What do you call plucking the violin strings with the finger, rather than using the bow?

Question

I was attempting to learn a bit about violin sheet music, and then I wondered if the act of producing sound with the finger or the fingernail had a written notation.

I had a hard time finding a video with someone actually doing it. I found a large one, so I chopped it - here: http://www.tubechop.com/watch/1082408 (he does it twice).

Answer 1

This technique is called Pizzicato. It's usually notated by just writing "pizz." above the notes that you are to play that way. The opposite off Pizzicato is Arco which simply means to use the bow.

Answer 2

Just to elaborate and clarify, there are a few different types of pizzicato:

• There is the standard "pizz." which is done with the flesh of the finger on the bowing hand;
• A pizz with fingernail, which gives a more crisp attack;
• A "Bartok" or "snap" pizz where the performer pulls the string away from the fingerboard and releases to produce a harsh snapping sound;
• A left hand pizz which performers may do while performing simple or thoughtfully written passages;
• There is also strumming, which is notated with "pizz", an arrow to show direction, and usually an indication of "quasi chitara".

I thought it important to mention these things because the OP included the word "fingernail" in their question, and that is a specific type of sound that is not the standard pizzicato (in that it would need indication.)