Ask Augustin 16 - Spiccato 2 and staccato tips

In this installment I continue talking more about spiccato and (by popular demand) some tips on upbow staccato! Rather than thinking in strict categories of different bowstrokes (spiccato vs sautillé vs detaché etc), it can be helpful to think of these categories as part of a continuum, with countless different combinations of the different factors (on the string and off, where to play on the bow, how much to angle the bow, how much to use the wrist vs. the arm) and to practice transitioning between them. Honestly I also find some of the terms a bit confusing, since they mix French and Italian terms, and not everybody means the same thing by them.
In my mind I call upbow staccato "picchettato", its Italian name! ("staccato" is Italian too, but originally just means separate, the opposite of legato - did I mention the names of bowstrokes get a bit confusing?) And picchettato is fun to say!
This is a cool technique that pops up often in showpieces, but is rarely used in the core repertoire of concertos and sonatas - so I would not prioritize working on it at the expense of other aspects of your bow-technique that are more essential. Staccato seems impossible at first but becomes much easier with practice and experimentation - almost like a reflex, an automated motion. There are different ways to do it, and so it requires some experimentation to find the way that works for you.

[rafthegoat]

how lucky we are to have a world class musician such as yourself consistently making videos explaining different aspects of violin playing. Thank you Augustin!

[diegeigergarnele]

The sound is so clear whatever he does. I feel like by watching these videos I'm learning only the tip of the iceberg. There's a crazy amount of work behind all the crazy bow strokes. We need to practice

[Vegathlete]

Daunting strokes simplified in layman’s terms without pretense.
This enabling explanation has me bowing in gratitude to the maestro.

[ViolinHobby]

Extremely helpful and practical tips that we can use to improve our spiccato, staccato, bow strokes. I was so captivated by your Sibelius concerto performance followed by the amazing encore performance of the guitar piece on your violin...I'm lost for words.

[alexsaldarriaga]

Wow! You're giving away the recipe to your secret sauce! Your staccato in Paganini's Caprice #21 is wonderful in its clarity and complexity. But I'm even more impressed with your lovely cantilena in the Amoroso section of the caprice. Which goes to show that, in my opinion, a brilliant staccato is nice to have, but is not a necessary ingredient. Two of my violin heroes, Nathan Milstein and Aaron Rosand, were great artists who opted out of staccato by using spiccato instead. Thank you Mr. Hadelich!

[winningtennis]

Augustin you are an absolutely amazing teacher.

[feralbluee]

Hi Augustin - learning more about these techniques, makes me appreciate listening so much more. and the way you are teaching is very clear, understandable, and actually enjoyable. love your laugh. i could listen to you all day. for some reason you and your violin create the fullest, deepest, velvet tones.
i was lucky to be able to listen in person once in Lincoln Center - maybe some day again. thank you so much 🎻🌹

[marxismisevil]

Awesome Augustin!! I have tried to learn staccato for 40 years 😆

[kyproset]

Maestro, you really introduce us to new great ideas. Thank you.

[mathieumoutou]

Thank you so much for sharing your take on that Tchaikovsky passage! Very helpful.

[nbenda]

Really very good advise! Interestingly, doing up bow staccato you are not really sparing bow for the first 3 notes, but afterwards, and it works and sounds great! That's why it is always important to explain AND to show things :-)

[BradfordCRichards]

Your ability to vary your strokes along the "continuum" is incredibly expressive and compelling. Sometimes you sound like you are doing opposite ends of the continuum at the same time, such as playing both "off the string" and "in the string" simultaneously. You do this in the 1st movement of Telemann's Fantasie #4, for example. I'm still trying to figure out how in the world you do that.

[alexanderrogalla]

My teacher assigned me kreutzer 4 and I thought “I hope there’s an ask augustin about this!” 😂 👏

[emmanicoletti]

Thank you!Are you maybe going to talk about the quality of sound and bow arm weight ?
This is such a fundamental theme !
Regards.

[MichaelDurig]

Thank you for a great video. I will try some of these things tomorrow.

[Petroschristidis]

you are the man :-) Awesome player artist and a genuine good heart !

[hallie]

Thank you! Your videos are always so helpful!

[billsabiadrums]

I found you on Nicola Benedetti’s chat. You are great!

[chrisma]

OMG ... das war jetzt sehr süß "I try to avoid down bow staccato when I can" ❤😂👍

[peterbaxter]

Thanks for your advice on staccato. I won’t bother trying to master down bow staccato then. It doesn’t sound like I’m likely to need it.