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Do well-behaved children make music or does music make well-behaved children?

How music lessons can help children better regulate their nervous systems, so they can thrive in life

In my lessons I notice that in the safe environment of a music lesson and in a playful way children learn to anticipate, grow patience, take turns, work together, overcome difficulties, gain confidence and process the emotions around that, so they develop the skills to tackle challenges in ‘real life’.

While sometimes we’re focussed on how music lessons improve IQ scores and academic results, I’d love to dive into the impact of music education on the more ‘softer’ skills and development of the person and overall behavior.

What’s a well-behaved child anyway?

Before we discuss if music education can help your child regulate herself better, let’s get on the same page what we mean by ‘well-behaved’.

What’s expected of children depends on lots of factors. Imagine being in a restaurant and a child is screaming and throwing food. Is this child behaving badly? When this child is eight months old your judgment might differ from when this child would be five years old… or twelve. My husband is from Togo and I’m half Czech and half Dutch myself. Behavior that would be perfectly acceptable in Holland (for example interrupting an adult to say something) is absolutely unacceptable in Togo. In a playground different behavior is expected than in a church.

Depending on where we come from and what the circumstances are, you and I might have very different ideas about what a well-behaved child makes. However, to function and thrive in a social environment, a child needs to develop the following:

  • Sense of safety
  • Attention span (concentration and focus)
  • Inhibition control (including impulse control)
  • Skill of resolving cognitive and emotional conflict

Let’s take a look if music lessons can improve these skills.

Sense of safety

A lot of ‘bad’ behavior comes from a child not feeling safe enough to be able to regulate their nervous system. An overly-compliant child might seem easy, but emotionally they could be in a bad scary place which obviously we don’t want for the child and is problematic in the future. To thrive, grow and develop, a child needs to feel safe and connected.

Songs help a child feel part of family or tribe and it is the language that soothes them to sleep.

Music is the first language of safety, security and love

Growing up with music from birth (and before) lays the foundation for a child to develop all the skills that we will discuss later in this article.

A stressed or scared child generally doesn’t behave and develop well. This lack of connection and security can fundamentally affect a child’s cognitive development.

Making music through singing increases some brain chemicals like dopamine and reduces cortisol (a stress hormone). Music does this incredibly quickly and almost acts like a circuit breaker for the production of cortisol in our bodies.

There are incredible positive changes on the behavior and academic results of children in schools located in socio-economic challenging neighborhoods if a music program is introduced. Music won’t solve all their problems obviously, but can ‘fix’ some of the delay and difference in neural development these children might have had from birth.

Attention span

‘Why can’t you just pay attention?’

Not paying attention can come across as rude behavior. Certainly at a young age in most cases this is not deliberate disrespect, but a lack of concentration skill.

Being able to concentrate is a skill that develops over time and is, to a great extent, a learned one. Like many skills we learn through modeling by people around us, direct instructions (‘listen up’) and our own predisposition.

How does music learning help? Instructed and sequential music learning activities in early childhood are basically a bootcamp for the development of young children’s attention skills.

A three-minute music learning activity will engage multiple senses. It might involve a child moving his body while listening to a song or beat, watching out for when the song stops and then performing a new movement like turning around.

Music activities require hyper attention across multiple senses, following varied instructions without any warning while working within a group and couched as a game so the child is having fun and stays engaged.

In a Colourstrings kindergarten music class this happens with babies and toddlers. Every few minutes there’s a new activity, a new prop, a new movement and a new song. This rapid change is great for attention development, because the child has to adjust her attention to a new activity, new expectations, new movement, and a new set of concepts to watch out for. At the surface this might look like ‘just’ play, but under the surface the little kid’s brains are doing a full workout.

A bit on ‘just play’: Developmentally appropriate play with parents and peers is a singular opportunity to promote the social-emotional, cognitive, language, and self-regulation skills that build executive function and a prosocial brain. Play is how kids learn and develop.

