A. What does it mean to “pull a straight bow?”
- Pulling a straight bow means that your bow travels parallel to the bridge as it moves from tip to frog
- Pulling a straight bow means that your arm pulls out with the bow, and not back. You should have very little shoulder motion in your bow stroke.
B. Why does this matter?
- Good question! Pulling a straight bow is a sure way to ensure the production of a beautiful tone.
- Pulling a straight bow also helps you maintain a clear and consistent tone.
- You will know that something about your bow stroke (usually a bow path that is not parallel with the bridge) is wrong when your sound becomes inconsistent or unpleasant to listen to.
C. How do I pull a straight bow?
- Practice placing your bow on the string and checking to see that it is parallel with the bridge. Starting the bow stroke well is half the battle!
- Start and stop: use a few inches of the bow and then stop and recheck yourself. Are you still parallel to the bridge?
- Play half bows: go from the frog to the middle, and then stop. Recheck yourself again. Then from the middle to the tip. Are you still parallel?
- Finally, practice with long, slow full bows, carefully watching the path of the bow.
- PRACTICE TIP: Practice in front of a mirror!!
D. Let’s play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
- This song is in the key of D Major. That means there are 2 sharps in the key signature: F# and C#.
- This song is in 4/4. You know what that means already.
- Play this song with long smooth bows and check to make sure you’re pulling the straightest possible bow.
- Focus on creating
