Select Page

You don’t have to Bow Straight, says Itzhak Perlman

Every violin teacher hammers on bowing straight, but you see concert violinists doing otherwise

I decided to dive in this topic and end the confusion…

Recently I followed the wonderful course by Itzhak Perlman at Masterclass.com. In it the maestro explains a lot about his technique, practicing and interpretation. Also you see him working with students. Very inspiring!

When talking about the basics of bowing, he explains that you don’t have to bow straight

Instead he recommends bowing in an eight (seen from above).

This means at the downbow your frog is a bit in the direction of the scroll and on the upbow you move the tip a bit in the direction of the scroll. I already applied the last to smoothen bow changes at the tip. Also it can be useful for those with shorter arms to be able to use the whole bow.

You can assume that what violin soloists do is not ‘by accident’

When I was in conservatory, one of my teachers explain that some soloists have a ‘bad basic technique’, meaning not by the book. He mentioned Milstein as an example. But…

How can it be ‘bad technique’ if it works better than everyone else?

I went out to research the straight bowing thing

First I tried it out on my violin in front of the mirror

Bowing absolutely straight gave the best response and resonance in my instrument. Slightly off didn’t mean a big difference, but it wasn’t as good as absolutely striaght. Quite a bit off meant a vague bad tone. Hmm, the ‘book’ seemed to be right.

I asked my bow maker about the ‘technical’ side of things

He agreed that in theory bowing straight should produce the best sound. However, in bows that are not as stiff as my Arcus bow, you might need some sideways pressure to compensate for the instability of the bow. Have a better stability can compensate for the loss of tone when bowing a bit crooked.

Ah, there it is, with my Arcus S9 bow I don’t need bowing a bit ‘off’ as a work around and I can ‘simply’ bow straight to get the best sound as the bow is stable.

3 Reasons why you learn to bow straight

1 Learning this skill gains control over your bow and awerness where it goes

From there you can make consious decision about what your doing in the broader sense of tone production.

2 Better tone

See above, all other factors ignored (just for this paragraph), bowing absolutely striaght simply gives you the best sound. However…

3 Consistent contact point

Besides learning to bow straight, in the beginning you also learn to stay right between the bridge and the fingerboard. This produces a ‘standard’ tone on the violin. Depending on the dynamics and position you play in,  you can change this to near the bridge or near the fingerboard. If this concept is new to you, read my article about coloring your sound by changing contact points.

You don't have to bow straight, says Itzhak Perlman. I went out to research... #violinist #violin @perlmanofficial @masterclass Share on X

Improve your violin bowing technique

Enjoy my FREE mini Masterclass 5 Bowing Secrets to Create a Professional Sound on the Violin

Go to Mini Masterclass

Hi! I'm Zlata

Classical violinist helping you overcome technical struggles and play with feeling by improving your bow technique.

READ MORE

As soon you’ve learned to bow straight, forget about it!

There’s more to sound quality, tone production and musical expression in general than bowing straight.

Just what scales are to music, bowing straight is to bowing

You use it to have a tool in your toolbox. With that tool you can create different things. Also you can use it whenever you see fit.

To smoothen your bow change at the tip, you can move your tip a bit towards to scroll.

You have to move your frog or tip to the scroll to be able to change contact point in one bow stroke.

However, if you don’t master the skill, you can’t use it consiously

When you are in no control over your bow or contact point and you don’t want to folllow your teacher’s advice, because ‘Perlman said…’ you’re making a mistake!

Conclusion: Yes, you need to be ABLE of bowing straight. Yes, you can do something different when music asks.

You might find my article about learning to bow straight without looking interesting.

Also read my article about Ithzak Perlman’s practice schedule and watch my video about the 3 violin hacks I learned from Perlman’s masterclass course.

Are you interested in the online course by Itzhak Perlman at Masterclass.com?

I bought and followed the course myself and I’m happy to refer you. When you join the course through this link, you pay exactly the same as that you find the masterclass yourself. However, using the above link Violin Lounge gets a small commission. This income is used to finance this website, the free articles and violin video lessons we put out there. Isn’t that a win-win-win deal for all of us?

What are your thoughts about ‘to bow straight or not to bow straight’? Leave a comment below. I’d love to read it.

