Technique/ Description Notation
Articulation
Pressing down strings to
make notes (left hand)
0 = open string (no fingers)
Fingering 1 = index finger
2 = middle finger
3 = ring finger
4 = pinky finger
Arco With the bow, rubbing the hair arco
of the bow across the strings
Down bow Bow stroke is from frog to tip
Up bow Bow stroke is from tip to frog
Multiple notes played per bow
Slur stroke
Basic bowing, alternating
Détaché down/up bows, one note per
stroke
Legato Smoothly join the notes,
smooth bowing
Brush strokes Add a slight push onto each
(Louré or note
Portato)
Natural, expressive slide
Portamento between 2 notes
Chromatic – slide between 2
notes but briefly rest on each
Glissando semitone
Non-chromatic – slide
between 2 notes, more
extensive than portamento
Short, detached notes
Staccato
Very short and detached
Staccatissimo notes
1
Slurred Multiple staccato notes per
Staccato bow stroke
Stress or emphasise a note
Accent
Marcato Strongly emphasis or add
strong stress to a note
Martelé A sharp, biting attack on a
note, detached (staccato-ish)
Off-the-string staccato, light
Spiccato and bouncy, bow bounces off
strings in arc
Fast / Natural / At a fast tempo, bow bounces
Spontaneous off the strings naturally
Spiccato (without deliberate effort)
Slow / Artificial At a slower tempo, effort must
/ Conscious be put into the wrist to
Spiccato perform spiccato
Slurred Multiple spiccato notes per
Spiccato bow stroke
Throw bow onto string and let jeté or
Ricochet / bounce, producing 2-6 notes
Jeté in rapid succession
Play arpeggios over multiple
Arpeggiando strings at fast tempo, causes
bow to bounce off strings
Saltando Down bow - bow bounces off
strings in a single bow
direction, 2-6 notes on a bow
stroke (form of spiccato)
Up bow - bow bounces off
Staccato strings in a single bow
Volante / direction, 2-6 notes on a bow
Flying stroke (form of spiccato)
Staccato
Spiccato at high speeds, bow
Sautillé does not leave the string,
sounds like it does
2
Trill Fast repetitive alternation of
one note and another note 1
or 2 semitones above/below
Fast repeated bowing on a
Bowed single pitch (unmeasured,
Tremolo measured)
Fast repetitive alternation of
Fingered one note and another note
Tremolo more than 1 tone away
(unmeasured, measured)
Pizzicato Pluck the string with the pad
of the right hand index finger
Snap Pizzicato Pull string back and let snap
/ Bartok Snap against the fingerboard
Fingernail Pluck the string with nail
Pizzicato instead of the flesh
Left Hand Pluck the string with the left
Pizzicato hand (usually pinky finger)
Pluck the tremolo (measured,
Pizzicato Roll / unmeasured)
Tremolo
Con Sordino, Play with mute (con sordino)
Senza Sordino Play without mute (senza
sordino)
Sul Ponticello Play on or very near bridge sul ponticello
with bow
Sul Tasto Play over the fingerboard with sul tasto
the bow
Flautando Play near but not on the flautando
fingerboard
Col Legno Play the strings with the wood col legno tratto
Tratto of the bow (drawn like
normal)
3
Col Legno Strike the strings with the col legno battuto
Battuto wood of the bow
Modo Back to normal after col modo ordinario or ordinario or ord
Ordinario legno, back to using hair of or naturale
bow
Natural Play a naturally occurring
Harmonic overtone of a note by
‘splitting’ the string into equal
parts
Play an overtone of a note by
Artificial stopping a note and using the
Harmonic pinky to lightly touch a node
(notation: 2nd way is best)
Sul (string Play only on the specified
name) string
Vibrate the note by rocking usually no notation or
Vibrato the finger rapidly on the vibrato (with vibrato)
fingerboard senza vibrato (without vibrato)
Scordatura Tune the instrument to an
alternative tuning
Repeated string crossings,
Bariolage bowing same note on 2
strings
Playing multiple strings
simultaneously:
Multiple Stop 2 strings: Double Stop
3 strings: Triple Stop
4 strings: Quadruple Stop
Quadruple stop
Pizzicato Pluck the multiple stop,
Multiple Stop arpeggiated
Contemporary E.g. Plucking strings with pick, tapping instrument, bow near nut, bow
Techniques on other side of bridge, finger notes without bowing, bow tailpiece etc.
