spiccato

Spiccato is a bowing technique used on bowed-string instruments, most commonly the violin, in which the bow lightly bounces off the string to produce short, detached notes. It contrasts with legato and detaché played with sustained contact and smooth phrasing.

Execution involves a spring-like action of the wrist, sometimes aided by the forearm. The bow is allowed to momentarily lose contact with the string and rebound. Players typically place the bow near the middle or toward the tip to adjust tone and response, and keep the left hand and arm relaxed to maintain a controlled, even bounce. Proper spiccato is a deliberate, technically guided articulation rather than a random bounce, requiring coordination between bowing speed, weight, and contact.

Variations and related terms include mezzo spiccato, a lighter, less pronounced form of the bounce. Sautillé and ricochet describe faster or multiple-bounce effects within a single bow stroke. Notation for spiccato may involve staccato marks or explicit indications of spiccato, with editors and repertoire sometimes differing in exact articulation.

Context and use: Spiccato appears across classical, romantic, and modern violin literature and is a standard element of violin pedagogy. It is employed to convey lightness, speed, or rhythmic clarity in passages that require a crisp, detached attack. While most common on violin, the technique can be adapted for other bowed strings such as viola and cello.