V.com weekend vote: What is your favorite bouncing bow stroke?
One of the best things about playing the violin is - well, the bow!
The bow affords us so many expressive possibilities - the same set of notes becomes something entirely different, simply by applying different bow strokes: detaché, staccato, spiccato, col legno - or in laymen's terms: smooth, short, bouncing, with the wood of the stick...
There is a little subset of bow strokes that take advantage of the buoyant nature of the bow - bouncing bow strokes such as spiccato, sautillé and ricochet are the big ones. I thought it would be fun to talk today about our favorite bouncing bow strokes - which do you like to play? Which do you like to hear or watch in an expert player?
Below the vote I'll give you some extremely brief definition of each stroke, and then please feel free to elaborate in the comments. Also you can give links to your favorite videos of people doing these very well, or tell us about your process for learning or executing these strokes.
Spiccato: (spelling note - two c's, one t!): This is your basic bouncing stroke, a controlled bounce stemming from the arm, with flexible fingers that are primarily passive (absorbing and guiding, rather than producing the bounce).
Sautillé: A fast bouncing stroke that relies on the stick to jump, utilizing a more active wrist and fingers to trigger the bounce.
Ricochet: A controlled dropping of bow on the string to produce two or more bounces - usually down-bow.
I'm going to say that my favorite (at the moment!) is ricochet. This is probably because I'm a teacher, and I appreciate this stroke as a means to help people really get to know their bow. And personally, I practice ricochet very routinely, every time I do scales, because it keeps me in touch with my bow. If you can find the right place to create 2, 3, 4 ricochet notes (I do down, then up, when I'm doing scales), then you create for yourself a good relationship with the bouncing capabilities of your bow.
What is your favorite? Please participate in the vote, and share your thoughts.
You might also like:
- Four Favorite Spiccato Exercises - Finding Solid Ground
- Ricochet-The Basic Boutique Bowing
- On My Way to Sautille
Replies
I like sautille because it’s very easy and doesn’t require you to go much off the string. I am currently playing Czardas by Vittorio Monti, which has sautille. I don’t use ricochet very often. I don’t like spicatto as much because it sometimes makes a harsh sound if used with too much pressure. On the other hand however, sautille can only be used with very fast passages.
I voted "spiccato" because it's the one I use by far the most frequently and I just like the utility of it. Ricochet is pretty seldomly used for me. It can be a really fun novelty once in a while, but spiccato still takes the cake for me.
Sautillé! I find it the most satisfying of the bouncy strokes when done well (think Tchaikovsky Concerto 3rd mvt). Ricochet can be fun, but the expressive possibilities are more limited.
I have always thought that Sautille' and Spiccato are the French or Italian words for the same thing. There are just variations in loudness, velocity.
@Joel. This would be Nathan Cole's position as articulated in some videos and I would certainly agree.
I can tell you the worst one—the unintended ricochet that comes from not knowing the part well enough, combined with a triple shot of espresso two hours before the performance.
I voted for ricochet, though sautille was a very close second. I have been practicing many pieces and etudes featuring ricochet, e.g.: Tarrega Recuerdos de Alhambra (arr. R. Ricci), Bazzini Scherzo Fantastique/La Ronde des Lutins, Paganini Caprice #5 with the original bowing, Wieniawski Ecole Moderne Op. 10 #1 Le Sautille. And for fun, I throw it into pieces like Monti Czardas and Paganini Moto Perpetuo, as well as basic etudes like Kreutzer #2 and Dont Op. 35 #2. In a sense, I'm getting to know the "sweet spots" of my bows as well as coordination of the left hand and bow arm.
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April 27, 2025 at 11:50 PM · I said "spiccato" but the maddening thing for me is that usually what I need tends to be in between spiccato and sautille and I don't have good control over the entire continuum, especially in the context of the speed of the passage. I don't use ricochet very often.