Besides that we can learn the skill of concentration, it’s also nature. Some kids just can’t help their attention floating away. My four year old boy/girl twins are very different despite having about the same nurture. My son sits behind his piano many moments throughout the day and finds joy in focussing hard to learn a new difficult song. My daughter plays violin, but I can see that her brain just gets tired after focusing for even a few minutes. Certainly when things are difficult, she wants to avoid them. By mixing their instrumental learning with Colourstrings music learning, I train her musicianship and her attention skills, which will help her learn a complex instrument like the violin (or anything).

Inhibition control

Controlling reactions and interacting positively with others around you can be a challenge for young children. One of the skills that children need is inhibitory control, which helps inhibit the desire to go with a natural or habitual response. It helps a child maintain attention in a class, when they would rather pull someone’s ponytail.

Strong inhibitory control is developed through delayed gratification. This skill is more than just following the rules: It has a profound effect on children’s ability to make solid and positive friendships that could last a lifetime.

Music learning activities are a great tool to teach the ‘wait your turn’ skill. Watch any circle game and you will see children waiting their turn for what seems to them like an eternity. Flexing the ‘wait your turn’ muscle transfers to the ‘my turn to speak’ and ‘don’t strike out when you get angry’ muscle.

Musically trained children have been found to have particularly high inhibitory control

You can imagine that learning an instrument, including voice, takes lots of discipline. You have to get it wrong again and again before you get it right. Even then, you might get it right in your practice at home, but not be able to play it in your concert.

Inhibition control can be very helpful in the teenage years when handling emerging challenges such as taking calculated risks, managing stress effectively and avoiding addictions.

In a Colourstrings music kindergarten class children develop the skill of inhibitory control before they even start learning an instrument. They take turns returning the shakers and have to wait for their color. They have to wait for the teacher to sing their name in the ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ song before they respond. There are passing games where they have to wait for the interesting prop to come their way only to separate from it a wee moment later.

My third child found it very hard to share toys when he was two years old. This can be quite challenging in a family of seven. Doing singing games where a rose is passed or a guiro is played in turns trains his inhibition control to be able to accept the short disappointment when a toy goes away. (that and hiding his favorite dinos for his curious one year old sisters)

As simple as it sounds, keeping a beat is almost the perfect training ground for inhibitory control

Music is learned in groups, and groups provide positive peer pressure, meaning you keep going because you are in a group. Think of group fitness versus individual fitness: which one requires more effort to remain on task? Keeping a beat is a discipline, but after a while it becomes automatic, meaning we don’t use too much of our conscious brain to continue doing it.

In a Colourstrings music kindergarten class beat keeping is a theme throughout the whole lesson. First babies are tapped on the beat and bounced while listening to music. Later toddlers learn to keep the beat themselves with a shaker or while moving a lycra as a group.

Developing inhibition control not only positively impacts behavior, but transfers to overall intelligence. Through music learning children improve executive function abilities and planning, which transfer to improved academic results.

Resolving cognitive and emotional conflict

The music rehearsal and performance environment is a perfect place to help children form multiple ideas of what contribution might look like to the musical team. For playing in an orchestra a big set of executive functions is needed, one of which is the skill of resolving cognitive and emotional conflict. In simple words this is ‘think before you speak’. For example when you want to give someone your honest take about something from a place of emotion, but you’re aware that this might not get the reaction you want and hold your tongue.

In early childhood there might be no rehearsals yet, but there’s waiting your turn to play a very interesting percussion instrument. The child might want to have it earlier and grab it, but needs to control herself and wait for her turn. In passing games the child might not want to pass on the prop and keep it to herself and take it home. However, the child needs to control this urge and pass it on to the next child.

Music is teamwork

When my four year old son knows a piece well, he likes to challenge himself to play it faster and faster. I can’t blame him as even some adult concert pianists think this way, haha! However, when he plays together with his violin playing twin sister, he has to play really sloooooowly. A simple melody isn’t that easily played on the violin as it is on the piano (not at all to say piano is easier overall). His emotional urge might be to rush, however his cognitive response is to listen to and follow his sister.

It’s getting harder…

In today’s world it’s getting harder and harder to develop skills of attention span and inhibition control. Technology made many wonderful things possible and has definitely improved our lives. However, with screens all over the place, attention is difficult even for adults. With everything under a button, delayed gratification is less challenged.

