<P> There are two common positions for playing pizzicato . One is to clench the bow in the right hand, rest the right thumb on the right side of the finger board, then pluck the string . This position can enhance the tonal quality of the pluck and can reduce fatigue during long durations of plucking . Another pizzicato position is to maintain the bow grip, then pluck the strings with the right index finger . This position is especially helpful when the composer alternates between series of arco and pizzicato notes, because it allows the violinist to quickly and accurately switch styles . </P> <P> Violinists may also pluck a string with their left hand, denoted on written music as a "+" symbol above the note desired . Left - handed pizzicato is generally less flexible pitch-wise than the right - handed technique, but allows the right hand to either stay where it is or simultaneously play, a technique composer and violinist Niccolo Paganini was renowned for . </P> <P> A snap pizzicato, first specified by Gustav Mahler, but often called a Bartók pizzicato since Béla Bartók was the first to use the technique extensively, requires the player to pull the string away from the fingerboard so that when it is released it rebounds with force onto the fingerboard, yielding a sharp, percussive snapping sound . Examples can be found in Bartók's 44 Duos (No. 42, Arabian Song) and Solo Sonata for violin...</P> <P> Attaching a small rubber, wooden, or metal device called a "mute" to the bridge of the violin alters the tone, softening the instrument's sound by adding mass to the bridge and therefore reducing its ability to vibrate freely, decreasing volume and giving a more mellow tone, with fewer audible overtones . In performances, it may give a desired dulled effect . Mutes are mostly used in orchestras with the entire string section playing with mutes, resulting in a soft, hushed sound quality . Parts to be played muted are marked con sord., for the Italian sordino or occasionally mit Dämpfer in German . (The instruction to take off the mute is senza sord., sometimes marked just senza or "ohne Dämpfer" in German .) In French, instruction is given for application of mutes at the beginning of muted passages, "mettez les sourdines", and for removal at the end "ôtez les sourdines". </P>

A sharp sound made with the fingers or a type of pizz