" refers to where the string is stopped, meaning where it ends.

1. What is it called when you play two strings together?
2. Why is it called double stop?
3. What notes can be double stopped?
4. Is a double stop a chord?

What is it called when you play two strings together?

In music, a double stop is the technique of playing two notes simultaneously on a stringed instrument such as a violin, a viola, a cello, or a double bass. ... Although the term itself suggests these strings are to be fingered (stopped), in practice one or both strings may be open.

Why is it called double stop?

Holding down the fingers on two strings with your left hand. You're stopping two strings from vibrating. Hence double stop.

What notes can be double stopped?

Quite obviously, most double stops where one note is an open string are easy. Apart from that, the safest double stops are generally major and minor sixths; you can use these in almost any context provided both individual notes are in the range of the cello – i.e. the lower note at least C₂, the higher one at most ≈A₅.

Is a double stop a chord?

Double stops can also be considered chord fragments, which make them ideal to outline chord progressions and create solid consonant hooks and riffs. Two note chords are also referred to as dyads, however those are typically root and fifth power chord ideas that are played as a solid unit.