col legno battuto

techniqueskohl LEN-yoh bah-TOO-tohfrom Italian

A string technique where the player strikes the strings with the wooden stick of the bow, producing ‌‍‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‍‍‍‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‍‌‌‍‍‌a dry, percussive clicking sound.

In Depth

Col legno battuto (Italian for "with the wood, struck") instructs string players to flip the bow and strike the strings with the wooden shaft rather than drawing the horsehair across them.‌‍‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‍‍‍‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‍‌‌‍‍‌ The result is a ghostly, percussive clicking that strips the string instrument of its characteristic singing tone, transforming it into something resembling a skeletal xylophone. The sound is quiet, dry, and rhythmically precise — utterly unlike normal bowed playing. Gustav Holst's "Mars, the Bringer of War" from The Planets features one of the most famous col legno battuto passages, where the entire string section clicks out a menacing rhythmic ostinato that suggests the mechanical brutality of warfare. The technique appears in Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique (in the witches' sabbath movement) and in many 20th-century orchestral works. Some string players resent the marking because striking the bow on strings can damage expensive bows, and professional players occasionally substitute cheaper bows for col legno passages.

Did you know?

Some orchestral string players bring a second, cheaper bow specifically for col legno passages — unwilling to risk damaging bows that can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

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col legno spiccato pizzicato

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