Music Lesson: Bowing Technique

This exercise is the starting point for all work on sound and all work on the bow in general.

Key Factors

Each of the three factors, speed, pressure, and sound point, must remain completely constant and even.

The Exercise

• Objective: Draw whole bows up bow and down bow continuously, focusing on one sound point at a time.
• Adjust: Speed and pressure until the string vibrates at its widest and freest.

The aim is simply to:

• Learn the feel of the string at each distance from the bridge.
• Find the tones, achieving the perfect balance of speed, pressure, and sound point for a totally pure sound.

Important Notes:

• The string should vibrate freely.
• The instrument resonates as if the bow and string work together in perfect contact at each sound point.

Step-by-Step Process

1. Begin without vibrato.
2. Experiment with speed and pressure until you're sure the string is vibrating widely.
3. Add vibrato once you're confident with the above adjustments.

Focus on Evenness

• The more even it is, the more under control it is.
• To create an even tone, the factors must be consistent:
  • Speed: Must be even
  • Pressure: Must be even
  • Sound Point: Stay on one sound point.

Visualize:

• Imagine a needle on a dial in a recording studio, flickering up and down as the volume increases and decreases with changes in speed and pressure.
• Aim to keep everything so even that the needle stays absolutely steady.

Listening and Adjustments

• Tuning: If the D is just a fraction out of tune with the open string, you will hear a hard edge on the sound.

  • Listen to this hard edge:
    • "Listen to the timbre. That's much better."

• Control: Maintain your bow angle to avoid extraneous noises and keep sound constant:

  • The speed of the bow mustn't change.
  • The pressure mustn't change.
  • The sound point mustn't change.

Moving Through Sound Points

1. Sound Point 5:

   • Faster, slightly flatter.
   • Lighter, stay on sound point five.
   • "Vibrate, brother."

2. Sound Point 4:

   • Without vibrato.
   • Lighter and faster.
   • "Isn't it interesting? You make it lighter, but it doesn't get quieter. It gets more radiant."

3. Sound Point 3:

   • Stay on one sound point.
   • Watch the width of the string vibration.
   • Slowly drop pitch slightly while maintaining control.

4. Exploration:

   • Explore sound limits.
   • Increase resonance and vibration.

Conclusion of the Exercise

• Divide the playing area into five sound points.
  • Sound Point 5: Near the fingerboard.
  • Sound Point 1: Near the bridge.
  • Sound Point 3: In the middle.

Final Notes:

• Ensure you make continuous sounds, especially at the heel.
• Focus on not stopping prematurely during bow strokes.
• Stay aware of your instrument's angle and adjust your posture to maintain optimal bowing technique.

Encouragement:

• "See how wide you can get it. See how much sound you can get radiating out with all this resonance and vibration."

Continue to practice these principles, and remember the connection between speed, pressure, and sound points for an even and vibrant sound!