Pizzicato
Plucking orchestral strings with fingers instead of bowing for short, percussive, playful notes.
What It Is
Pizzicato is the technique of plucking the string with the fingertip instead of using the bow. It creates a short, dry, percussive sound that contrasts sharply with the sustained tone of bowed playing. Bartók pizzicato (also called snap pizzicato) takes this further — the player pulls the string away from the fingerboard and releases it so it snaps back with a loud, aggressive crack.
How It’s Done
The player lifts the bow hand (or uses the free fingers of the bow hand) and plucks the string with the fleshy part of the fingertip. The left hand still controls pitch on the fingerboard. Soft pizzicato produces a gentle, rounded pluck; hard pizzicato gives a sharper, more defined attack. For Bartók pizzicato, the string is pulled vertically away from the fingerboard and released to snap back against the wood.
Where You’ll Hear It
From Tchaikovsky’s Pizzicato Polka to modern film scores, pizzicato is everywhere. It appears in playful, mysterious, or rhythmic passages across orchestral repertoire. Britten, Bartók, and Ravel all used it extensively. In film scoring, pizzicato strings are a go-to for comedic timing, tension, and delicate emotional moments. You’ll also find it throughout modern pop string arrangements and TV underscore.
For Producers
Pizzicato needs fast attack and a dry sound — minimal reverb preserves clarity and keeps the notes from smearing together. Sample libraries typically distinguish between soft and hard pizzicato, and some include Bartók snaps as a separate articulation. Pizzicato is excellent for rhythmic ostinatos in film scoring and pop strings. Layer it with light percussion for extra rhythmic definition. Keep velocities varied to avoid a mechanical feel, and pay attention to round-robin samples to prevent the machine-gun effect on repeated notes.