| Detaché |
French for "separate" bows. It is played in the middle of the bow, using one note per bow. |
| Portato |
Italian for "carried". It is a musical articulation right between staccato (detached) and legato (tied). It is expressed with a slur over the notes, each of which is marked by a staccato dot or a dash. |
| Legato |
Italian for "tied together". The notes are slurred together with no space in between each note. |
| Staccato |
Detached. Each note is very short. These are usually indicated with a dot above the note. |
| Martelé |
Hammered. Each stroke is pulled from the string with a release of pressure immediately. Notated usually with an accent mark above each note. Sometimes with an accent and a dot. |
| Spiccato |
Bounced lightly. To execute this stroke, place the bow at the balance point, and keep the thumb loose. |
| Sautillé |
A very fast spiccato where the hand is completely loose. |
| Ricochet |
The bow skips across the surface of the string. The bow should rebound at least once off the surface. |
