Jeté

What it means

With the jeté, the bow is thrown onto the string in one direction and bounces there by itself several times, so that a chain of short notes arises from a single stroke. The player triggers the movement and controls its duration, but the repetitions arise from the elasticity of the bow stick. Also in use are the names ricochet and, in a wider sense, saltando. It differs from spiccato in that with the latter each note has its own bow direction.

In the notation

A group of short notes is notated under a common slur, each with a staccato dot. The number of dots indicates how many bounces are to lie in this one stroke; usually it is two to six. The word jeté or ricochet stands in addition, because the notation alone could also mean a slurred staccato.

Musical use

The bowing style produces a light, tingling motion and belongs to the virtuoso repertoire of violin music since the early nineteenth century. It appears in fast finales, in accompaniment figures with repeated notes, and in character pieces of a dance-like cut. In the orchestra it is called for rather sparingly, because a whole section can hardly execute the bounces exactly alike; as a colour for individual passages it is, however, effective.

Performance practice

First look for the place on the bow where it bounces well by itself — usually somewhat above the middle; the exact place depends on the bow. Let the bow fall instead of pressing it, and keep index finger and thumb loose so that the stick can vibrate. Practise two bounces first, then three, and count them deliberately; the number is controllable if you regulate the height of the drop and the bow speed. Hair that is too tightly tensioned makes the bounces hard and uncontrolled. For even chains it helps to begin in a down-bow and to practise the group at tempo several times in a row.

Remember that the number of bounces is controllable: it depends on height of drop, place on the bow, and speed, and whoever fixes these quantities gets reproducible results. Note the chosen place on the bow. Practise the figure in groups and count the bounces deliberately. In a section an even result can hardly be achieved, which is why the bowing style is called for sparingly there; when in doubt, settle with the section leader whether it is meant.