The central variables: Speed, Point of Contact, Pressure Discussion of these three basics of tone production features in almost every pedagogical tex… New members register …read more
Tone Production
Find the Balance Point
Balance the bow on your finger to find the point of balance, where the weight is distributed evenly. Notice this is not the same as …read more
The Unmodified Bow
Hold the bow by the screw to ensure you do not add any pressure, and draw the bow across an open string. Notice that without …read more
Slow Down-Bow, Fast Up-Bows
To minimize a surge in the sound, check that the faster up-bow has: More inclined bowhair (stick turned away from bridge). A point of contact …read more
Changing Bow Speed in Triple Time
When we have two beats on a down-bow and one beat on the up-bow there is a tendency to make the sound surge on the …read more
Staccato & Pulsing Through the Whole Bow
We need to be able to play in all parts of the bow; as the old joke goes – what is the point of buying …read more
Pulsing During Sustained Bow
Practise letting the bowhair sink into the string in all parts of the bow. This will improve your tone production in slow melodic passages. You …read more
Bow Friction for Fast Détaché
We often practise détaché passages at half tempo. When playing détaché passages at fast speeds, make sure that the shorter bow stroke still has eno… …read more
Keep the Friction in String Crossing
Notice the bowstick maintaining friction during the string crossing. This makes for clearer articulation at fast tempos, because when playing fast … New members register …read more
Close-Up of Hair
This is a practice technique for playing with exaggerated bow friction. You can see the stick lowering before playing and rising at the end of …read more