It is not indicated in any consistent manner: sometimes dots are placed above or below the notes, sometimes arrow-head strokes, and sometimes the stroke is simply left to the performer’s discretion. Sautille: (French Italian saltando, German Springbogen, Spanish saltillo) – A bowstroke played rapidly at the balance point, one bowstroke per note, so that the bow bounces very slightly off the string of its own accord. Richochet: Fast bounces, similar to spiccato but in the upper half of the bow. This is a matter of “taste,” that longed for but often hard to define characteristic of great string playing.
But in the performances of Yo-Yo Ma (for example) you will be surprised to discover a lot of portamenti, but they do not sound syrupy at all. As modern stringed instrument technique developed in the later part of the 20th century, players tended to be less and less “smaltzy,” and portamento used more carefully. Portamento: An audible slide from one position to the next. End of ponticello passage may be indicated by “ordinario,” often written as “ord.” “Dietro il ponticello” is playing behind the bridge. Ponticello: Orchestral technique of playing on the bridge (sul ponticello). Technique may be done in several ways with respect to the holding of the bow in the left hand: (a) for very quick notes in pizz, the left index finger may be extended, and the pizz done without much changing the shape of the bow hold (b) the bow may be grasped by the fist and the thumb used to balance the hand, with the index finger pizzing and (c) the bow may be set down in the lap or on the stand for extended passages in pizz. Pizzicato:Usually written as “pizz” in the parts, and “arco” when the pizz section is meant to end. Martelé:Staccato (short) with heavy accent. Left-hand pizzicato: pizzicato created by a sharp plucking of the string with the violin (left) hand. The first harmonic learned by students is the one mid-way between the nut and the bridge, at about an inch or so above (towards the bridge) where the body of the violin begins. Harmonics: Bell-like tones created by lightly touching the string with the flat part of the left finger, which breaks the string into partials. Does not necessarily mean staccato (though sometimes defined as such) can be heavily accented or not.ĭown bow:If the bow is on the sounding point in the middle of the bow, if you pull down toward the right, that is a down bow. Basically, up and down a change of bowing direction with some articulation. There are several varieties of orchestral mute including the Tourte, Alpine and Bech.ĭétaché:Impossible to define this, as there are so many varieties. Passages with mute end with the phrase “senza sordino” which means to remove the mute. One should not use one’s best bow in this type of passage, particularly if the bow is expensive.Ĭon sordino: With mute. Ĭol Legno: Passage where the sound is produced by striking the wood of the bow against the string(s). Very impressive sounding not so hard once you get the trick of it.īartok pizzicato: Pluck the string vertically by snapping and rebounds off the fingerboard of the instrument creating a “snap” sound.īouncing bow: This is not just spiccato, which is an off-the-string, at-the-sounding-point technique of very small up and down bows, originating from the wrist, but a host of other definitions with very fine distinctions as to their meanings. The Bach E Major Partita is a notorious example. Means to return to playing with the bow.īariolage: A passage, often in Bach but in Brahms and elsewhere, where the fingers are held down over several strings and the bow oscillates between the several strings. Written in after passages of pizzicato (plucked) notes. Some of the most common string playing terms are explained here…Īrco: Italian for bow. New to orchestra, or struggling to remember what every common orchestral term means? Look no further.
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