5 Best Violin Brands for Beginner Violinists

What’s the price of a good beginner violin?

In this article I recommend 5 brands of beginner violins and explain the differences

It can be really hard to buy your first violin, as you might not be familiar with the violin and what to look out for.

After owning a violin shop for twelve years and reviewing violins for Violin Lounge TV, I’d like to give you my top 5 and I’ll explain what you can expect for what price.

As a violin teacher I will discuss beginner violins from $ 50 up to $ 500 and will help you make the right decision for you!

Fiddlerman Violins

fiddlerman concert violinAfter I made the switch from running a violin studio and violin shop in Holland to teaching the violin online, it took a while before I found a reliable address to refer students to.

Fiddlershop.com offers good quality instruments, but what really separates them is that they adjust the violin so they are ready to play. You’ll be surprised how many webshops sell instruments that can hardly be tuned or played.

The violin is difficult enough already to learn to play, so make sure that your violin isn’t holding you back.

The Fiddlerman Concert Violin is below $ 500, made of good quality aged tone wood, ebony parts and comes with a complete set including a strong carbon fiber bow. You really can’t go wrong with this one!

Click here to watch my extensive review video and listen to it’s sound.

Buy a Fiddlerman Violin

Tower Strings Violins

tower strings violin outfitWhen I reviewed this violin set below $ 200 I was surprised about the good quality and playability

The set is really complete with a violin, bow, case, shoulder rest, rosin, digital tuner, mute and polishing cloth.

The playability and tuning stability on this violin is very good, as long as you buy it at Fiddlershop.com. They are a really unique webshop with professional luthiers adjusting all the instrument that leave their door.

Of course the sound is not comparable to a beginner violin of around $ 500 and you must keep in mind that this is a type of violin that you might want to upgrade when you play for a couple of years. However, that’s ok!

Watch my review video here, in which I demonstrate this violin.

Buy a Tower Strings Violin

Glarry Violins

Complete violin outfits below $ 50!

glarry violin outfitIf you really tight on budget, but you desire to play violin, Glarry is the place to go! Starting below $ 50 they offer complete sets with a violin, bow, case, shoulder rest, digital tuner, rosin and even a spare set of strings. You’ll be ready to play!

However, please note that you can’t expect good quality wood or a high level of craftmanship. You might struggle with the bridge that doesn’t fit, strings that snap quickly or a bow that is not entirely straight.

Click here for my extensive review video!

As long as you keep your expectations not too high and can accept that some work needs to be done on this instrument, it’s of course great for value for money.

However, if it’s in any way possible to spend more, I would really recommend doing this. You can enjoy a better violin longer, it motivates you to play more and your progress will be better.

But… if you just want to dip your toe in the violin water and really don’t have more to spend, this is the best bang for your buck!

Buy a Glarry Violin

Join my FREE beginner violin course

I take you from scratch step by step to your first violin concerto including 40 videos, sheet music and violin tabs.

Sign up!

Hi! I'm Zlata

Classical violinist helping you overcome technical struggles and play with feeling by improving your bow technique.

READ MORE

Scott Cao Violins

scott cao violin outfit reviewGreat sound, craftsmanship and playability made affordable

Scott Cao’s are one of the best student violins you can get for the price. They offer a beautiful tone quality, flamed maple and spruce and are varnished by hand.

In my violin shop days I’ve sold them very often and I always liked playing on them. As they offer a rich tone, it’s possible to play them for many years as you make progress on the violin. You’ll really have a unique hand made instrument.

Because of the oil finish, this instrument will look beautiful for many years and the varnish won’t chip or splinter as quickly as a high gloss spray finish. 

The pegs and fingerboard are made of strong wood, ensuring a good tuning stability and general reliability of your instrument. You can enjoy this investment for a very long time without worries!

Buy a Scott Cao Violin

ARS Music Violins

bohemian violin setThese are the violins that I’ve been renting out for years in my violin shop. They offer amazing good quality, European craftmanship and materials for a surprisingly low price.

Currently they aren’t being sold online, but I’ll keep you up to date as soon they are!

5 Best Violin Brands for Beginner Violinists #learnviolin #violinist #violin Share on X

Let me know in the comments below which violin you like best!

