Pizzicato

Perhaps not studied as much as bowing technique, there’s more to pizzicato than you might think. Explore our resources on how to enhance your plucking game: Left Hand and Right Hand

Opinion: why don’t string players practice pizzicato?

8 April 2024

Perfecting bowing is a lifelong quest for string players – but what about pizzicato? Cellist Davina Shum advocates setting aside some dedicated practice time to this neglected technique

7 pointers for perfect pizzicato

7 February 2023

Advice on plucking and strumming from 120 years of The Strad

More Pizzicato

How harmonics and singing can help to build a sound technique

10 January 2023

Violin and viola pedagogue Jane Metcalfe discusses using techniques inspired by Kodály and Colourstrings methods

‘Begin with some finger push-ups’ - Technique: Left-hand finger independence

19 August 2022

How to build strength and flexibility for a truly agile left hand with Adriana LaRosa Ransom, professor of cello and string project director at Illinois State University, US

Left Hand

Violin techniques with James Ehnes: pizzicato

28 July 2022

‘Basically, you’re going to grab the string and pull it’

Right Hand

Technique: How to vary and enhance your cello pizzicato

28 July 2022

Soloist and chamber musician Christoph Richter talks about good pizz technique with particular attention to the range of sound demanded by Debussy's Cello Sonata. From The Strad's November 2015 issue