pits´-uh-CAW´-toh
(Italian, ‘pinched’)
Pizzicato is a technique in which performers
of stringed instruments pluck strings, instead of playing
them with a bow, in order to produce particular notes.
The term is used with string instruments of the standard
orchestra (violin, viola, cello, bass), as well as with those of the
lute family, including the guitar, mandolin, and banjo.