pizzicato

Pizzicato is a playing technique used on bowed string instruments in which the strings are plucked with the fingers rather than being played with the bow. The term derives from the Italian pizzicare, meaning to pluck or pinch. It is most commonly associated with violin, viola, cello, and double bass, but can also be used on guitar and other plucked string instruments in specialized contexts. In standard orchestral notation, pizzicato is indicated by the marking pizz., and the bowing resumes with arco.

Technique and practice vary by instrument. The right hand typically uses the index or middle finger to pluck the string, sometimes with the thumb for support. The string is usually plucked away from the instrument or toward the center of the fingerboard to produce a bright, short tone. Left-hand pizzicato, in which the string is plucked with a left-hand finger while the bow is used on other strings, is another documented technique and can produce sustained pitches without bowing.

Notable variants include Bartók pizzicato, or snap pizzicato, a forceful pluck near the fingerboard that makes the string snap back and produce a sharp, percussive sound. This effect is characteristic of many 20th-century and contemporary scores and is used to create a stark rhythmic texture.

Pizzicato can serve a range of musical purposes, from light, lyrical passages to rhythmic accents, and is employed across historical periods to achieve specific tonal or textural effects. It remains a fundamental technique in string pedagogy and performance.