So, last week we talked about the violin Hold. I hope you’ve been practicing it! This week, we’ll talk about the bow Hold.
The Violin Hold is important because it frees up our left hand for fingering work. But put Bow Hold is what produces the sound, and our sound quality is important.
A lot of violin and viola players use a tilt in the hand to add weight, and that includes me. For years, I thought the best way to add weight was to put pressure on the index finger. Not so! After some research on bow holds and lots of practice, I discovered that the best way to achieve a solid and connected sound on ANY instrument is through arm weight – letting gravity do the work for me.
This video demonstrating my bow Hold technique may seem silly and a little simple, but it gets the job done – EVERY TIME!
- Start with your bow hanging on your right index finger, like a hook Make sure the hair is facing away from you and your hand is relaxed.
- Now use your thumb to spring the bow around your finger, and catch it with your other fingers.
- Pop your index finger out of the middle and on to the bow stick and slide your thumb to the silver part of the bow (called the ferrule).
- Now curve your pinky and place the tip of it on the stick. All the other fingers stay centered on the stick. And that’s it!
While you’re playing, you want to be sure to keep equal weight of all your fingers on the bow, and make sure your palm is facing the floor. As long as your shoulder is relaxed and your elbow is following your hand, instead of leading, your arm weight will be transferred to the strings through the bow, and you won’t sound like a scared little mouse when you play. Be sure to watch the video, and my Bow Hold for Grown-Ups, which is coming soon. Let me know if you have any questions!