TRATTO
In music for bowed string instruments, col legno (pronounced [kol ˈleɲɲo] kol LEN-yoh, also /kol lɛɡnəʊ/ kol LEG-noh, translated roughly as 'with the wood') is an instruction to use the stick of the bow to make contact with the strings, rather than the string or hair of the bow, which is how bowed string instruments are usually played. The sound created from playing col legno is considerably different from the regular arco bowing, with an audibly distinct timbre.
Col legno is largely associated with the avant-garde genre, despite having been used since the classical and baroque periods. Composers that have used col legno in their works include Gustav Holst, Louis-Hector Berlioz, and Camille Saint-Saëns; usually to create threatening or macabre sounds, due to the coarse sound of col legno (especially battuto). It is considered an extended technique for bowed string instruments, mainly in an orchestral context, so being played on violin, viola, violoncello, and double bass.
Col legno is performed by rotating the stick so it touches the strings. There are two primary variants of col legno: battuto (the most common technique) is the action of percussively hitting the strings, and tratto is the action of bowing across the strings using the wood. There are, however, various other forms used in experimental music, combining col legno with other techniques.
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