Four Types of Right-Hand Bow Control with the Violin

The holding and bowing technique of the right hand is one of the important techniques of the violin, and is the key to learning the violin well. The main aspects of the right-hand bow control are the four controls of the bow, namely up-down control, forward-backward control, left-right control and center of gravity control.

1Up-down control

Up-down (high-low) refers to the relative high and low of the bow tip and the bow heel. When the bow tip is high, the bow heel is low, and when the bow heel is high, the bow tip is low. There are seven different high and low positions for the four strings and four positions for double sound. The right hand needs to control these seven different high and low positions, which is the most basic requirement for the violin to sound.

2Forward-backward control

Forward-backward has two meanings. The first meaning is that the bow is generally placed at the end of the fingerboard and between the fingerboard and the nut. According to the musical needs, it can be biased towards the finger rest, or biased towards the nut. The bow biased towards the fingerboard is called bow forward, and the bow biased towards the nut is called bow backward. In the process of playing the violin, you need to constantly correct the bow position on the string, so that it falls into an ideal position.

Second, the second meaning is that the bow tip or the bow heel is closer to the front or the back, which is also explained by the full hand. The bow running requires it to be perpendicular to the string. There will be some deviation in the actual bow playing process. If the bow tip leans forward, the bow heel leans back, and if the bow heel leans forward, the bow tip leans back. You need to constantly adjust. Putting the bow between the end of the fingerboard and the nut, while letting the bow run as straight as possible, is a control of the bow forward-backward.

3Left-right control

The right hand's fingers hold the bow and create frictional force to move the bow on the string, making up-stroke bow or down-stroke bow. When performing up-stroke bow, the bow moves to the left side of the human body, and when performing down-stroke bow, the bow moves to the right side of the human body. This is a control of the bow left-right.

Many people mistakenly think that the left-right control of the bow is mainly completed by the arms. In fact, the right hand's fingers play a more important role in this role. This role is a fine and accurate micro-adjustment that the right hand's fingers control the bow left-right. This fine and accurate action is the main factor determining the sound quality.

4Center of gravity control

The center of gravity of the bow is far higher than the center of the bow, and any side of the bow will cause the center of gravity of the bow to shift, causing the instability of the bow. The center of gravity control is an important part of the right-hand technique and is often overlooked.

In addition to the fingers participating, the arms also participate in various controls, making an inappropriate analogy, the arms participating in the bow is equivalent to macro-control, and the fingers participating in the bow is equivalent to micro-control.

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