Get to the bridge before you change the angle
With
Simon FischerSimon Fischer points out a common error in this bowing exercise - changing the bow's angle too early - and shows why you should reach the bridge first before turning back.
What's in the course
17 lessons (1h 15m) · 1 free
01. Introduction to Combinations
0:18
02. Alternative approach to Exercise one
1:23
03. Exercise six: Speed exercise + Pressure exercise
0:55
04. Exercise seven: Speed exercise + Changing soundpoint
3:30
05. Exercise eight: Pressure exercise + Sounding soundpoint
1:44
06. Exercise nine: Same weight, increasing speed
1:21
07. Exercise ten: Same speed, increasing weight
1:14
08. Conclusion
1:33
Lesson transcript
Bow Angle Exercise: A Guide for Players
Doing this exercise for the first time, many players:
- Angle the bow correctly so that it travels naturally towards the bridge.
- Change the angle before arriving at the bridge, as though they want to travel towards the fingerboard instead.
Key Points:
-
Do Not Change the Angle:
- Maintain the angle that allows you to travel towards the bridge until you arrive at it.
-
Sustain the Bow:
- Once you reach the bridge, sustain the bow with a very slow motion.
- Change the angle to send the bow traveling towards the fingerboard again.
Reflection on Performances:
-
On the down bow:
- You were at the correct angle to take you to the bridge. That was fine.
-
On the up bow:
- Before you got to the bridge, you started steering away, but you hadn't arrived yet.
Common Mistake:
- Many people tend to change the angle on the up bow before reaching the bridge.
- Remember: Don't change the angle until you get to the bridge! Then angle it away.
Final Tips:
-
Do it one more time and remember:
- Go heavy and slow at the bridge if you don't want it to sound silvery.
-
Adjustments:
- Ensure that your bow angle is not too extreme; use a little bow angle for better control.
Encouragement:
- "Whoa, get that, get that, Tim! Look at this here, this pose. So strokey. Feather light and heavy and slow. Yes. Okay, now then, keep it, keep it. Keep it there. Angle away. Brilliant!"
17 lessons
1h 15m of structured video lessons
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Meet your guru
Meet your guru
Simon Fischer enjoys a distinguished and wide-ranging career as a performer, educator and recording artist.
He has performed worldwide as a recitalist, and committed three Brahms Sonatas to record, a recording that received high praise in Gramophone Magazine.
Simon is recognised as having a place amongst the world's elite teachers. He is a professor at the Guildhall School of Music, and has held positions at the Yehudi Menuhin School, Wells Cathedral School and the Purcell School, and for 15 years was a visiting professor at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music. Having studied in London with Yfrah Neaman, and in New York with Dorothy DeLay, Fischer's approach unites the best elements of the French, Russian and American violin traditions.
Fischer's published work greatly influences the teaching of the violin. Having written for The Strad magazine since 1991, his monthly articles have attracted a worldwide following. Published by Edition Peters, his technique books Basics and Practice (translated into Korean, Italian and German), Scales and The Violin Lesson, and the DVD The Secrets of Tone Production (now available to stream via MusicGurus), have become standards on many continents. His book and DVD Warming Up was described by The Strad magazine as "23 pages of pure technical gold".
In 2014 Simon Fischer was awarded the European String Teachers Association prize "In celebration of a lifetime contribution to String Teaching".
In his four-part Secrets of Tone Production course, Simon guides you through getting to know your instrument and then working through his fundamental tone exercises step by step, so you can produce a richer, more controlled and more beautiful sound on the violin.
