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spiccato

spiccato

1 9.9
A way of playing a violin or cello where the bow lightly bounces to make short separate notes
  • noun
  • /spɪˈkɑːtoʊ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : spiccato
  • The violinist demonstrated excellent spiccato during the performance, creating a lively and playful sound.

Examples

  • Your spiccato sounds like marcato.

  • His upward strokes mid-phrase to create slight accents and elevated spiccato technique added unanticipated charm to the score.

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  • In today's class, we practiced spiccato to achieve a bouncy, detached tone on the strings.

  • She mastered the spiccato bowing technique, making her playing both expressive and exciting.

Synonyms

staccato
vsspiccato
  • Specialized
3 7.3

Sounds that are short and sharp with clear space between each one

is the specific bowed technique that creates short detached notes by bouncing
spiccato bowing
vsspiccato
  • Specialized
9.9

A way of playing where the bow bounces lightly on the strings, making short separate notes

is the shorter term for the same bowing technique

Compounds

spiccato bowing
  • Specialized
9.9

A way of playing where the bow bounces lightly on the strings, making short separate notes

How Detached

detached
2 4.3
staccato
  • Specialized
3 7.3
spiccato
  • Specialized
1 9.9
legato
  • Specialized
7.4

Surface Forms

spiccato singular
spiccatos plural

Etymology

Spiccato comes from the Italian verb spiccare, which means 'to detach' or 'to separate', like the English word 'separate'. So, spiccato describes a bow stroke that 'detaches' from the string to make short, light, bouncing notes.