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How do you exactly do a pizzicato?

 
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grace
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Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 36

PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 12:30 am    Post subject: How do you exactly do a pizzicato? Reply with quote

I always see this direction saying"put your thumb against the fingerboard" but the artists I've seen doing pizzicato does it flawlessly without sticking out their thumb and placing it placing it on the fingerboard in any way.

Remove the mystery!
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Shirley
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Joined: 13 May 2007
Posts: 178
Location: West of Denver, Colorado, USA

PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 7:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Grace - to "pizz," especially for more than one note, you can try putting (sort of hooking) the pad of your right thumb under the corner of the fingerboard, where it ends at the area where you bow. This stabalizes your fingers so you can just pizzicato all day - or until your fingertips bleed!

Or, of course, with just one note or so, you can just hang on to your bow and give the string a pluck - but this doesn't work well for a bunch of pizzicato notes - at least for me!

There is also something called "finger pizzicato," where you pluck the string with the fingers of your left hand, instead of pressing down on the string. Is this perhaps what you saw? It is much more difficult, especially for more than one note - it sounds cool, though!

Good luck! Shirley
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grace
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Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 36

PostPosted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 1:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Whoa! I was thinking you place your thumb on the fingerboard's body itself! Thanks Shirley!

Hmm.. what happens to your bowhold then? Won't the action of diplacing your thumb from its "thumb-tip on stick" mode weaken your bowhold?

Again, thank you very very much!

PS, you were the one who recommended ProfessorV from Youtube right? Thanks to that suggestion, my life is now properly steered to the right course!
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Shirley
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Joined: 13 May 2007
Posts: 178
Location: West of Denver, Colorado, USA

PostPosted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 7:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi again, Grace - regarding the method of holding the bow while you pizzicato - After hooking the tip of your thumb under the point of the fingerboard, pizz with your index finger, and hang on to the bow with your remaining three fingers - it take s a bit of practice to re-engage your proper bow hold in a hurry, but such is the life of a string player Smile

If there is a long passage of pizzicatoing, you will see players lay their bows down on their stands' shelves (usually a no-no, if you don't want your bow knocked down while you are absent from your stand!) and then pick them up when "arco" ("play with bow") resumes.

These are fun questions, because once a person has been playing even a little while it is easy to forget that the basics are not intuitive. Do you, though, thinks you might have just a lesson or two, say, through a local music store? it would be enormously helpful.

Continued good luck! Shirley
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grace
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Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 36

PostPosted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 3:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I want to.. but like i've said before, there's absolutely no one!

Good thing i've join this forum... Then I got to clarify things with 'authorized' people like you!
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Shirley
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Joined: 13 May 2007
Posts: 178
Location: West of Denver, Colorado, USA

PostPosted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 12:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Grace, you are welcome, but now you have me blushing: Embarassed
Shirley
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