Pizzicato is an Italian musical term that means plucked. It is a playing technique used on bowed string instruments such as the violin, viola, cello, and double bass, where the performer plucks the strings with the fingers instead of using the bow.
The word derives from the Italian verb pizzicare, meaning "to pinch" or "to pluck." In musical scores, the abbreviation pizz. tells the player to switch from bowing (arco) to plucking. When the composer wants the player to resume bowing, the instruction arco appears.
Pizzicato produces a short, percussive, rounded tone that contrasts with the sustained, smooth sound of the bow. It is widely used in orchestral, chamber, and solo string music for textural variety.
