In music for bowed string instruments, , or more precisely ; ), is an instruction to strike the string with the stick of the bow across the strings.

History

The earliest known use of in Western music is to be found in a piece entitled "Harke, harke," from the ''First Part of Ayres'' (1605) by Tobias Hume, where he instructs the gambist to "drum this with the backe of your bow".

Sound

The percussive sound of battuto has a clear pitch element determined by the distance of the bow from the bridge at the point of contact. As a group of players will never strike the string in exactly the same place, the sound of a section of violins playing is dramatically different from the sound of a single violin doing so. The wood of the bow can also be drawn across the string — a technique called ("with the wood drawn"). This is much less common, and the plain marking is invariably interpreted to mean ''battuto'' rather than ''tratto''. The sound produced by is very quiet, with an overlay of white noise, but the pitch of the stopped note can be clearly heard. If the sound is too quiet, the bow can be slightly rolled so that a few bow hairs touch the string as well, leading to a slightly less "airy" sound.

Equipment

Some string players object to playing as it can damage the bow; many players have a cheaper bow which they use for such passages, or for pieces which require extended passages. Some players tap the strings with pencils instead of bows, producing a further percussive, lighter sound.

References

{{Commons category Extended techniques String performance techniques Italian words and phrases Wood da:Col legno