Marcato in the context of bowed string instruments is an arco technique for playing such a stringed instrument, such as violin, viola, cello, and the double bass, also called contrabass, bass viol, or upright bass. Using the bow, one begins each note with a new attack, rather than continuing the motion of the bow from one note to the next, which is expression legato, or slurred. Marcato is not, however, staccato, as each note is still played for its entire duration. An ARCO gas station in Los Angeles ARCO (Atlantic Richfield Company) is an American oil company that prospered during the energy crisis. ... The pitches of open strings on a violin The violin is a bowed stringed musical instrument that has four strings tuned a perfect fifth apart, the lowest being the G just below middle C. It is the smallest and highest-tuned member of the violin family of string instruments, which... The viola (in French, alto; in German Bratsche) is a stringed musical instrument which serves as the middle voice of the violin family, between the upper lines played by the higher violin (soprano register) and the lower lines played by the deeper cello (bass) and double bass. ... A cello The cello (often formally referred to as the violoncello) is a stringed instrument and a member of the violin family. ... Side and front views of a modern double bass with a French bow. ... Side and front views of a modern double bass with a French bow. ... Side and front views of a modern double bass with a French bow. ... In music, a bow is a device pulled across the strings of a string instrument in order to make them vibrate and emit sound. ... In musical notation legato indicates that musical notes are played smoothly. ... In musical notation, staccato indicates that notes are sounded in a detached and distinctly separate manner with their lengths shortened; that is, a short silence should be between the notes, without affecting the rhythm. ...

The term, "marcato," as applied to other orchestral instruments, particularly winds, refers to a note articulation which combines the fortepiano or sforzando of the accented note with a note duration reduced to two-thirds of its written value (the other third being occupied by a rest); hence, in big-band jazz circles the ^ symbol for marcato, which appears above the note, is also known as a "jazz staccato." (A true staccato has a steady volume and a duration of half its written value; the other half is occupied by a rest.)

A good example of Marcato is in the H. E. Kayser Op. 20, Thirty-Six Elementary and progressive Studies, For the Violin, page 19 (No. 14).

In the latter half of the twenty first measure, a style is indicated as marcato assai, which means "very marked". Executing a technique of this nature is simple. Simply lay the sides of the hairs (of the violin bow) onto the violin's strings, and for the first two consecutive notes, stroke them in an accented manner. After that, lift the bow, and begin executing a pizzicato technique. Then perform each note (not indicated with a dot above it) in a style between legato and staccato. The pitches of open strings on a violin The violin is a bowed stringed musical instrument that has four strings tuned a perfect fifth apart, the lowest being the G just below middle C. It is the smallest and highest-tuned member of the violin family of string instruments, which... Bow may mean: Bow (knot): A type of knot Bow (music): A device used to play string instruments Bow (ship): The foremost point of the hull of a ship or boat Bow (weapon): An archery weapon that uses elasticity to propel arrows Bow (human): Bowing is the act of lowering... See also string (disambiguation) Strings (as a sound (voice) in electronic musical instruments and synthesizers) is an imitation of classical string ensembles sound. ... Pizzicato is a method of playing an orchestral string instrument. ... In musical notation legato indicates that musical notes are played smoothly. ... In musical notation, staccato indicates that notes are sounded in a detached and distinctly separate manner with their lengths shortened; that is, a short silence should be between the notes, without affecting the rhythm. ...