The Invisible Bow Change

Over the years have heard plenty of poppy-cock where it comes to the dos and don’ts of bow changes. Let me just give you a couple of examples.

One, lightening the pressure of the bow on the string just before you make a change will make for a smoother bow change.

It is true that your bow change will be smoother. What is also true, however, is that you will have a dip in your sound that accompanies the release of pressure. That dip can lead to what I call ‘unsightly bulges’ in your tone, not a pretty effect.

Oh yea, and compounding the problem is the tendency of most players who do this to Slow the bow speed at the critical moment, making the ‘unsightly bulge’ effect’ even more pronounced.

Number two, increasing the bow speed just before the change will make for a smoother change. Again, there is some truth to this, in a perfect world. Increasing the bow speed distributes the pressure on the string over a greater surface area. There will therefore be less of a chance for the string to become ‘trapped’ at the moment of change.

Again, there is a problem here. Many players that do this reflexively Increase the pressure on the string as they speed up the bow. Now you have a reverse ‘bulge.’

Three, actively using the wrist and fingers to ‘cover’ the bow change will make for a smoother change. WRONG.

You have a bow in motion exerting a given pressure on the string. As I have said before, it matters not one twit whether your wrist, fingers, forearm, upper arm, or LEFT arm effect a reversal of direction. All that matters to the tone is bow speed combined with pressure combined with bow placement relative to the bridge.

Ah, that’s a new one. Where the bow is placed relative to the bridge, for a given bow speed and pressure, will effect the smoothness of the change.

So this is what you do. First of all, make it simple. You’ve heard me say THAT before.

As Joey Silverstein once said to me, ‘play up bow until you play down bow.’

I do suggest you use the mass of your whole arm to change direction – this was Milstein’s notion. Just be aware that the bow movement is purely horizontal, in and out of the change.

Once you have the feel of that, do some experimenting. It needn’t take but a few minutes. Try different bow speeds for a given pressure. Once you have a smooth change try moving the bow further or closer to the bridge to see what effect placement has on the result.

In a short amount of time I see you getting an excellent handle on smooth bow changes. Over time it just becomes a ‘feel’ thing.

All the best,

Clayton Haslop

P.S. A smooth bow change is one important ingredient to a first class bow arm. To secure all the ingredients for a gourmet feast, however, I urge you to get cracking on the Kreutzer for Violin Mastery series. You can find them in a jiffy at; http://www.violinmastery.com/kreutzer1.htm.