How many times have you looked at your phone notifications while reading this article? (I’m not assuming anything, don’t worry, I just know myself)

Our world has never been as noisy as it is now

From birth (and before) children learn to absorb sounds and distinguish their elements. This is how we learn to understand language, to speak and to eventually read and write. In school we first learn to read and then read to learn.

The environmental noise our auditory processing network has to continually process is far beyond what it was built for. Consequently, the ability to pay attention or maintain our attentional control on what we want or need to focus on is getting harder.

Some people complain about how today’s children behave. Isn’t there more than ‘failing’ modern pedagogy? What if it’s just a lot harder these days to develop the skills needed to behave well and regulate one’s nervous system?

We are often asking our children’s brains to learn even more than we did in school while, often unwittingly, placing even more auditory distractions around them. Unfortunately, at the same time, in many school settings children are getting not more but less access to the very activity that hones their auditory processing network: music learning!

Start young!

In order for your child to thrive in a world filled with noise, we should start music lessons at the same age we start the noise… from birth!

For the best cognitive benefits of music education one can best start before the age of seven

Of course one can benefit from music at any age, but if your young child can experience musical games, sound-to-symbol activities and moving to music just once a week, you’re way ahead. Music learning before the age of seven helps with auditory, visual and motor cortices’ connectivity and helps the brain’s hemispheres and cerebellum communicate through corpus callosum (helps the left and right half of the brain transfer information).

Besides starting before seven years old, the recipe for permanent positive brain development also includes:

  • Singing, moving and playing an instrument outside our bodies
  • Learning in both individual and group environment
  • Age-appropriate music notation reading
  • Performance
  • Formal, sequential and expertly led classes

Music learning enhances our executive function skills, so we can problem-solve, manage stress, communicate effectively (even without words) and grow into the best version of ourselves. Making music together encourages us to be emphatic, kind and productive. How’s that for a definition of well-behaved?

Hi! I'm Zlata

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

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Please make music for music

Take music lessons to learn music and develop musicianship. A math teacher never has to explain what wonderful side effects math lessons have (and there are many, prompts my mathematician husband at the kitchen table). In the first place you learn math to calculate stuff, not to get better at analyzing Bach fugues. Math classes aren’t just reserved for those expected to be excellent mathematicians in the future. No, we think each child benefits from math, even if they’re not talented (or especially).

In the same way you can take music lessons for the purpose of music. In my opinion we sometimes tend to focus too much on the side effects of music lessons like they have no inherent value. Learning a child to enjoy, make and appreciate music is a very enriching and precious gift in and of itself that they can enjoy for their entire life.

Interested to become an early years music teacher?

I wrote this article as part of my Colourstrings early years music teacher training, which is why I mentioned the method a couple of times. If you’re looking to become a certified Colourstrings early years music teacher, check them out here. I can highly recommend their training.

Sources

Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors: Brain-Body-Sensory Strategies That Really Work – Robyn Gobbel

The Music Advantage: How Music Helps Your Child Develop, Learn, and Thrive – Anita Collins

The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children

Bariolage Violin Bowing Technique Explained with Examples

What does “Bariolage” mean?

Bariolage comes from a French word that means “to streak with several colors.” Bariolage is a technique that involves going very quickly back and forth between two adjacent strings, usually playing a melody on one string and a bass drone on the other. This creates the “several colors” described by the term. It was a very popular effect in the Baroque era and has remained important ever since.

What does bariolage look like in sheet music?

How do you recognize a bariolage passage in actual music? Unlike other bowing techniques, you are not going to see the word “bariolage” written into the music. However, it will be very obvious from the notes themselves. First, it will almost always be a passage of sixteenth or thirty-second notes. It might be eighth notes if the tempo is very fast. Secondly, the notes go back and forth between two strings. Check out the examples below to learn to recognize this violin bowing technique.

How do I practice bariolage on the violin?

We will go through some examples of bariolage in a moment. But first, let’s talk about how to practice the bariolage technique.

