![]() In the nineteenth century, as part of his ongoing commitment to violinistic R and D - razzle and dazzle - the Italian virtuoso violinist and composer Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840) developed the technique of left-hand pizzicato. ![]() A stiff finger versus a flexible finger will also change the sound, and even the direction or manner of follow-through will have an effect. Plucking with the fingernail, for example, will give a sound that is much harder, or "nastier," than plucking with the fleshy part of the fingertip, and plucking at different points along the string will cause the string to resonate in different ways. In addition, the player can produce different kinds of sounds by varying the specific manner in which he plucks the strings. Pizzicato passages may be fast or slow, loud or soft. For extended pizzicato passages it's sometimes convenient to put down the bow, but usually the player keeps it in his hand while plucking. To play pizzicato, the player generally uses the index finger (and sometimes the middle finger or thumb) of the right hand, the hand that holds the bow. The term is not associated with instruments that are always plucked, such as the harp and the guitar. The word may be used as an adjective, as in "Those notes should be pizzicato" as an adverb, as in "Those notes should be played pizzicato" or as a noun, as in the name for the technique itself. Pizzicato is the Italian word for "plucked." To play pizzicato on a stringed instrument (such as the violin, viola, cello, or double bass) means to make the notes sound by plucking the strings with the fingers rather than by using the bow. "Adams County Breakdown," Johnson Mountain Boys, from Blue Ribbon Banjo, EasyDisc Records.īelow is the lowdown on the musical plucking technique known as pizzicato, from The NPR Classical Music Companion by Miles Hoffman: 24" by Niccolo Paganini, Performer: Midori, CBS Records.ĥ. (Harp solo) "Whirlwind," from Five Preludes for Harp by Carlos Salzedo. "2nd Movement of String Quartet in F Major" by Maurice Ravel, Juilliard String Quartet, Sony Classics.ģ. "Plink, Plank, Plunk," Leroy Anderson, composer. "This is for people who prepare their turkeys from scratch, who actually pluck their turkeys," Hoffman quips. This Thanksgiving, Hoffman stops by NPR's Studio 2A to demonstrate "plucking" on his viola and to offer musical samples of the technique. The Pilgrims had something to do with it." "You think this is an accident? No, this is not. "A little too close, I think," Hoffman tells Morning Edition's Bob Edwards. To musician and NPR cultural commentator Miles Hoffman, that's no coincidence. The first known instance of a composer ordering up plucking violins came just three years later. ![]() The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621. Try to produce a beautiful note with good sound, the less percussive the better.Īlso, please remember that intonation is as important as always – your plucked notes have to be as precise as possible.Miles Hoffman demonstrates proper "plucking" on his viola in NPR's Studio 2A. Let the Note Ringīe careful to not touch the string while it vibrates, especially with the left-hand fingers. This way, your movement will be freer and you won’t have to be as careful starting out – e.g. If you can, study in a standing playing position and not sitting, even though orchestra musicians do sit. I hope that my online metronome with various rhythmic patterns will help you! 3. Or, you can think of it as a certain tempo in BPM (beats per minute). After that, try triplets, and if everything is going well so far, try changing from triplets to sixteenth notes. You should start with quarter notes, then go to eighth and sixteenth notes. To get better at the various rhythmical patterns while playing pizzicato, play a scale and try to use rhythmic patterns, as well as speeding up the tempo as you improve. If you’re getting good at it, remove the rests but, again, start very slowly. Be careful not to put too much pressure on the bow when returning, as this is a common mistake. Play it as slow as you need and keep focusing on the bow hold. To avoid the first problem, here’s how you can practice the change: play one note pizzicato and one arco with a rest between them. It might take too much time to return to the arco, or you may find difficulty in maintaining the rhythm. The most challenging issue when playing pizzicato is the rhythm, especially in a fast piece. Play scales and focus on the notes – are they all sounding the same? 2. Sure, a percussive sound is something to be expected but you should try to create a good tone regardless. Students usually put too much pressure on the index finger, so the string snaps back on the fingerboard and the tone is not as good. Playing open strings pizzicato is fairly easy, but stopping notes is a bit more challenging. 4 Tips on How to Improve Your Pizzicato 1.
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