Want to create music using the violin? Then the first thing you should do is learn how to hold a violin bow correctly.
There are several violin methods that have come up throughout history, especially when it comes to holding the violin bow. However, it’s important to pick one and adhere to it to avoid confusion.
Learning how to hold a violin bow correctly is essential for two reasons. For one, it results in flexible arm movement, which prevents you from getting overly fatigued after your practice sessions. Secondly, a good bow hold makes it easy to upgrade to more advanced techniques and bow strokes.
On that note, we’ve provided a step-by-step guide on how to hold a violin bow. Read on to learn more.
Parts of a Violin Bow
For the most part, the violin’s body and F-holes are the most pertinent to creating depth in sound and music. However, the violin bow plays a pretty important role as well.
If you’re looking to buy one, it’s good to get acquainted with the various components that make it up. So here’s a comprehensive overview of the parts of a violin bow:
Hair
In the modern-day, you’ll find that this element is referred to as the bowstring. But back in the day, it was known as hair, perhaps because it was - and still is - made of horsehair. That said, it’s not unusual to find bowstrings made of synthetic materials as well.
Whichever fabric you choose, remember to apply rosin on your bowstring. This is what keeps it in pristine condition while creating the right friction for music production.
Rosin enables the bowhair to retain a constant sound throughout the length of the bow. That said, be careful not to add an excessive amount of it.
Frog
This is a tiny piece of ebony that’s typically positioned between the screw and the grip.
This element has two main functions. First off, it creates a gap between the hair and the bow stick. This wiggle room is what allows the stick to have a considerable amount of inward curve without coming into contact with the hair.
Secondly, the frogs are what control or hold the system that tightens and releases the bowstring.
Screw
Another part you should be aware of is the screw. This is the element that ensures the bowstring remains tight. It’s positioned on the end of the frog and then attaches to the bow so as to hold everything in place.
The screw can either be adjusted or tightened depending on the goal you hope to achieve.
Stick
Considered the heart of the bow, this is the single wooden piece that supports both the frog and the hair.
In the majority of violin bows, the stick is made of pernambuco wood, which is not surprising given its durability. However, it’s not unusual to find a stick that’s made of brazilwood or synthetics like carbon fiber.
Grip
It's the section that's made up of a leather pad and metal winding, where your hand holds the bow.
Tip
The last part you should pay attention to is the tip. This is simply the pointed end of the violin bow, and it’s where the hair attaches to the bow.
Step-by-Step Guide to Hold a Violin Bow
Form a round shape with your right-hand fingers
The first step involves forming a loose circular shape using your middle finger, ring finger, and thumb. To achieve this, all you need to do is put the tip of your thumb against the tip of your middle and ring fingers, creating a bunny face.
Form the bunny’s ears
To create the bunny ears, curve both your index finger and pinky finger then elevate them just slightly. While you’re doing this, relax your hand so that there’s not too much tension.
If you’ve come this far, you’ve already mastered the basics of holding a violin bow. The only thing left is to get the bow into the correct spot.
Position your thumb
To learn how to place all the fingers on the instrument, you should first hold the bow with your left hand.
The next step is to figure out where to place your thumb and other fingers. While you're at it, keep this thumb curved. Start by placing the bent thumb of your right hand between the bow hair and stick, right next to where the frog ends.
Wondering whether your thumb is positioned properly? Well, it should be positioned in such a way that it supports the bow that rests on it. To achieve this, ensure that it's not placed in the frog's notch.
Relax your ring and middle fingers
The next thing you’ll want to do is to place the middle finger from your right hand directly opposite your thumb. This should happen naturally if your thumb is positioned correctly.
To determine if you're maintaining the right bow hold, check the placement of the middle finger in relation to the thumb and ring finger. This middle finger should be facing away from the thumb and adjacent to the fourth or ring finger.
Put your pinky finger in the right spot
Once your middle finger and ring finger are in the right spots, the other finger left is your pinky. Your pinky should be positioned a little further from your ring finger and curved slightly.
Quick tip: keep in mind that your pinky finger is the secret to gaining proper bow control.
Position your index finger
The last thing you’ll need to do is to rest your index finger. This means ensuring your index finger rests curved on the bow stick, just around the top joint. You should also avoid bowing too much near the bridge. Doing this ensures that all other fingers retain a firm grip on the bow as you play.
With all your fingers well-positioned, you’re ready to start playing your violin!
When you first learn how to hold a violin bow, the method may feel unnatural. But with more practice, you'll be able to master the right bow technique.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Holding a Bow
Do you experience intense pain in your hands or arm after practice? If you do, you could be making the following mistakes in your violin bow hold:
Holding the bow too tightly
A common mistake that beginner violinists make is holding the instrument so snugly that it causes tension in their bow hand.
Contrary to this, your hold ought to be elegant and graceful. Hold it just a bit loosely so that it’s possible for an individual to grasp the bow stick from you.
Occasionally, especially when you’re playing intense parts in a song, you may tighten your grip. While this is not unusual remember to loosen things up after. If you maintain a death grip throughout, your hand will get overly fatigued.
Forming a mountaintop shape
Learning to hold a violin bow correctly is a bit of a learning curve. Before you get the hang of it, you may find yourself forming a mountaintop shape with your hand.