A common mistake is making the angle between the two strings too wide. What do I mean? If you rest your bow on the A string, you’ll notice that by raising or lowering your arm you can make the hair closer to the D string or E string without touching them. If you’re changing strings quickly, minimize arm movement and change the angle as little as possible. This will create a smoother sound and enable faster speed. Use detaché with a little bit of bite in it to catch the string.

There’s a rule of thumb in violin bowing technique, which says: the faster the movement, the less of your arm and the more of your wrist and fingers you use. Slower string crossings are made with the upper arm, but with faster string crossings you might be able to position your upper arm between the strings and barely move it. The string crossing motion can come fully from your wrist and fingers. Give this a try by putting your bow on two strings at the same time, find a good position for your upper arm and try to cross strings (without making bow strokes) just by moving your wrist and fingers.

The left hand here is also so important. Avoid lifting fingers unnecessarily. Practice slowly to make sure you place fingers down just before the bow. It can help to think of the music as chords instead of individual notes.

Think about which notes you want to emphasize. Traditionally, this would be the bass note. Practice using more bow on the downbeats of each measure to add emphasis and shape. The amount of bow you use will also affect dynamics.

Learning bariolage can be tricky because it is so fast and you’re thinking about bow technique and lots of notes at once. Learn the note by playing them as double-stops with simple martelé strokes. When you add the real bowing, the notes won’t be so difficult!

My last tip is to keep a loose, flexible wrist and fingers so you do not get tired in long bariolage passages.

Bariolage in Vivaldi’s Summer

Let’s look at a few of the most famous bariolage passages in the repertoire. Our first excerpt is from Vivaldi’s Summer. This is a straight-forward classic bariolage example. The melody is in the top voice, and you can hear the emphasis at the beginning of each measure. I’ve included both a score video and a live performance so you can hear and see how it is played:

Bariolage in Bach’s E Major Partita

This is an equally famous but more complex example. This has a rare three-string bariolage, which creates a stunning effect but is very difficult to play! The trick here lies in the arm movements. Practice slowly in a mirror, trying to find a level for your upper arm where you can move it the least. Loose fingers and wrist do most of the work. See if you can catch other more typical bariolage in the piece as well.

Bariolage in Kreisler’s Praeludium and Allegro

Now for our most complex example yet. This is technically a two-string bariolage, but the intervening open e strings make the bowing pattern much trickier. Thus my first practice tip is to practice it without the open strings. Then you’ll notice that the entire passage is just major and minor sixths. Practice these sixths as double-stops, memorizing the spacing between the fingers. By dividing it up, you can also see that it forms a repeating pattern, making it easier to memorize in sections. Emphasizing the first note of every sequence will help keep your bow from going crazy! Don’t rush learning this passage, it definitely requires lots of slow practice.

As you can see, there are several types of bariolage, although most will be the simple form as in Summer. Regardless, the basic technique remains the same: Emphasize the moving line, lift fingers as little as possible, and keep the bow close to both strings. Bariolage is an incredibly fun violin technique and will never fail to wow your listeners! What is your favorite bariolage passage?

Hi! I'm Zlata

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

READ MORE

Improve your violin bowing technique with these lessons and articles:

Do you want to know every possible bowing technique on the violin? Watch this video with 102 violin bowing techniques. The basis for all bowing techniques is to bow smoothly. This video lesson will help you with that. A proper and relaxed violin bow hold will help a lot improving your bowing technique and sound. Read this article.

Take bowing technique lessons with Zlata

Join my Violin Bowing Bootcamp to build a great basic technique, make a beautiful sound and learn the most common bow strokes. Join Bow like a Pro for an extensive curriculum all things bowing.

Collé violin bow stroke explained + 3 exercises

What is collé bowing on the violin?

Collé is a technique where the fingers and wrist make a circular motion resulting in an active, off-the-string bow stroke with a firm sound. It most frequently done near the frog.

Collé vs Spiccato

Since it is a short off-the-string stroke, collé is sometimes confused with spiccato. There are similar techniques involved, but collé is usually for slower tempos or articulating individual notes, whereas spiccato is for faster and longer passages. Go here to read more about spiccato violin bowing.

Why should you practice collé bowing on the violin?

