Time to pull some strings!

The technique of plucking the string is called ‘pizzicato’. It’s usually abbreviated to ‘pizz.’, as opposed to ‘arco’, which means playing with the bow.

We usually pluck the strings with the fingers of the right hand, holding the violin in ‘violin position’, not like it’s a guitar!

Most violinists use either the index finger, or the middle finger, to pluck the string. Try it with both and see which one you prefer. We’ve had many heated conversations here at ViolinSchool about the pros and cons of each! (We’ve also come across some violinists who like to use the thumb. None, however, who like to use the pinky!)

So … in order to play Pull Some Strings, you don’t need to use your bow. There are five little pieces, and they’re all pizzicato … you can leave the bow in the case!

When plucking the string, there are good places to do it, and there are less good places to do it … easier places, and harder places! The position of the finger along the string, the point at which we pluck, has a big effect on the quality of the sound that is produced.

As the string approaches the bridge, it becomes harder to pull, and so harder to pluck … there’s too much resistance, not enough ‘give’. As we move away from the bridge, the string becomes easier to pull, but if we move too far, then the string gets too close to the fingerboard, and too close to the adjacent strings, and so it’s more difficult to get enough ‘purchase’ on the string with the finger.

The sweet spot for plucking the string is in the area around the edge of the fingerboard, often described as ‘over the fingerboard’ … not in the gap between fingerboard and bridge. Generally speaking, we don’t pluck the string in the place where we bow on the string. Also, we don’t want to transfer the grease, oil, sweat, dirt, and other delightful substances from our fingers onto the area of the string where we want to bow! This can cause the sound to go funny!

When plucking, keep the hand close to the string so that everything is nicely controlled. Touch the string, pull (gently!), and release! You shouldn’t feel like you are plucking across the string, that way it’s hard to pluck one string at a time. Rather, it should feel like you get your finger slightly ‘under’ the string, and then release at an upwardly sloping angle.

Experiment with different placements of the finger along the string, different amounts of ‘pull’, different angles of release, etc., to find the most pleasing, pure, resonant sound you can.

Oh, and stay away from the fingernails! We want to use plenty of the flesh of the finger when plucking!