Violin Online Bow Strokes

BOW STROKES: On the String*

NOTATION NAME DEFINITION

Collé means glued. It is a very short stroke, and
begins with the bow lightly contacting the string with
a distinct and short, sharp pinch. The bow is then
  Collé lifted to prepare for the next stroke. The resulting
sound was described by Galamian as being similar
to pizzicato with the bow. Although collé usually has
no articulation markings, dots are sometimes used.
Détaché indicates smooth, separate bow strokes
should be used for each note (it does not mean
Détaché detached or disconnected). Notes are of equal value,
and are produced with an even, seamless stroke with
no variation in pressure.
Détaché lancé is a variation of the détaché bow
stroke. A slightly separated bow stroke is used to
Détaché gently articulate the notes with an unaccented,
lancé distinct break between each note. It is often used in
combination with the louré or porté stroke to perform
several separated notes in the same bow.

Legato indicates the notes should be smoothly

Legato connected, played either in one or several bows
(slurs are often used with the legato bow stroke).

Louré strokes are a short series of gently pulsed

legato notes executed in one bow stroke (it is also
known as portato). A slight swelling at the beginning
of the note should be applied, followed by a gradual
lightening of the sound. Strokes are distinctly
Louré
separate, yet unaccented, and the expressive swell
is produced by applying pressure and speed to the
bow at the beginning of the note. Although a slur and
horizontal dashes are generally used to indicate this
effect, dots with slurs are occasionally used.
Martelé is a French term meaning hammered. Each
note is percussive, and commences with a sharp
accent or "pinch" at the beginning of the note,
Martelé followed by a quick release. Before the bow is set in
motion, the index finger applies this "pinch" or "bite"
for articulation. Martelé may be notated in more than
one way: with dots, hammer heads or accents.
Staccato indicates the bow should remain on the
string to play shortened and detached notes,
distinctly separate from successive notes. Staccato
Staccato is sometimes used with slurs (slurred staccato) for a
series of short, stopped notes played in the same up
or down bow (many violinists perform slurred
staccato as a series of slurred martelé strokes).
*Articulation markings often mean different things. For example, a dot means shorten the note and can indicate bow
strokes such as spiccato (off the string) and staccato (on the string). It is important to understand the context of the
music and the purpose for the articulation in order to properly interpret the markings and corresponding bow strokes.
It should also be noted that bowing terminology and markings are not always precise. Different bow strokes are often
used in combination with other bow strokes to achieve the desired musical effect. Musicians sometimes disagree
about how to interpret bowing terminology and markings, so use your best judgment, and enjoy the music!

BOW STROKES: Off the String

NOTATION NAME DEFINITION

Jeté means "thrown" in French. In this bow stroke,
the bow is thrown on the string, and then bounces
for several notes in the same bow direction. The
Jeté height and speed of the bounce are regulated
through factors such as the amount of pressure
used by the index finger, and where the bow is
initially thrown or placed.
Ricochet is a bow stroke where the bow is dropped
on the string and rebounds (bounces) on the string
for several notes in the same bow direction. The
natural resiliency of the string helps the bow to
bounce. As in the jeté bow stroke, the height and
speed of the bounce are regulated through factors
Ricochet
such as additional pressure used by the index
finger, and where the bow is initially thrown or
placed. Although ricochet and jeté are similar, some
violinists consider jeté to be more of a controlled
bounce than ricochet (there are some violinists who
use these terms interchangeably).
Sautillé is a fast, bouncing or springing stroke in
which the bow naturally bounces off of the string,
producing a lighter, more rapid, and less percussive
Sautillé
sound than spiccato. The natural resiliency of the
bow is utilized to produce this light, fast stroke, and
it is often played in the middle of the bow.
Spiccato is an off-the-string, controlled bouncing
bow stroke which produces a crisp sound and very
Spiccato
short notes. It is the slowest of the bouncing
strokes.