Articulation & Ornaments

Arco

Pronounced AR-koh

Definition

Arco tells players of bowed string instruments to play with the bow. It is used mainly to cancel pizzicato (plucking) and return to normal bowing.

Arco is Italian for "bow." In music for the violin, viola, cello and double bass it tells the player to play with the bow. Bowing is normally assumed in classical string parts, so an opening arco marking is usually unnecessary. The word commonly appears after a pizzicato passage, to cancel the pizz. and send the player back to the bow. You may also see the longer col arco, "with the bow."

Four bass-clef bars in 3/4. Bar 1 is marked pizz. and has quarter notes C3, G3, C4. Bar 2 has a quarter note G3 and two quarter rests. Bar 3 is marked arco and has a dotted half note E3 under a slur that continues to a half note D3 and a quarter note C3 in bar 4. — A cello line in bass clef. Bars 1 and 2 are plucked (pizz.), with a rest in bar 2 to pick up the bow. Arco in bar 3 returns to the bow for a sustained, slurred phrase. A piano cannot imitate the change from plucking to bowing, so there is no recording.

Why it needs a word

Players keep following the last instruction until a new one replaces it. After pizz., every note is plucked, however many pages go by, until arco appears. If you are playing a part and suddenly realize you have been plucking for too long, look back for the arco you missed.

Switching back takes a moment: the bow has to be lifted into place and set on the string. Composers usually leave a rest before arco for exactly that reason. Pluck, Prepare, Bow practices the move.

Other bow instructions you will meet

Down-bow (a sign like a squared-off arch) and up-bow (a V): which direction to draw the bow. See bowing.
*Col legno* ("with the wood"): strike or draw the string with the stick of the bow instead of the hair, for a dry, clicking or whispery sound.
*Sul ponticello* ("on the bridge"): bow very close to the bridge for a glassy, eerie sound.
*Sul tasto* ("on the fingerboard"): bow over the fingerboard for a soft, veiled sound.
*Ord.* (ordinario, "ordinary"): go back to the normal way of playing after any of these.

Arco in jazz and popular music

On the double bass, most jazz and popular playing is pizzicato, so an arco marking stands out: it asks the bassist to pick up the bow for long, sustained notes or a singing solo.

Plan how much bow each note needs with Plan Your Bow: Long and Short.

Common questions

What does arco mean in music?

It means play with the bow. You will usually see it after a pizzicato passage, telling string players to stop plucking and bow again.