One of the most common string performance techniques is pizzicato, plucking the strings instead of bowing. Through a variety of examples, will see how dramatically the pizzicato effect changes depending on the musical context, the historical time period, and the particular composer's style. There will be excerpts ranging from ballet music, to symphonic music, to film music, and even a string quartet! And believe me, it takes a lot of pluck to write an entire string quartet movement using pizzicato (pun intended).