You might also find my article ’32 Checks to Buy a Violin’ interesting :).

What Course should you Choose if you want to be my Private Student?

Do you want to me to be your teacher?

I’d love to help you overcome your technical struggles and play the violin with feeling

I get asked a lot what course is most suitable for you if you’ve watched my free stuff and are interested in becoming my student.

Online learning in music? No way!

We’ve been trained to think that one-on-one is the highest level of learning with it comes to music, but let me tell you technology has made it so that we learn even better online.

I’ve owned a violin studio with four teachers for over twelve years. Once I started making videos, creating online programs and specialising in bowing technique, tone creation, vibrato and playing the violin with feeling, I discovered something remarkable.

My students learn better online than offline!

Especially when we talk about bowing techniques, it’s important that you have access to the lessons 24/7. To really apply them and play with expression, it’s important that you can do so comfortably on your own. Yes, you can ask questions or send a video for feedback, but these sensitive skills need the right time and space to be developed.

As a teacher I’m better in a program. I’ve done years of research and preparations and have created the curriculum very carefully. You see only my very best explanations and structure. I would NEVER be able to teach like that on the spot.

You can learn to play the violin with feeling in home and at your own time!

To get to know me, I offer hundreds of free violin lessons. To dip your toe in the water of learning with me, I offer the short and cheap course ‘Upgrade your Violin Bow Technique’ at iClassical Academy.

If you really feel we’re a fit and you want my personal guidance as my VIP student, join my life’s work Bow like a Pro.

My free video lessons

On this website you can find over 300 free violin lessons. I add a new one every Wednesday.

Level

Suitable for all levels as I make videos on different topics.

Pro’s

  • It’s free
  • It’s weekly
  • Short simple tutorials to improve all areas of your violin playing
  • Great to dip your toe in the water, see if you like my style and perhaps you want to become my student

Cons

  • ‘Just’ a video
  • No step by step curriculum
  • No personal guidance except that I’m active in the comment section
  • No feedback
  • No accountability
  • Yup, everything costs time and money to make… I need to sell paid stuff to keep making the free stuff. If you like and support my work, you can do so by enrolling in my paid programs.

Upgrade your Violin Bow Technique

So honoured to make this course for the beautiful iClassical Academy!

Level

Aimed at intermediate violinists, but we start with the basics, so it’s very useful for beginners as well. You’ll have lifetime access, so you can leave the advanced stuff for later if you want.

Pro’s

  • 11 in-depth video lessons, 11 PDFs, practically everything, from theory to good practices and exercises, to understand once and for all how your violin and bow produce sound and how you can master it to achieve your best performance
  • Practice instructions, so you’ll know exactly what to do on a daily basis
  • Short, sweet and simple getting you great results with just 10 minutes of daily practice
  • No-brainer price! iClassical Academy has made it so accessible to learn from me
  • Lifetime access
  • Great way to get to know how I teach in a program before joining Bow like a Pro

Cons

  • No personal guidance
  • No feedback
  • It’s a short course, so great for short term results, but you might want to learn more after that (and luckily that’s possible in Bow like a Pro)
Yes, I want this course!

Bow like a Pro

Unique program to learn ALL about bowing technique, tone creation, vibrato and expressing yourself in music with the violin

Level

The program is made to be complete. This means that you’ve got lifetime access to a curriculum covering EVERYTHING from the very basics of bowing to bow technique in the big repertoire of romantic concerts and Paganini caprices and everything in between.

This is an investment for life and it costs less than a year of lessons at your local violin studio or music school.

Pro’s

  • Hundreds of video lessons, sheet music, practice plans and more. It’s ever expanding
  • EVERYTHING you can think of about bowing technique, tone production, vibrato and playing the violin with feeling
  • Step by step curriculum with guidance: you won’t get lost or overwhelmed as I help you find exactly the lessons and exercises that benefit you most
  • Suitable for all levels: from beginner to professional and even beyond, because a lot of things I didn’t even learn at the conservatory
  • Lessons by me and the guest teacher team
  • Unlimited personal guidance (and yes, that’s lifetime!)
  • Feedback on your playing (you can send in videos)
  • Answers to your questions (you’re my VIP student and you can ask away… lifetime!)
  • Accountability (I’ll guide you through the program and make sure you stay motivated and get results)
  • Investment for life
  • You get my course Free your Vibrato for free
  • Future additions and updates at no additional cost

Cons

Hands down this is the best guidance I can offer you, but of course you still have to practice ;). 