Collé bowing and the exercises that lead to it described later in this article are not only useful for playing collé in repertoire. Collé is great to improve your bow hand flexibility, bow control and smooth bowing. Practicing collé will improve your overall violin bowing technique and tone.

Collé sheet music notation

violin bowing techniques - staccatoIn sheet music, you will see staccato dots above the note but you probably won’t find the word collé written into the part. Rather, it is stylistically implied or might be an artistic choice. The finger/wrist action in collé gives a very strong articulation to the beginning of a short note so that it doesn’t get lost in the texture.

Collé can be described as “bowed pizzicato”

This describes how short the contact should be, and that in a sense the bow “plucks” the string. The bow must always start from the string with flat hair. If the bow is not into the string, the articulation will not be loud enough for the note to pop.

How to learn collé bowing on the violin?

Collé might feel awkward and difficult at first because it requires a high level of hand flexibility. It is helpful to start learning difficult techniques away from the violin at first to lower frustration levels.

3 collé exercises

Here is a progressive sequence of exercises you can do to learn collé:

  1. Put your fingers together as if you were holding an invisible bow. Without dropping the “bow”, curve your fingers in towards your lowest row of knuckles, then straighten them down away from your palm. This should be a very active motion, but allow your tendons to be relaxed. Do this several times every day to increase dexterity, and then try doing it while holding a pencil in bow position.
  2. Now try the same thing with your bow, but without the violin. Balance the tip of your bow on your other hand. Can you do the motion fluidly without dropping the bow? (Hint: don’t grip tightly.) Is your thumb rounded in the up position?
  3. Place your bow on an open string at the frog. Now here’s an important detail: If you’re about to do an upbow, your fingers should be straight. If you’re about to do a downbow, your fingers should be curved. The wrist will move through the stroke as well. For example, if you firmly set the frog on the string in the fingers curled position, quickly shoot your fingers down, lifting the bow from the string as you do so. The goal is to get a clear but very short and slightly percussive sound. Do this very slowly on open strings only at first, watching in a mirror to see if your bow stays straight.

Another great exercise for bow hand flexibility is the Thibaud exercise you can find here.

Collé doesn’t get talked about much, but it is a vital part of the violinist’s toolkit. Facilitating finger/wrist dexterity makes it possible to play fast with clarity. For example, listen to this passage from Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole. The short, strong up bows at the frog are collé.

Hi! I'm Zlata

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

READ MORE

Improve your violin bowing technique with these lessons and articles:

Do you want to know every possible bowing technique on the violin? Watch this video with 102 violin bowing techniques.

The basis for all bowing techniques is to bow smoothly. This video lesson will help you with that.

A proper and relaxed violin bow hold will help a lot improving your bowing technique and sound. Read this article.

Take bowing technique lessons with Zlata

Join my Violin Bowing Bootcamp to build a great basic technique, make a beautiful sound and learn the most common bow strokes.

Join Bow like a Pro for an extensive curriculum all things bowing.

Top 20 Violin and Cello Duets

Discover the most beautiful pieces for violin and cello duo

They are ranked from easy to hard, so there’s something for everyone

In the world of string instrument chamber music, standard combinations like string quartets or piano trios always seem to get pride of place. But what if you only have to string players? They can’t play the magnificent string quartets of Beethoven or Haydn by themselves, so what do they have to choose from? There are certainly many fantastic pieces written for duet instruments. Previously, we’ve done articles one the best duets for two violins and the best violin and piano pieces. Now it’s time for the cellists to take the spotlight.

Here are twenty beautiful pieces composed or arranged for violin and cello

#1 Easy Traditional Duets for Violin and Cello by Amanda and Jemima Oosthuizen

If you’re a beginner looking for violin and cello duets, it is a good idea to find an entire book so you can try out several short pieces. Amanda and Jemima Oosthuizen are a mother/daughter duo who compiled several collections of violin and cello duos (not to mention combinations for other instruments.) These thirty-two easy traditional duets are written clearly with simple rhythms and all in first position. Pieces in this book include Christmas songs such as Away in a Manger, Deck the Halls, and Jingle Bells, as well as general traditional songs like Yankee Doodle.

