ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the 10 most basic and essential articulations used in beginning and intermediate string playing: pizzicato, detache, colle, martele, legato, slurs, hooked bows, and three foundational off-the-string strokes: brush stroke, spiccato, and sautille. Pizzicato is frequently the first articulation introduced to beginning players in group string classes and can be executed without the bow or while holding the bow. “The goal of detache is evenness of tone and connection between notes.” To understand string crossings, the teacher must first become aware of how the instrument is oriented from the lowest pitched string to highest pitched string in relation to the students’ bodies. Rapid string crossings are executed similarly across the four bowed string instruments, but because of the orientation of the instrument, it may seem opposite. The martele bow stroke utilizes a similar attack as the collé stroke, but rather than coming off the string to release the sound, the bow remains on the string.
