Cello techniques

Ricochet or Jeté                                                            

This bow technique is like the “seesaw” technique, as it is dribbled against the string. However, the bow is “thrown” or held in such a way that it bounces several times in one direction that the bow is thrown. To play this technique with increased volume, individual bow strokes are given to each note played that needs to have high volume. There is also the arpeggiated ricochet, in which the ricochet technique is done across multiple strings. The bow is to hit different strings, one after another [1].

Add-on to spiccato technique:

With that said, there are multiple ways to play the spiccato technique. There are the “scoop” spiccato, the “ball bounce” spiccato, and the “seesaw” spiccato for the Sautillé technique. The “scoop” method is less percussive compared to the other two types of strokes, as it is closer to a short note on a string than bounced bowings. [1] It can be referred as a “brushed” stroke, as the bow touches the string like the light, repeated brushstrokes on a canvas. [1] The movement made is in the shape of a scoop.

The “ball bounce” technique is like dribbling a basketball. The bow is repeatedly tapped against the string per stroke, just like how a dribbled basketball repeatedly touch the ground. The resulting sound can be rather loud, brash, and hard, as this technique requires one to strike the string. With that said, this technique can be played softly, to play a more pointed spiccato. Tempo with this technique can vary, although it usually is with slower songs.

The “seesaw” spiccato for Sautillé, or springbogen is a rather quick and light succession of short notes that go off the string. The word sautillé has its roots in the culinary term sauté, or to cook food in a pan so that it jumps. It is also known as the “uncontrolled” spiccato, in which the tempo is decided by the bouncing properties of the bow and cello than the player.

Vibrato

The pitch perceived by the listener is the midpoint of the extremes of the changing pitch. A vibrato of large amplitude is usually associated with a loud sound, while smaller ones are good with softer sounds.

It is considered beautiful due to a psychological phenomenon that people are attracted to changes in the environment than steady tones. Cyclic changes can keep people’s attention, and thus heard for all its duration. Vibrato that swings irregularly will disturb the music, or simply perceived as poor style or expression by the player. Thus, one should aim to vibrate the notes evenly. The sound having a regular frequency is key to plat a good-sounding vibrato.