Spiccato

Spiccato is a specific bowing technique on bowed string instruments. The bow is allowed to bounce lightly off the string for each note, producing a series of crisp, detached, springy notes. The bow leaves the string between each note, creating natural separation.

Spiccato is one of the standard articulations in string playing, alongside detaché (sustained, separate strokes) and legato (sustained, connected strokes). It produces the bouncy, sparkling articulation heard in countless fast passages — Mendelssohn’s Scherzo from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the finale of Mozart’s Symphony No. 41, the running figures of Vivaldi concertos.

The technique is controlled by bow speed, weight, and contact point. The player adjusts these parameters to find the sweet spot where the bow naturally bounces. At faster tempos the bounces become smaller and quicker; at slower tempos, more deliberate and weighted.

Italian, past participle of spiccare (‘to detach, separate’), from s- + picco (‘peak’).

Find the sweet spot on the bow where it bounces naturally — usually near the middle. Don’t force the bounce; let the bow do the work. Practice at slow tempos before speeding up.