During live performances of "Dazed and Confused," Jimmy Page played a violin bow against his guitar strings. The unusual technique produced eerie, sustained sounds that became one of Led Zeppelin’s most recognizable stage moments.
Page developed the idea during his earlier career as a session musician, after encountering violinist David McCallum Sr. The bow did not play a separate violin part; Page drew it across the strings of his electric guitar, using amplification and effects to turn the vibrations into a dramatic sonic texture.
Led Zeppelin greatly expanded "Dazed and Confused" onstage. A relatively concise studio track could become a lengthy improvisational showcase featuring Page’s bowed guitar, echo effects, and extended soloing. The technique was especially visible in performances later featured in the concert film The Song Remains the Same.
Some accounts describe the object as a cello bow because Page sometimes used one, but "violin bow" is the standard quiz answer and clearly identifies the distinctive prop. A theremin was another electronic device associated with Led Zeppelin performances, but it was not the item Page used for this effect.