How to Play Pizzicato

Monsoon59

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posted on 10 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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The pizzicato technique simply refers to when a string instrument player plucks their strings. The sound of pizzicato is one that you have probably heard before. Maybe you've heard the beginning of Flobots, "Handlebars," or maybe you've heard a lot of jazz music with a walking bass line. This article will teach you how to play pizzicato on the violin, viola, cello, and upright bass.

Steps

Violin and Viola

Choose the note you are going to play. You can pizzicato any note on the fingerboard, or even an open string. Make sure you know which one you are going to play before you start.

Decide which finger you want to use. You have two fingers on your right hand you can use for pizzicato: your first finger and your middle finger. The first finger is a good choice because you can still hold the bow easily if you do not have time to put it down. However, many string players have found that using the middle finger produces a warmer, richer sound. You can also use your left hand for pizzicato, but very rarely. The only times you would ever use left hand pizzicato would be if it was written in the music or if the piece is moving fast and you need more time to bring the bow back up. To do this, find the note that you are going to play and pizz with a sideswipe with the finger in front of it. For example, if you are on the D string and you have to play an E, place your first finger in the E spot and pizz with your second finger. If you are on the D string and you have to play an A however, shift up to third position and pluck with your third finger.

Bring the finger to the string and grab it with the meat of your finger. You should never use your nails when performing pizzicato. If you can't grab the string with just the meat of your finger, then it may be time to trim your nails.

Pull your finger away. You should pull your finger away as soon as you pizz. If the piece is moving slowly, you can follow through and even take your hand away slightly. However, most pieces require you to (gently!) wedge your thumb between the fingerboard and the body and come up just a short amount between plucks.

Cello and Bass

Look at the instructions for Violin and Viola above. For the most part, you will be doing the same things and you will be following the same guidelines about the meat of the finger and so forth.

Gently wedge your thumb near the underside of the fingerboard. This will be your anchor.

For bases, if the tempo is extremely fast, such as in jazz, use both your index as well as your middle finger. This will help you go faster without injuring yourself.