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Violin bow hold, bowing and left hand techniques
1. Preparing the violin bow hold [Right hand] |
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| 1. Right arm down at side. 2. Create a circle between the tip of the thumb and the first joint of the second finger. 3. Raise the whole arm until the hand is level with the shoulder, hand still upright. 4. Raise the elbow to turn the hand over. |
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2. The violin bow hold |
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| 1. With the hand in the upright position, place the
bow into the circle created by the thumb and second finger as above. It is important to place the bow into the right hand to avoid grabbing with the right hand. 2. Lift the whole arm to turn the bow over into the playing position, allowing the bow to rest on the extended first finger of the left hand at shoulder height. |
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3. The violin bow hold - underside |
| 1. Allow the stick to rest on the first finger of the right
hand 2. Note the thumb is opposite the second finger. |
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4. Starting the down bow |
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| 1. Right arm down, bow upright. 2. Lift the whole arm from the shoulder. 3. Move the upper arm over the G string then start to open the shoulder joint, lowering the arm slightly until the bow comes into contact with the string whilst it is moving. 4. Only the movement of the upper arm begins the stroke. Do not go further than the balance point of the bow. In this movement the elbow does not open at all. 5. Drop the elbow to the side again with the bow in the upright position. |
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5. Changing the bow at the heel |
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| 1. Start the stroke as above. 2. Again, do not go beyond the balance point.. 3. You can see that the whole of this action is done entirely with the upper arm, from the shoulder. |
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6. Whole bows |
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| 1. Start the stroke as above, then at the balance
point. Allow the elbow to open to complete the stroke. 2. The stroke is in a shallow saucer shape to evenly distribute weight throughout its' length. 3. The movement is also slightly to the front away from the body. This keeps the bow parallel to the bridge |
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7. Left hand |
| 1. Raise the left arm until is level with the shoulder.
2. Close the elbow and allow the hand to "flop" towards your face. Then, open the elbow and allow the hand to "flop" back until it stops. 3. Allow the thumb to move forward slightly to create circle between the tip of the second finger and the first joint of the thumb. 4. How far the wrist flops back will vary from pupil to pupil. The aim is to find the natural position the wrist falls to. |
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8. Left hand shape |
| 1. Assume the left hand position as above then place the violin
under the chin, allowing the neck to drop in to the circle created by the thumb and second finger. 2. It is important not to allow the violin neck to drop into the web between the thumb and first finger. |
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