Yes, Zlata, I want to be your VIP student and play the violin with feeling!

Hi! I'm Zlata

Classical violinist helping you overcome technical struggles and play with feeling by improving your bow technique.

READ MORE

So what’s best for YOU?

Bow like a Pro is hands down the best way I can help violin players of ALL levels, who want to improve their bowing, tone, vibrato and expression. So if you like my style of teaching and feel we’re a fit, I’m thrilled to help you.

However, you might want to dip your toe in the water and my free videos and short course Upgrade your Violin Bow Technique are the ways to go.

Of course you can always send an e-mail to info@violinlounge.com explaining your specific situation. I only want students who really benefit from my teaching and get great results, so I’ll give you very honest advice.

Do you want me to be your teacher? I'd love to help you overcome your technical struggles and play the violin with feeling. Find out how: #violinteacher #learnviolin #violinist #violin Share on X

Learn Itzhak Perlman’s Practice Schedule

Use Itzhak Perlman’s 3 hour practice schedule to improve your violin technique

Get fast progress and learn the most beautiful repertoire by practicing effectively

The secret to effective practice on the violin is a good balance in technique and repertoire

First hour: Scales

Scales are the laboratory for your violin technique. They mainly serve to get to know the fingerboard and the distances between the notes. Music is made out of scales and you should really have them in your fingers. Besides that you can use scales to practice particular bowing techniques.

Practice a different key every day, playing the scales, arpeggio’s and double stops. You can find those in the scale book Perlman used from a young age: Scale System by Carl Flesch.

In practicing scales it’s important to listen very carefully and go back when something is out of tune. Don’t just correct the note, but practice the transition from the previous note to that note. In that way you’ll learn the distance and how to get to that note.

Second hour: Etudes

In the second hour you practice etudes and technical exercises. In the first years you can start with Wohlfahrt etudes, move to Mazas and Fiorillo etudes later and practice more advanced etudes by Kreutzer, Dont and finally Paganini caprices.

Every etude is aimed at a certain technique. Think about the repertoire you’re playing and about which technique you want to improve on. Choose an etude that ‘teaches’ you that technique. You certainly don’t have to follow the sequence of the etude book you picked.

In addition to etudes you can do technical exercises by Dounis and Ševčík.

PS: You might not be familiar with all the name dropping here. The good news is that most etudes book are old and therefore right free. You can Google the names and download most books for free :).

So excited to learn Itzhak Perlman's practice schedule! #violinist #violin @perlmanofficial @masterclass Share on X

Improve your violin bowing technique

Enjoy my FREE mini Masterclass 5 Bowing Secrets to Create a Professional Sound on the Violin

Go to Mini Masterclass

Hi! I'm Zlata

Classical violinist helping you overcome technical struggles and play with feeling by improving your bow technique.

READ MORE

Third hour: Repertoire

Yup, I know you actually want to start with repertoire right away, but practicing scales and etudes first gives you a great warm up. You’ll notice that practicing your repertoire will be so much easier and more effective. You have your ‘technical toolbox’ at hand and can focus much more on musicality.

Finding the right balance in your practice session

I know you might not have the time to practice three hours a day. Maybe you have just half an hour. Still you can use this practice schedule, just do 10 minutes each or have a ‘scale day’, ‘etude day’ and ‘repertoire day’.

It’s hard to find the right balance. In my conservatory days I played two hours of scales each day, two hours of etudes and technique and just one hour of repertoire. Later, when I had concerts and orchestra rehearsals, I had so much repertoire to practice that I hardly practiced scales and etudes.

However, try to find the right balance. Do you have a busy time learning a lot of repertoire, see if you can fit it some scales and technique even if it’s just a warming up. The results are so much better.

Do you want to learn from maestro Perlman yourself?

Masterclass.com has just launched a wonderful course by Itzhak Perlman. I binch watched it in one evening! It’s jam packed with about everything around violin basic technique, practicing, learning repertoire and performing.

