Detaché: Default Bow Stroke

A simple detaché is the default way of bowing. There are no special markings in the sheet music. You play one bow stroke for each note, play the notes in their full length and make seamless bow changes.

Detaché can take many shapes and forms: from long notes with a feel and deep sound to clearly articulated fast runs.

Legato bowing

As a bowing technique legato refers to playing multiple notes on one smooth bow stroke. You hear fluent transitions between the notes. In sheet music you see a slur above the notes.

As an articulation legato refers to smooth transitions between the notes and can also refer to notes that are are connected by seamless bow changes. A slur in sheet music can sometimes indicate a phrase and not one bow stroke.

Portato (Italian) or Louré (French)

Portato is similar to legato as you play multiple notes on one bow stroke, but you stop your bow between the notes without adding accents or weight. It sounds a bit similar to detaché and is usually applied to several same notes.

Simple Staccato

Staccato simply means that the notes are separated and not played in their full length. On the violin this means that you stop the bow between the notes. Usually staccato refers to several of those notes on one bow stroke. We call this up-bow, slurred or linked staccato (see next).

You see a standard or simple staccato where one note is one bow stroke a lot in the Suzuki books and in tango music.

Solid Staccato

Also named up-bow, slurred or linked staccato

Multiple staccato notes on one bow stroke. Fast up-bow staccato runs can be very spectacular. The bow doesn’t leave the string. The index finger makes inflections to articulate and/or the bow makes little stops. Usually it’s on an up-bow and in a fast tempo. 

The bow doesn’t leave the string (otherwise it’s called flying staccato). The index finger makes inflections to articulate and separate the notes.

Martelé

In the accented martelé we catch the string by putting pressure on the bow with the index finger. In the beginning of the bow stroke we release this and let the bow travel. This creates a bow stroke that starts with a ‘click’ or a ‘bite’ and ends almost silent. This is the standard most well known type of martelé.

You can change the sound by making the accent more pronounced (accented martelé), less pronounced (marcato) or by sustaining the sound throughout the bow stroke (sustained martelé).

Spiccato bowing technique

Spiccato is a semi-passive bow technique, in which you work with the energy of the violin bow. The finger action gives an impulse and the bow bounces on it’s own. The bow is off the string at the bow changes. This works best at the balance point of the bow or a bit above depending on the tempo.

In a fast tempo, the bow fully bounces it it’s own and we call it sautillé. This is executed in the middle of the bow.

Two or more spiccato bow strokes all played up-bow on one spot of the bow is called flying spiccato. If you play multiple spiccato notes in the same direction, but let the bow travel, this is called flying staccato.

Sautillé bowing technique

Sautillé is similar to spiccato, but this is higher up the bow and at a higher speed. It’s a passive bow technique: the bow bounces on it’s own and the hand doesn’t control the full movement. The fingers just give impulses.

Ricochet bowing technique

Italian: Saltato or saltando

After one impulse, the bow can bounce from two to perhaps twenty times. This is a passive bow stroke usually performed on a down-bow. The pressure of the index finger and height of the bounce can determine the tempo.

When this is executed on an arpeggio over three or four strings, we call it jumping arpeggio.

When multiple jumping bow strokes are played on an up-bow, you need some more impulse from the bow hand. We call this flying staccato.

Flying Spiccato

Multiple spiccato notes in the same bow direction on the same spot of the bow. The hand and wrist make a circular motion. It can also be seen as a flying staccato, but the bow stays in one place. After one note the bow as to go back to it’s starting place.

Jumping Arpeggio

This is ricochet over three or four strings on the down-bow as well as the up-bow. The higher the tempo, the more the bow bounces on it’s own. The lower the tempo, the more the hand actively controls the movement.

Tremolo

Tremolo are very short fast bow strokes at the tip of the bow. Usually they are played on one long note. In essence this is a nuance of detaché. These can be in a random tempo or measured.

Col Legno

Col legno means ‘with the wood’. You bounce the stick (not the hair) of the bow on the string (col legno battuto) or you make actual bow strokes with the stick of the violin bow (col legno tratto). The first is the standard way to perform col legno.