Meaning & use
spiccato music
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountabletechnicalmusic
A style of classical string playing in which the bow bounces lightly on the string, producing short, separate notes.
Grammar: Used as an uncountable noun: play spiccato music, not 'a spiccato music'.
Patterns
- play spiccato music
- spiccato music for strings
- a passage of spiccato music
The violinist practiced spiccato music for an hour to keep the bow bouncing evenly.
Spiccato music can sound playful, but it is difficult to control at slow speeds.
The teacher asked the cellist to play the opening as spiccato music rather than legato.
noununcountabletechnicalmusic
A piece or passage written for string instruments that uses a light, bouncing bow stroke.
Grammar: Still uncountable, but can refer to a particular repertoire or style: the spiccato music of the nineteenth century.
Patterns
- the spiccato music of a composer
- study spiccato music
The orchestra spent the morning rehearsing the spiccato music in the finale.
Her recital included spiccato music by Paganini and Kreisler.
Common combinations
- play spiccato music
- The students learned to play spiccato music with a relaxed wrist.
- spiccato bowing
- Spiccato bowing gives the notes a crisp, detached quality.
- spiccato passage
- The spiccato passage in the second movement is easy to rush.
- light spiccato
- The conductor asked for light spiccato in the accompanying figures.
Synonyms and how they differ
- staccato
- Staccato means short, detached notes in general; spiccato specifically refers to a bouncing bow technique on a string instrument.
- bouncing bow
- A descriptive phrase rather than a technical term; it explains the physical action but is not used as a musical style label.
Opposites
Word family
- spiccato noun
- The bowing technique itself, often used without 'music'.
- spiccato adverb
- Used in scores to tell a player to perform a passage with a bouncing bow.
Commonly confused: spiccato music or staccato? spiccato music or pizzicato?
spiccato music vs staccato
Staccato is the general term for short, detached notes and can apply to any instrument or voice; spiccato is a specific string technique involving a bouncing bow.
spiccato music vs pizzicato
Pizzicato means plucking the strings with the fingers, not bouncing the bow.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'spiccato music' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Spiccato is a string technique with a bouncing bow, so it fits the violinist. The choir, piano, and drum options describe instruments or voices that do not use a bow.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “spiccato music”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.