What I admire about this course is that it’s suitable and understandble for so many levels: even it you’re just interested in the violin, it can be really insightful and inspiring. Beginner and intermediate violin players, professional violinists and violin teachers can take from the course what they need at that moment. You can always dive deeper into the concepts.

When you love the violin in any way, this course is an absolute must have. I recommend watching the lessons now and repeat it later, because depending on your level you can take away different gems from this course.

Yes, I want to learn from Itzhak Perlman!

PS: Sometimes I buy something I think is extremely valuable for other violin players. In this case this is the online course by Itzhak Perlman at Masterclass.com. I bought and followed the course myself and I’m happy to refer you. When you join the course through the above button, you pay exactly the same as that you find the masterclass yourself. However, using the above link Violin Lounge gets a small commission. This income is used to finance this website, the free articles and violin video lessons we put out there. Isn’t that a win-win-win deal for all of us?

PPS: Watch my video with the 3 violin hacks I learned from Itzhak Perlman.

19 Checks to Buy a Violin Bow

A good violin bow can make a big difference in the sound you make and the easy of bowing

Before dedicating my work to Violin Lounge and specializing in teaching bowing technique, I’ve owned a brick and mortar violin shop for over 12 years. What stood out to me most is that people focus on the violin and the bow ‘just comes with it’.

On a regular basis I surprised my clients what difference a bow can make to your sound and playing

Often they even decided to not buy new violin, but just upgrade their bow, because it makes playing easier and improves their tone quality.

2 Most important things to look for when buying a violin bow

Ok, hold your horse hair and just stop Googling frantically and endlessly. Just stop wondering if you should go for nickel, silver or gold mounting. Even stop worrying about wood versus carbon. What really matters is just this:

1) How does the bow sound?

2) How does the bow play?

Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Well… unfortunately it’s easier said than done. That’s why I’m sharing some tips.

Here are checks not to miss when buying a violin bow:

1) What is the sound quality when you play?

Play a slow piece with a large and deep tone to discover this. As I mentioned in my article ‘What to play and look for when buying a violin bow’ you should be short fragments on every bow and keep the selection of bows small.

2) What is the projection and sound quality when you listen?

Have someone else, a friend or your teacher, play with the bow on your violin and listen how the bow sounds from a distance. This can be very different to the sound ‘under your ear’ when you’re playing yourself. Certainly when you’re performing, this is an important factor. You need to know how your audience will experience the sound and how far the sound can carry (projection).

3) How is the response?

Response is something that’s sometimes hard to explain. It means how fast you can get the sound you want. Do you have to do a lot of effort or is there a delay? Or do you feel like the bow reacts as the gas pedal of a Ferrari? (or a Porsche if you like German bows as I do)

4) How about the dynamics?

How soft and how loud can you play with the bow? Do you have to work hard to play forte? Can you easily play piano without sounding superficial? In a good bow you want to look for a large dynamic range.

Does the bow make things easier for you?

This is exactly why selecting a bow is SO personal. You might not like what I like, or what your teacher likes. For example I love a extremely light and stiff bow with a very fast response, like the Arcus S9 I play with. Others would call this ‘nervous’. So, let’s go on with some checks about how the bow plays:

5) What’s the feel of the bow when you pick it up?

Your first nudge… how does the frog feel? How does the balance feel? Do you like holding it or is it a struggle to find a good bow hold with this bow. Does it feel safe or weird?

6) Does the bow help you with different bowing techniques?

Test how the bow responds to different bowing techniques like spiccato and ricochet, accents, fast runs and about anything you could think of. In my article ‘What to play and look for when buying a violin bow’ I explain exactly WHAT you should play when selecting a bow, how you select and how you choose. Also you can download the variety of repertoire snippets I’ve used to buy hundreds of bows when running my violin shop.

Explore the character of the violin bow

While trying several bows, you want to look for:

7) Stiffness

Yes, you feel that while playing, but you can also tighten the bow and see if it bends quickly and test the ‘spring’ when the bow is on the string.

8) Balance

Try whole bow strokes with a deep sound as well as fast jumping bow techniques.

9) Weight

Ignore the number of grams…. how does the weight FEEL to you? A light bow can feel clumsy and heavy when it’s relatively heavy at the tip. What matters is the weight you experience. Will you get a tired right arm with this bow? Or does it feel light and easy?