Check it out here on Amazon: Easy Traditional Duets (First Position)

#2 Easy Classical Violin and Cello Duets arr. Javier Marcó

This volume is very similar to the previous one, except that as the title implies it is entirely arrangements of classical pieces. Most of them are very well-known, such as Dance of the Flowers, Für Elise, and 1812 Overture. Several of the titles are written in German, but even if you don’t immediately recognize the titles you will most likely recognize the tune.

Check it out here on Amazon: Easy Classical Duets

#3 10 Romantic Easy Duets arr. Francesco Leone

If you’re a beginner looking specifically for the most beautiful classical pieces arranged for violin and cello, this book is for you. There is something very unusual but helpful about these arrangements: every single piece is written three times, each in a different key. This means that you can choose whichever key is the most comfortable for you. You can also practice all three versions to get used to different scales.

Check it out here on Amazon: Easy Romantic Duets

#4 Easy Duets from Around the World for Violin and Cello by Amanda and Jemima Oosthuizen

These 26 pieces are also mostly in first position and simple rhythms. Given the title, this book has a wide array of pieces but there is a high percentage of British and Scottish tunes.

Check it out here on Amazon: Duets From Around the World

#5 Big Book of Violin and Cello Duets arr. Fulvia Mancini and Massimiliano Martinelli

This 80-page book is excellent because there are so many songs and the repertoire is so diverse. Whether you are looking for pop tunes, movie themes, or classical favorites, there is something in here for you. The pieces are mostly, but not entirely, in first position, but the rhythms are much more complex than in the books listed above. However, if you are familiar with the tunes that will help you decipher the rhythms and play them accurately.

Check it out here on Amazon: Big Book of Duets

#6 Intermediate Classic Duets for Violin and Cello by Amanda and Jemima Oosthuizen

These arrangements are well done and contain more musical expression markings. They are lovely simple arrangements of beautiful classical tunes that every developing musician should learn to recognize. These arrangements are advertised as “mostly in first position and mostly easy keys”. Tunes in this collection include The Swan, Holst’s Jupiter, and Loch Lomond.

Check it out here on Amazon: Intermediate Classic Duets

#7 Salut d’Amour by Edward Elgar

Elgar wrote this touching short love song for the woman he married. The original is for solo violin with piano or orchestra, but there are a few different violin and cello arrangements, which works really well for this piece. It is not too challenging but does require competent shifting skill and legato phrasing.

Click here to download the free sheet music.

#8 Hungarian Dance No. 5 by Johannes Brahms

During the late 19th century, European composers loved writing pieces based on eastern European Brahms wrote a set of twenty-one short Hungarian dances originally for two pianos. Brahms’s audience enjoyed these pieces so much that there have been many arrangements done for other instruments. Hungarian Dance No. 5 is very popular for solo violin, but I love this fiery arrangement for violin and cello.

Sheet Music can be found here: Brahms Hungarian Dance 

#9 Duo by Boccherini

Boccherini is one of the underappreciated Baroque composers. He is very well-known to cellists because he was a virtuoso cellist himself, so he has a lot of compositions for that instrument. He spent most of his life working for the Spanish royalty. This arrangement is an excerpt from his string quintet Night Music in the Streets of Madrid. This fun, spirited piece sounds like fiddle music! It is a very famous excerpt because it was used in the movie Master and Commander.

Sheet Music Can be found here: Boccherini Arrangement

 

#10 3 Duets for Violin and Cello by Ludwig van Beethoven

Have you heard Beethoven’s famous triple concerto? If you’re looking for a violin/cello piece that’s more manageable by the same composer, these three duos should do the trick. The duo in C Major, for example, is only ten minutes long and split into three movements. It is a cheerful piece that is quite doable for student players but is still impressive. This is a great Beethoven chamber music option if you are looking for something other than his sonatas or string quartets.

Sheet Music Can be found here: Beethoven Duos

 

#11 Concerto for Violin and Cello in B-flat Major by Antonio Vivaldi

This is only one of Vivaldi’s five hundred concertos. It is equally fun for both the violinist and the cellist, and the accompaniment is a blast to play as well. The word “concerto” may sound intimidating because it makes us think of huge technical works, so you should remember that concertos were very different in Vivaldi’s day. This one is only ten minutes long and roughly equivalent to other popular Vivaldi concertos that students learn.

