col legno

\"With the wood.\" Instruction to strike or bow strings with the wooden back of the bow. In Crumb's piano writing, the analogous effect is achieved by strumming or striking the piano strings directly with a hard object.

Crumb uses extended piano techniques that parallel orchestral col legno effects. When directed to play inside the piano, treat the internal strings as a percussion instrument — the attack and decay differ fundamentally from key-produced sound.