Are you learning how to hold a violin bow? Here is a useful violin bow hold tip - plus video below - that you can practise anytime!
Practise your bow hold with a pencil!
This can be done away from the violin, while watching TV, or sitting in a class.
Play around with it. It loosens the fingers to make them more flexible. Remember to have a round thumb underneath and a nicely curved pinky (little finger) which sits on top of the stick.
Now try this: Sit at a desk with a piece of paper. Have the pencil's lead sticking out at the pinky's side - therefore at the bottom.
Now let your arm and wrist rest flat on the desk and draw circles with your pencil just using your fingers to do the movement. Make small circles and big circles but be careful that your arm stays flat on the table and only your fingers do the work.
If you watch closely you will notice that your ringfinger actually does most of the steering, but remember to let your index finger lie very relaxed on the pencil at the top joint.
Double check:
- Round thumb
- Ring and middle fingers come over the stick
- Index finger lies gently at first joint
- Little finger sits curved on its tip.
- Arm lies flat on table so that only fingers are free.
- Draw small and big circles.
This is a great violin bow hold exercise - HAVE FUN!
Below is a short video demostrating what I'm talking about.
Inge
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