Mastering Spiccato with a Baroque Bow: Techniques from Felix Violins

In this comprehensive tutorial, Felix Violins dives into the fascinating world of spiccato bowing using a Baroque bow. Whether you're a seasoned violinist or just starting, understanding and mastering spiccato can greatly enhance your playing. This guide explores the different types of spiccato, how a baroque bow influences the technique and offers valuable practice tips to help you achieve a beautiful and expressive spiccato.

What is Spiccato?

Spiccato (from the Italian word meaning "to separate") is a lively and bouncy bowing technique where the bow leaves the string after each stroke, creating a distinct, separated sound. For effective spiccato, it's essential to find the right balance point on your bow. Generally, a point about one centimeter above the balance point works well, but this can vary based on the speed of your strokes.

Types of Spiccato:

Brush Spiccato: A broader spiccato stroke played in the lower half of the bow. Slightly slower than other types, it requires active control from the right hand and arm. Think of it as a light scrubbing motion.
Bounce Spiccato: Less broad than brushed spiccato, the bounce is partly or entirely passive, with the bow rebounding on its own as you increase speed. This technique works at various tempos.
Baroque Bow and Spiccato:

The Baroque violin bow, with its lighter weight and flatter hair ribbon, played a crucial role in shaping musical techniques during the 17th and 18th centuries. These longer bows allowed for more extended tones and sequences, making spiccato and other techniques more widespread. Interestingly, Michel Corrette, in 1738, described two different ways of holding the baroque bow: one with four fingers on the wood and the thumb underneath the frog

Optimizing Spiccato for a Baroque Bow:

Since the baroque bow is lighter and has a flatter hair ribbon compared to its modern counterpart, achieving spiccato requires a slightly different approach:

Focus on Balance: A relaxed bow hold and finding the natural balance point of your baroque bow are key. This will help initiate the bounce with minimal effort.
Light Touch: Use a light touch on the string, letting the bow hair do most of the work. Short, controlled strokes are your friend here.
String Selection: Consider using baroque-gauge strings, designed for the lower tension of a baroque bow. This can improve bow response and maneuverability when playing spiccato.
Practice Makes Perfect: Essential Techniques for Mastering Spiccato

Develop Right Hand Flexibility: Exercises like collé on open strings (similar to pizzicato with the bow) can improve finger and wrist flexibility, crucial for controlled spiccato strokes.
Start on the String: Remember, spiccato starts on the string, so avoid dropping the bow for the first note.
Experiment and Find Your Sweet Spot: Try different bow placements, speeds, angles, and bounce heights to discover your ideal spiccato technique.

By incorporating these techniques, you'll be well on your way to adding a touch of baroque flair to your spiccato playing. Felix Violins, along with a network of experienced luthiers, offer a wealth of violin-related services and products through our WooCommerce store, including:

Violin Maintenance and Repair: Keep your baroque violin in top condition with expert instrument care, ensuring optimal performance for spiccato and other techniques.

With practice, patience, and the guidance of a violin expert like Felix Violins, you'll be playing beautiful and expressive baroque spiccato in no time. Remember to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell on the Felix Violins YouTube channel to stay updated on more violin tutorials and tips.

Happy practicing!