Pizzicato

What it is

Pizzicato means plucking the string with a finger rather than bowing it. The Italian derives from pizzicare, to pinch. The left hand section collects the related terms.

It is abbreviated pizz. in scores. The instruction to return to bowing is arco.

The sound is short and percussive with a fast decay, quite unlike a bowed note. On violin it is relatively quiet and does not sustain, which limits how it is used.

How it is produced

The right hand index finger plucks the string, usually near the end of the fingerboard.

The bow is held in the same hand throughout, generally between the thumb and the remaining fingers, freeing the index finger to pluck. Managing this while keeping the bow secure is a small skill in itself.

The finger draws across the string rather than pulling straight up. Pulling upward produces a slap against the fingerboard; drawing across produces a clean tone.

The left hand stops notes exactly as it would for bowed playing.

Where to pluck

Position along the string affects the sound significantly.

Near the end of the fingerboard. The standard position. Produces a full, round sound with reasonable sustain.

Closer to the bridge. Produces a brighter, harder, more percussive sound with less sustain.

Over the fingerboard. Produces a softer, duller sound.

Players adjust according to the passage, though the standard position covers most needs.

Sustain and dynamics

Violin pizzicato does not sustain well. The strings are short and under high tension, so the note decays quickly.

This means pizzicato passages cannot carry long notes, and composers who write them anyway are asking for something the instrument cannot deliver.

Volume is also limited. Pizzicato is generally quieter than bowed playing and can be lost in an orchestral texture. Composers who want it heard write it in thin textures.

Plucking harder increases volume up to a point, beyond which the string slaps the fingerboard and the tone degrades.

The thumb-plucking alternative

Some passages, particularly in chords or where more volume is wanted, are plucked with the thumb rather than the index finger.

The thumb produces a fuller, rounder sound and can pluck multiple strings more easily.

This is more common on lower strings and in chordal pizzicato. Jazz violinists and folk players use it more than classical players do.

What goes wrong

Pulling up instead of across. Produces a slap and a poor tone. The most common fault.

Dropping the bow. Managing the bow while plucking takes practice and beginners frequently lose control of it.

Insufficient volume. Timid plucking produces almost nothing, particularly in an ensemble.

Excessive force. The string slaps the fingerboard and the sound becomes a click.

Slow transitions. Moving between arco and pizzicato takes time, and a passage alternating rapidly is genuinely difficult. Composers who write it should allow time; players who encounter it should plan the bow handling.

Left hand neglect. Attention goes to the plucking and intonation suffers.

Where you meet it

Throughout the repertoire from the Baroque period onward.

Very common in orchestral writing, both as accompaniment texture and for specific effects.

Common in solo and chamber repertoire.

Universal in jazz and folk string playing, where it is a primary technique rather than an occasional colour.

Students meet pizzicato in their first lessons, often before bowing, because plucking an open string is the simplest way to produce a note. The chromatic tuner on this site is worth having open while you practise this.

How it is taught

Beginners pluck open strings in the first lesson, before the bow is introduced.

Later, the bow handling is taught: how to hold the bow securely while the index finger is free.

Then plucking technique, drawing across rather than pulling up.

Then position along the string and its effect on tone.

Then transitions between arco and pizzicato, timed against the music.

Pizzicato is simple to begin and has more depth than most students realise. A good pizzicato sound is noticeably different from an adequate one.

Managing the bow

The practical skill that beginners underestimate.

The bow must be held securely while the index finger is free to pluck. The usual method is to grip it between the thumb and the middle, ring and little fingers, leaving the index available.

In passages alternating rapidly between arco and pizzicato, this hand reconfiguration has to happen fast and reliably, and a dropped bow in performance is a real risk.

Some players plant the thumb against the fingerboard for stability while plucking, which helps but can slow the return to bowing.

Practising it

Open strings first, working on drawing across rather than pulling up.

Then the bow handling, practised as its own skill: arco, pizzicato, arco, timed against a metronome.

Then position along the string and its effect on tone, which most students have never experimented with.

Then in repertoire, with attention to volume, since pizzicato that is inaudible in an ensemble has failed regardless of its tone.

We teach private and group violin lessons across Buford, Duluth and Berkeley Lake. Bring left-hand work like Pizzicato to a first lesson and we will build the plan around it. book a no-commitment evaluation lesson or call 470-789-2422.