Help with a bouncing bow

[cyndeejean]

I need help on how to stop my bow from bouncing. I dont have it too tight, I’ve bowed faster, bowed slower, bowed closer to the frog. I just cant figure out what I’m doing wrong. Any suggestions?

[fiddlewood]

How long have you been playing?

[lisab]

I’ve had that issue as well. Something that helps me is to “dip” the bow… as if I were fixing to dig a hole or scoop out a dish of ice cream. Even when playing the “e” string, and my frog is obviously lower than the instrument, in my mind’s eye, I’m just holding the carton of ice cream upside down. Does that make sense? It might sound weird, but it works for me lol

[cyndeejean]

Ive been playing on and off a couple years.

[cricket]

For me it seems the bow bounces when the pressure isn’t right.  Too much bowing pressure and it screeches, too little and it bounces…just right and it sounds good.  But for me, I couldn’t get the right pressure by trying for it…it just started coming on its own with more playing time put in…more experience.  I guess somebody could describe or demonstrate the perfect amount and type of bow pressure, but for me it was just something that had to evolve on its own with my accumulating more playing experience over time.

[fiddlewood]

I agree Peggy. It took me time and experience as well.

I did find that when I started playing lighter in general and relaxing more my bow started bouncing far less.

I can usually get it mostly straightened out while warming up now. Sometimes I still need to stop and work on a section or lick because of bouncing though…i’ll work on just that part until I can bow it smoothly and then move on.

One exercise that helped me a lot was playing 2/3 notes the same direction on the bow (stopping in between them.) for example 4 quarter notes = D U U, or D U U U, etc. there is no lifting of the bow…only stopping it & starting again…It was quite hard for me at first, but now I so several tunes where I incorporate it in my playing…It’s a greet way to get a slightly smoother/softer edge on the note in something like an intro, and it comes in very handy if you start going the wrong direction with your bow.

• This reply was modified 1 month, 3 weeks ago by fiddlewood.

[Nancy Parker]

This may help.

Check it out.

[cyndeejean]

Thank you everyone, theyre all different ideas, a little of this and that and l should have it mastered! 😀

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