In case this happens, check your posture and tweak it accordingly. Ensure each of the fingers is bent at the middle joint.
Maintaining a banana thumb
As we mentioned earlier, a proper bow hold technique entails placing your thumb underneath the bow stick.
More importantly, ensure that your thumb is always bent, specifically at the middle joint. This hack applies not just to young players but adults as well. If your thumb is arched like a banana, be sure to correct it so that it’s only bent at the joint.
“Bananas” occur to nearly all newbie violinists, particularly for the first couple of months. But the more you practice, the better you’ll be at correcting it. Over time, your muscle memory will adapt to this and remember the correct positioning.
Failure to keep the huggers on the frog
In the world of string instruments, your ring and middle fingers are referred to as the “huggers.” In learning how to hold a violin bow correctly, the huggers should always be flexed and wrapped up snugly around the frog.
You should not press your fingertips against the frog's top part- a mistake that a lot of newbies make. Rather, you should place the pads of your fingers towards the frog’s bottom section. This ensures that you have complete coverage of the frog and a nice balance for your entire hand.
Placing the pointer finger on the grip
Yet another mistake that beginners tend to make is positioning the pointer/first finger wrongly.
Ideally, it should wrap around the grip. However, some violinists place it on the bow stick instead. The problem with this is that it prevents your hand from being anchored firmly in place.
Bending your wrist
If the muscles in your hands aren't used to the correct violin bow hold, your wrist may be inclined to bend to compensate for this. But it's crucial that it remains in a neutral placement throughout for a proper bow grip.
Violin produces scratchy noises
If you have the correct bow grip, violin playing should never result in any scratchy noises. So if you notice this, it means you've not learned the correct bow hold.
The secret to getting rid of such noise is to keep the bow straight or well-aligned on the string. The bow should be touching the string, right between the fingerboard and bridge.
Bow direction
When positioning your bow on the string, take note of its direction as well. The right bow technique dictates that the bow ought to be drawn straight. But because of the arch of the bridge and the height difference of the string, consider drawing it in an ultra-slim figure 8 pattern.
To achieve this, you'll need to push the bow towards you on the up bow and then pull it away from you on the down bow.
Tips to Strengthen Your Violin Bow Hold
Learning how to hold a violin bow is no mean feat. The good news is that there are a few exercises that can reinforce the muscles in your hands and arm. Do these exercises a couple of times and the violin bow hold will quickly become a part of you.
Pinky taps
This exercise is meant to help you place your pinky finger accurately. Here’s how to do it:
To make this more fun, tap to one of your favorite slow songs or tap while you’re watching TV.
Windshield wipers
This exercise provides insight into how the bow’s weight changes depending on the angle at which it’s held. The angle of your bow technique then influences the music produced. Here's how to do this exercise:
FAQs
Why can’t you touch a violin bow hair?
Whenever an individual learns that their violin bow contains synthetic or horsehair, all they want to do is mess around with it. But you should resist the temptation to do this, especially if your hands or dirty or sticky.
Here’s the deal, when you touch this element, the natural oils on your skin transfer to the bow, causing the hair to become overly greasy.
This then interferes with the dry texture of the hair, which is responsible for gripping the string so as to create friction and sound. So if you’re planning to use your violin bow right after you eat, ensure you wash your hands first.
Are there different ways to hold a violin bow?
Yes, there are. Depending on the kind of music you're looking to create, there are different bowing techniques you can use. The two most popular methods are:
Russian bow grip
With this violin bow hold, your hand is pronated very sharply, with your fingers in close proximity and your wrist facing upwards.
Here, your index finger is what guides your strokes. The pinky plays a very small role. It's placed on the bow when you play with the lower half, and then it leaves the bow when you play with the upper half.
This is the grip that was used by prominent violinists like Mischa Elman, Jascha Heifetz and Nathan Milstein. What makes this grip so common is that it provides an impressive bow speed.
What we like about this grip is that it transfers more weight to the instrument, and this allows you to create a deeper sound whilst offering greater control of the bow.
Franco-Belgian bow grip
In the case of this bow hold, your middle finger is positioned directly opposite your thumb. However, your thumb is slightly curved while the ring and index fingers rest on the bow with equal gaps between them. The pinky rests on top and it’s also curved a bit.
What we love about this grip is that it offers way more control. Instead of using the natural weight of your hand, you’re able to use more bow pressure making the whole violin playing experience easier.
Where do you put your thumb on a violin bow?
For the right violin bow hold, you'll want to ensure that your thumb is in contact with the neck just roughly on the pad (right below the nail). If you’re holding this instrument correctly, then it should be resting between the wedge you formed with your thumb and the side of your index finger.
Conclusion
Don’t like the sound or music that your violin has been producing lately? Perhaps, it’s because you’re not holding the bow in the right way.
Learning how to hold a violin bow is crucial to getting that clean and beautiful stroke. This, in turn, ups the chances of producing clear and vibrant tones. In addition to this, you should also familiarize yourself with the mistakes you could be making with your bow hold.
Not sure whether you're using the correct bow hold? Well, all you need to do is assess how your wrist, hand, and arm feel after playing. Do your wrist or arm feel stiff following a long practice session? If they do, there's a good chance that you've not learned the perfect bow hold yet.