Click here to download the free sheet music.

 

#12 Duo for Violin and Cello by Josef Haydn

It seems that we’ve lost appreciation for a lot of the smaller classical chamber works. Haydn’s cello concerto and his violin concertos are performance staples, so obviously a duet between the two would be the bet of both worlds, right? This seven-minute piece is similar in difficulty to the concertos and string quartets. In fact, it may be helpful to learn this duo before diving into the famous Haydn string quartets to practice string ensemble skills on a smaller level.

Click here to download the free sheet music.

 

#13 6 Duos for Violin and Cello by Ignaz Pleyel

Ignaz who? After listing composers like Beethoven, Vivaldi, and Haydn, this name may seem out of place. Ignaz Pleyel was actually a prolific 18th-century Austrian composer whose fame at the time even spread to America. He wrote dozens of string quartets and symphonies, as well as operas. He also had a large output of chamber music for other combinations as well. If you are looking for pieces for two violinists instead of cello, check out his violin duets. They are quite lovely and much simpler than this piece.

Click here to download the free sheet music.

 

#14 3 Duos for Violin and Cello by Alexander Rolla

You’ve certainly heard of Paganini, but do you know who his teacher was? Alexander Rolla, who actually was the first one to introduce some of the crazy techniques that Paganini became known for. Needless to say, Rolla was a virtuoso in his own right. He had an incredibly successful career as a composer, pedagogue, performer, and conductor. These sprightly duos are a good example of his charming yet innovative compositional style.

Click here to download the free sheet music.

 

#15 Aubade by Benjamin Godard

Benjamin Godard lived a short but musically rich life. Born in Paris in 1849, he showed wonderful talent from an early age. He studied violin with Henry Vieuxtemps at the Paris Conservatoire, where he later became a professor. He was a contemporary to the greatest Romantic era composers and had a vast compositional output. This includes eight operas, five symphonies, sonatas, concertos, and string quartets. Aubade contains both a slow, harmonically lush first movement and a faster second movement that sounds like a joyful country dance. If you want to hear more of Godard’s work, I recommend the very chromatic Oriental Symphony.

Click here to download the free sheet music.

 

#16 Danse Macabre by Saint-Saens arr. Cicely Parnas

This is an arrangement of a famous piece originally written for orchestra and solo violin. It is Saint-Saens’s musical presentation of a very strange bit of folklore. You probably recognize the theme of this piece from scary Halloween movies or commercials, but you may have no idea what it’s about. The solo violin represents death playing his fiddle and calling all the skeletons to come dance with him. There are many symbolic elements, such as the Dies Irae chant and the harp playing the twelve strokes of midnight. This is a difficult arrangement since it boils a whole orchestra down to two instruments, but it is a great duet showpiece.

Sheet Music Can be found here: Danse Macabre by Saint-Saens arr. Cicely Parnas

 

#17 Passacaglia by Handel/Halvorsen

This is the classic example of an ideal violin/cello combination. It is also what could be called a posthumous collaboration. Halvorsen based it off a theme from Handel’s Suite No. 7 in G Minor for Harpsichord, but then spins into technical fireworks of his own making. It is still his best-known work, and probably the most-played violin and cello duet. Although I’m also a particular fan of his piece that’s intriguingly titled Norway’s Greeting to Theodore Roosevelt.

Click here to download the free sheet music.

 

Hi! I'm Zlata

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

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#18 8 Pieces for Violin and Cello by Rheinhold Gliere

When Sergei Prokofiev was eleven years old, he began studying with Rheinhold Gliere. Gliere was a more old-school Russian composer, and one of the few who managed to keep his artistic endeavors relatively unaffected by the Soviets. Born in Kiev, he later taught at the Moscow Conservatory and won many prizes for his compositions, the most famous of which is probably Russian Sailor’s Dance. Most of these eight very short duets are suitable for intermediate players, addressing things such as double stops, unusual intervals and chromatic patterns, and many different time signatures. I recommend starting with Gavotte or Canzonetta.

Click here to download the free sheet music.