A good violin bow can make a big difference in the sound you make and the easy of bowing. Here are checks not to miss: #violin #violinbow Share on X

Hi! I'm Zlata

Let me help you find a great bow for your violin, so you can improve your bowing technique and sound quality:

Learn More

Hi! I'm Zlata

Classical violinist helping you overcome technical struggles and play with feeling by improving your bow technique.

READ MORE

Technical details to ignore if you want

If the bow feels good and makes a great sound it doesn’t matter AT ALL where it comes from, who made it, what type of tip plate it has etc. However, I’m adding these in just to give you some things to look and and see if your bow is technically ok.

Don’t worry too much what this stuff adds to the value of the bow. You’re buying it to play with it, perhaps your entire life. Don’t let your decision be muddled by worries about selling it in the future.

10) Is the bow absolutely straight?

Don’t ignore this one, because it can cause trouble in the future!

Put the bow in front of you like a Pinocchio nose and see if it’s straight from the screw to the tip. Don’t buy it if it isn’t.

11) Origine and maker

Where does the bow come from? Made in China or in Europe? It doesn’t have to matter, but in general the better bows are made in America or Europe and the simple bows are made in China. In a price range below $ 200, about everything is made in China even if the webshop description might suggest otherwise. Some very good and resonably priced pernambuco bows are made in Brazil… tip to check out. In my Ultimate Guide to Buying a Violin Bow concert violinist Giedre and I demonstrate and discuss all important and obsure brands of carbon bows.

12) Is the frog comfortable?

How is the finishing? What is it made of?

13) Leather

The leather must be in a good state and it must feel good to you. When it’s not in the place you want or too thick, you might have it changed when you buy the bow.

14) Horse hair quality

The bow must be new or have had a recent rehair when you try it, otherwise it can mess up the characteristics. There needs to be a sufficient quantity of good quality horse hair. Yes, there are synthetic alternatives, but in my experience they remain slippery no matter how much you rosin them, but this might change in the future.

15) Tip and tip plate

The finishing of the tip must be good and there shouldn’t be any damage there (or anywhere). The tip plate can be of plastic, nickel, silver or gold. It can make a little difference.

16) Mounting

A bow can be nickel, silver and gold mounted. Read all about what difference that makes (and doesn’t) in this article.

17) Winding

The winding can be of all sorts of materials. First check if it’s in a good state. Also check if it’s durable and you don’t have an allergy to the material. Also it must feel good when you hold the bow (if you play with your index finger on the winding).

18) Material of the stick

This can be roughly wood or carbon. If it’s wood, you should prefer pernambuco, which is relatively light and stiff. These trees may not be shopped down anymore, so the prices go up. In my opinion, don’t get a wooden bow under two thousand dollars, but you might be lucky and find a good one.

Carbon fiber mostly has a better price/quality ratio. Cheap bows are made of carbon composite and the better ones of carbon fiber. The higher percentage of carbon, the lower the percentage of ‘other stuff’, so in general the higher the quality of the bow. Arcus offers the highest percentage of carbon on the market.

19) Reviews

Most important is your personal preference. Of course if a cheap bow has a lot of bad reviews, you might want to skip that one. Reviews can be useful, but they can also lead you astray. Sometimes I see renowned orchestra violinists give unlikely good testimonials about very average or cheap bows. Hmm, would they really play with this bow in their daily orchestra work? Mainly look for real reviews on independent websites, not on the sales pages of the bow brands. Ignore the stars, but look at the descriptions: how do people describe the characteristics of the violin bow? Is that what you’re looking for in a bow?

Would you like to see the most expensive, cheapest, best and worst violin bows demonstrated and discussed by two professional violinists?

Together with concert violinist Giedre I’ve made an extensive video series where we play with and discuss many types and brands of violin bows to help you make a good choice.

Download the Ultimate Guide to Buying a Violin Bow

What kind of bow do you have?

I’d love to read all about your experiences with selecting a bow and am really curious to read what type of bow you have. Share it in the comments below!

Interested in my ‘bow story’? After years of saving I bought myself a $ 8.000 bow… what??? Yup, it’s worth every penny. Read all about it here.