The act of
bowing a stringed instrument. The opposite of
pizzicato, in which the strings are
plucked. This is usually associated with the
violin,
viola,
cello, and contra
bass, but
Jimmy Page occasionally plays his
electric guitar with a bow, though such a practice will probably quickly shred the hairs of your bow.
Don't try this at home, unless you have a big bow budget. Less bow-killing measures have been tried over the years, electronic gadgets like the E-Bow and
Godley and Creme's Gizmo.
Also an abbreviation for Atlantic Richfield, an oil company.