Violinist Rebecca Faber came back into the Reverb office to demonstrate some more integral violin techniques for us. Today's lesson: how to play spiccato.
Spiccato – or, as it's often called, "bouncing the bow" – is a violin technique that involves letting your bow bounce on a string to produce a series of short, distinct notes. Spiccato is often used in music with quicker tempos, but can also be adapted to slower music with the right wrist technique.
Popular in both orchestral and solo performance music, it's important to make sure that you learn the correct technique for controlling the bounce. Rebecca carefully walks us through how best to prep your bow before starting to practice, the best way to get started, and how to practice once you've learned the basics.
She compares practicing spiccato to doing pushups – it's not something you stop doing just because you've mastered the right technique. As with any technique, building and maintaining muscle memory is key.
Check out the video above to learn more about spiccato and check out Rebecca's other tips for playing violin below.
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Violins