The bow-stroke atlas · From Zero to Mozart

Every bow stroke from this stage, on one page, as a real card each — name, when it matters, where in the bow, how it's written, what it sounds like, how it's made, and what not to confuse it with. Keep this open as a reference. You are not meant to have all of these in your hands this year; the first five are the year's work, and the rest is a map of the road.

The core — perform now

Son filé (the long tone) · perform now

Where: whole bow, frog to tip. · Written: a long held note.
Sound: one even, sustained, unchanging tone.
Made by: a constant bow speed and a constant sounding point, adding arm weight toward the tip to level out the bow's own weight.
Not: anything with an accent or a shape — this is flat and even on purpose.
Lesson: one-long-tone.

Détaché · perform now

Where: follows the note speed — middle for fast, more bow for broad. · Written: plain noteheads, no slur/dot/dash.
Sound: separate bows, but a continuous, unbroken sound — only the direction changes.
Made by: matching every up-bow to every down-bow, keeping the speed even through the turn.
Not: staccato (which stops) or accented détaché (which leans).

72 bpm

Détaché — one separate bow per note, even, unbroken.

Lesson: detache (and the-detache-family for grand / accented / porté / lancé).

Legato / slur · perform now

Where: anywhere; divide the bow evenly among the slurred notes. · Written: a curved line over the notes.
Sound: several notes joined in one bow, no gap, no bump.
Made by: the bow moving at a steady speed while the left hand changes notes underneath.
Not: a tie (same pitch, joined) or a phrase mark (shape, not one bow).

60 bpm

Legato — four notes, one bow, one unbroken line.

Lesson: legato-and-slurs.

Martelé · perform now

Where: anywhere, upper half to whole bows. · Written: a wedge, an accent, or sfz + context.
Sound: a hard "clicked" start, the note rings, then a clean stop.
Made by: gripping the string in the silence before the note, then a fast bow, releasing the weight the instant it moves.
Not: accented détaché (no stop) or staccato (gentler, shorter).

54 bpm

Martelé — bite, ring, stop. Prepare the next bite in the silence.

Lesson: martele.

Clean string crossing · perform now

Where: the four arm levels — G high, E low. · Written: just notes on different lines.
Sound: the string changes with no accent, no gap, no scrape on the string in between.
Made by: the upper arm setting the level early, the forearm rotating to finish.
Not: bariolage (a fast continuous rock — same motion, more of it).

Lesson: string-crossings (and slurred-crossings-and-bariolage).

The next layer — attempt now

Stroke	Where / written	Sound	Not to be confused with
Détaché porté	middle, moderate bow · no mark, read from a lyrical context	each note gently swelled by bow speed, singing	accented détaché (a lean, not a swell)
Staccato (solid)	middle, small strokes · a dot	short, crisp, stopped; the bow stays on the string	martelé (harder) · spiccato (off the string)
Portato / louré	one bow, pulses · dashes under a slur	notes gently throbbed in one continuous stroke	slurred staccato (which stops)
Collé	at the frog, from the fingers · usually unmarked	a sharp finger-pinch, like a bow-pluck; a training stroke	martelé (from the arm, sustains)
Hooked bowing	same direction, a stop · slur + dot on the 2nd note	two notes one direction, a clean gap between	a slur (which connects)
Pizzicato	right hand, no bow · `pizz.` … `arco`	a plucked, ringing note	col legno (wood on string — a bow effect)
Rolling a chord	drop low, sweep up · a stacked chord	a fast bottom-to-top brush landing on the top note	a harp-like slow spread
Tremolo (measured)	middle, small even strokes · 2–3 slashes on the stem	a counted subdivision on one repeated note	rhythmic beaming (different notes, once each)

Lessons: the-detache-family, staccato, portato-and-colle, hooked-bowing-and-retakes, pizzicato, rolling-a-chord-with-the-bow, tremolo.

Off the string — recognise (later)

Stroke	What it is	Not to be confused with
Brush stroke	broad, gentle, barely off the string — the way in to bouncing	spiccato (a real bounce)
Spiccato	a controlled bounce, an impulse per note, below the middle	staccato (on the string) · sautillé (faster, automatic)
Sautillé	a fast, automatic bounce — the stick springs, you don't lift	spiccato (slower, you lift each note) — same gesture, different speed

Lessons: spiccato, sautille-and-the-continuum.

Colour — reference

Marking	What you do	Sound
sul ponticello	bow at the bridge	glassy, metallic, eerie
sul tasto / flautando	bow over the fingerboard	veiled, hollow, flute-like
col legno	wood of the bow on the string (tap or draw)	dry percussive click / ghostly pitch
con sordino	fit the mute	soft, dark, overtones stripped out
au talon / à la pointe	at the frog / at the tip	heavier, more bite / lighter
tremolo (unmeasured)	repeat as fast as a loose wrist goes	shimmer, tension

Lessons: colour-strokes, tremolo.

The far shore — reference

Stroke	What it is	Where you hear it
Ricochet / jeté	a thrown bow, several bounces one direction	William Tell; Paganini
Flying staccato	many lifted short notes, one direction	Wieniawski
Fouetté	a whipped accent, flung at the string	Mendelssohn concerto
Viotti stroke	short weak → long strong, one bow: energy and release	Kreutzer; Classical style
Chopping	percussive bow strike near the frog	modern fiddle, Turtle Island Quartet

Lesson: the-far-shore.

How to use this page

Your work for the next long while is the five core strokes and the eight in the next layer. Everything below "off the string" is a map of where the road goes after the Foundation gate. When a piece asks for a stroke you don't recognise, come here first, then go to its full lesson.