Poco sul ponticello

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the string staff as poco sul pont., sometimes with a dashed line or arrow leading toward full sul pont. in modern scores. It lasts until ord. or another contact-point instruction.

Abbreviations: poco sul pont.

How Composers Use It

A little toward the bridge: the tone gains some edge and upper partials without the glassy, whistling quality of full sul ponticello. Use it for subtle shading — a cooler colour in a soft passage, or the first stage of a gradual move toward the bridge — and always cancel it with ord. where the normal sound returns.

Related Terms