Roj Avon Posted October 26, 1999 Report Posted October 26, 1999 What is it about my bow stroke that causes the bow to bounce on the string? I've only been playing for a couple of weeks but this is a particularly annoying problem that I occasionally have with my long bow strokes. Any suggestions?
Violina Posted October 26, 1999 Report Posted October 26, 1999 Hey, another beginner's opinion: I had the same difficulty at the very beginning. What helped me was to slow up the speed (very much!). My teacher set me to practise extremely slow bows, counting to 12 during each up and down bow, so 24 altogether. When you play too fast with too little experience, the bow will surely bounce. Practise slooowly in front of the mirror and check your posture as you play, then gradually move on to faster bows. : What is it about my bow stroke that causes the bow to bounce on the string? : I've only been playing for a couple of weeks but this is a particularly annoying problem that I occasionally have with my long bow strokes. Any suggestions?
Carl E Posted October 26, 1999 Report Posted October 26, 1999 My first bow was a student type brazilwood bow, which was really bouncy. I later got a Glasser composite (not the Glasser Fiberglass!) bow that sells for about $90 from mail-order places. That bow is far less bouncy, and stays on track much better than my cheap wood bow. Now that I have more experience, I can play OK with the wood bow, but I still have that bouncing problem on occasion. You may want to try out other bows, either at a shop or other people's bows, to see if that makes much of a difference. : What is it about my bow stroke that causes the bow to bounce on the string? : I've only been playing for a couple of weeks but this is a particularly annoying problem that I occasionally have with my long bow strokes. Any suggestions?
John Posted October 26, 1999 Report Posted October 26, 1999 Make sure your right arm is relaxed and your elbow is not too high. The bouncing you describe can be a sign of excessive tension in the right arm.
Guest Posted October 26, 1999 Report Posted October 26, 1999 : What is it about my bow stroke that causes the bow to bounce on the string? : I've only been playing for a couple of weeks Roj, I found when I was starting out that I was rosenning the bow incorectly and this was causing the bow to bounce. I was using short overlapping strokes when applying the rosin. when I applied it correctly, however...the problem disappeared. (use strokes as long as your bow to apply the rosin) hope this helps
george b Posted October 26, 1999 Report Posted October 26, 1999 Relax and pull the bow with the weight of the forearm. geo geofiddle's homepage
Irene Posted October 27, 1999 Report Posted October 27, 1999 This still happens to me sometimes. When you are playing long bows and approach the tip of the bow, start to rotate your right wrist so that your forefinger is placing relatively more pressure on the bow stick. When you approach the frog, rotate your wrist the other way so that your pinky is placing more pressure on it. The position of your wrist (and the allocation of pressure between your first finger and pinky) should change gradually as you move the bow. Best wishes!
Laurel Posted October 29, 1999 Report Posted October 29, 1999 : This still happens to me sometimes. When you are playing long bows and approach the tip of the bow, start to rotate your right wrist so that your forefinger is placing relatively more pressure on the bow stick. When you approach the frog, rotate your wrist the other way so that your pinky is placing more pressure on it. The position of your wrist (and the allocation of pressure between your first finger and pinky) should change gradually as you move the bow. : Best wishes! Another way of saying this is: when you are near the tip, make the bow hair almost flat on the string. When you are near the frog, make the bow hair touch the string only on the outside edge (the edge farthest away from your face). What does your teacher say about this? It's so much easier to show than to tell! Good luck! Laurel
Irene Posted October 29, 1999 Report Posted October 29, 1999 Actually, I would say that the bow angle and the allocation of pressure are not the same thing, though they are related. One of those subtle things. : : Another way of saying this is: when you are near the tip, make the bow hair almost flat on the string. When you are near the frog, make the bow hair touch the string only on the outside edge (the edge farthest away from your face). : What does your teacher say about this? It's so much easier to show than to tell! : Good luck! : Laurel
Julie Remold Posted October 30, 1999 Report Posted October 30, 1999 I had this problem with my first bow as well, it was also an inexpensive wooden bow. I read about the Glasser bows here and sent away for both the Glasser composite and carbon fiber bows by mail order (they let you try it out for a while). I did several blind tests between the two new bows and my old wood one and found that I had better control (particularly over bouncing) with the Glasser bows with the carbon fiber one being the best of the three. It was really great to try them out at home for a week before deciding though, I really have a better idea of the differences between bows by having several to play for a while. : My first bow was a student type brazilwood bow, which was really bouncy. I later got a Glasser composite (not the Glasser Fiberglass!) bow that sells for about $90 from mail-order places. That bow is far less bouncy, and stays on track much better than my cheap wood bow. Now that I have more experience, I can play OK with the wood bow, but I still have that bouncing problem on occasion. You may want to try out other bows, either at a shop or other people's bows, to see if that makes much of a difference. : : What is it about my bow stroke that causes the bow to bounce on the string? : : I've only been playing for a couple of weeks but this is a particularly annoying problem that I occasionally have with my long bow strokes. Any suggestions?
Jane Posted October 30, 1999 Report Posted October 30, 1999 I guess everyone has this problem when they first start. Its a bit like clutch control when learning to drive a car!! Try thinking you are *stroking* the string with the bow
Laurel Posted October 31, 1999 Report Posted October 31, 1999 : Actually, I would say that the bow angle and the allocation of pressure are not the same thing, though they are related. One of those subtle things. Good point. I was just thinking of a way that a beginner (remember, we're talking only a few weeks here!) would be able to do most easily. It's (probably) easier to change the angle of your bow, and to be able to see what you're doing, than to adjust relative finger pressure, at this stage. Whatever works! Thanks Laurel : : : : Another way of saying this is: when you are near the tip, make the bow hair almost flat on the string. When you are near the frog, make the bow hair touch the string only on the outside edge (the edge farthest away from your face). : : What does your teacher say about this? It's so much easier to show than to tell! : : Good luck! : : Laurel
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