Sur la touche

As Printed on a Score

Printed above a string part where the bow moves over the fingerboard, often with arco and a quiet dynamic; it lasts until the part returns to normal bowing (position naturelle, ord.) or another position such as sur le chevalet is named.

How Composers Use It

Sur la touche, the French sul tasto, asks the player to bow over the fingerboard, where the tone loses its upper partials: soft, flute-like, distant. It suits hushed, mysterious passages and works best at p or below; a loud dynamic fights the position. Lili Boulanger pairs it with the word mystérieux. Always mark the return to normal bowing.

Example

Boulanger, D’un matin de printemps, violin, m. 113: “sur la touche” with “arco”, at pp and marked mystérieux.

Related Terms