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Violin Online Bow Strokes

BOW STROKES: On the String*

NOTATION NAME DEFINITION

Coll

Coll means glued. It is a very short stroke, andbegins with the bow lightly contacting the string witha distinct and short, sharp pinch. The bow is thenlifted to prepare for the next stroke. The resultingsound was described by Galamian as being similarto pizzicato with the bow. Although coll usually hasno articulation markings, dots are sometimes used.

Dtach

Dtach indicates smooth, separate bow strokesshould be used for each note (it does not meandetached or disconnected). Notes are of equal value,and are produced with an even, seamless stroke withno variation in pressure.

Dtachlanc

Dtach lanc is a variation of the dtach bow

stroke. A slightly separated bow stroke is used togently articulate the notes with an unaccented,distinct break between each note. It is often used incombination with the lour or port stroke to performseveral separated notes in the same bow.

LegatoLegato indicates the notes should be smoothlyconnected, played either in one or several bows(slurs are often used with the legato bow stroke).

Lour

Lour strokes are a short series of gently pulsedlegato notes executed in one bow stroke (it is alsoknown as portato). A slight swelling at the beginningof the note should be applied, followed by a graduallightening of the sound. Strokes are distinctlyseparate, yet unaccented, and the expressive swellis produced by applying pressure and speed to thebow at the beginning of the note. Although a slur andhorizontal dashes are generally used to indicate thiseffect, dots with slurs are occasionally used.

Martel

Martel is a French term meaning hammered. Eachnote is percussive, and commences with a sharpaccent or "pinch" at the beginning of the note,followed by a quick release. Before the bow is set inmotion, the index finger applies this "pinch" or "bite"for articulation. Martel may be notated in more thanone way: with dots, hammer heads or accents.

Staccato

Staccato indicates the bow should remain on thestring to play shortened and detached notes,distinctly separate from successive notes. Staccatois sometimes used with slurs (slurred staccato) for aseries of short, stopped notes played in the same upor down bow (many violinists perform slurredstaccato as a series of slurred martel strokes).

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*Articulation markings often mean different things. For example, a dot means shorten the note and can indicate bow

strokes such as spiccato (off the string) and staccato (on the string). It is important to understand the context of the

music and the purpose for the articulation in order to properly interpret the markings and corresponding bow strokes.

It should also be noted that bowing terminology and markings are not always precise. Different bow strokes are often

used in combination with other bow strokes to achieve the desired musical effect. Musicians sometimes disagree

about how to interpret bowing terminology and markings, so use your best judgment, and enjoy the music!

BOW STROKES: Off the String

NOTATION NAME DEFINITION

Jet

Jet means "thrown" in French. In this bow stroke,the bow is thrown on the string, and then bouncesfor several notes in the same bow direction. Theheight and speed of the bounce are regulatedthrough factors such as the amount of pressure

used by the index finger, and where the bow isinitially thrown or placed.

Ricochet

Ricochet is a bow stroke where the bow is droppedon the string and rebounds (bounces) on the stringfor several notes in the same bow direction. Thenatural resiliency of the string helps the bow tobounce. As in the jet bow stroke, the height andspeed of the bounce are regulated through factorssuch as additional pressure used by the indexfinger, and where the bow is initially thrown orplaced. Although ricochet and jet are similar, someviolinists consider jet to be more of a controlledbounce than ricochet (there are some violinists whouse these terms interchangeably).

Sautill

Sautill is a fast, bouncing or springing stroke inwhich the bow naturally bounces off of the string,producing a lighter, more rapid, and less percussivesound than spiccato. The natural resiliency of thebow is utilized to produce this light, fast stroke, andit is often played in the middle of the bow.

Spiccato

Spiccato is an off-the-string, controlled bouncingbow stroke which produces a crisp sound and veryshort notes. It is the slowest of the bouncingstrokes.