 

#19 Duo for Violin and Cello by Zoltán Kodály

Zoltán Kodály should be talked about more. He is best-known for his reformation of the Hungarian music education system, and composed many works for children. Although he did not officially write his own method, just a set of principles, his work became known as the “Kodaly Method.” However, he did not only write pedagogical music. He spent years collecting authentic Hungarian folksongs to use in his music. He mentored Bela Bartok. Duo for Violin and Cello, Op. 7, is complex, a fusion of many compositional elements. It is a challenging but eye-opening exploration of 20th-century music from an under-appreciated composer.
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Sheet Music Can be found here: Kodaly Duet

 

#20 Sonata for Violin and Cello by Maurice Ravel

Ravel was a 20th-century composer whose fame has been maintained. He was a contemporary with Debussy, and both are often called “impressionist” composers. He did not write as many pieces as his contemporaries because he liked to work slowly, but he was a fantastic orchestrator. Bolero is a great example of this, where he takes a single theme and weaves it out for fifteen minutes. I put this duet last because it’s not as traditionally melodic as most of the other pieces. Its ethereal arpeggiating patterns in the first movement keep the tonal center ambiguous. This piece is best for very advanced or professional players.
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Sheet Music Can be found here: Ravel Sonata Violin and Cello

 

Do you have experience playing violin and cello repertoire? What is the best duet you’ve discovered? Leave it in the comments!

16 Best Violin Bows in 2024: Ultimate Buying Guide for the Right Violin Bow

Buying the best violin bow is at least as important as the violin you buy

If you have a fantastic violin, but your bow is wobbly, the hair doesn’t respond to the string and it never seems to do what you want, you will be discouraged in your violin playing.

For example you could notice the violin bow jumps or shakes when you want to play legato or just doesn’t want to jump when you want to play spiccato. Also you might have the idea that your violin doesn’t sound that good with the bow that you have.

The violin bow makes an enormous difference in the sound you make, how you tackle fast runs, the bowing techniques you can perform and the overall ease of playing violin

Violin bows cost from $ 6 (see review here) up to $ 288,960 (more info below). In this article I will discuss what to look for when buying a violin, how much a violin bow costs and my reviews of beginner, intermediate and professional bows of different prices.

Table of contents:

Top 3 violin bows in 2024

Let’s start with what I think are the best violin bows for beginner, intermediate and advanced players. Then I will discuss what difference a bow makes and what to look for when buying a bow. After that I will continue with the promised 16 best violin bows on the market right now and more depth violin bow reviews.

Best violin bow for a beginner violinist

Do you feel the violin bow that ‘came with’ your violin set just doesn’t seem to do what you want? Do you want to sound better, tackle fast runs and perform different bow strokes?

A good violin bow doesn’t have to be expensive. While good pernambuco wooden bows start around $ 600, these days carbon fiber bows make it possible to get a good violin bow at a very low price.

I think this bow is the best under $ 100:

Fiddlerman carbon fiber violin bow

Buy here

Best all-round violin bow for intermediate to advanced players

As an intermediate player you want a bow that not makes your violin sound great, but also can perform all different violin bowing techniques.

CodaBow Marquise GS violin bow

This bow gives a warm, but full sound on almost every violin. It feels like it follows your hand beautifully and subtly. The stick is round and a little flexible making it easier to switch between detaché and spiccato. Still it’s stiff and punchy enough for a crispy staccato or ricochet.

Buy here

Top violin bow for an advanced or professional player

In the price range for advanced and professional players (say from around $ 3,000 for a violin) one often speaks more of individual bow makers of the past and present more than brands and types. It’s important to select a unique bow that suits your playing style and violin.

Arcus S9 round violin bow

This bow has an extremely light weight (49 grams), which makes it very agile and light and easy to play with. Switching between all different bowing techniques is a breeze. It allows the maximum resonance from your instrument and you’ll have a large brilliant sound without it being too harsh.

Buy here

What difference does a violin bow make in your playing?

You might be wondering: Does a violin bow make a difference? It looks like a simple stick with some hair, right? Why do violinist pay thousands for a special bow?

Certainly as you’ll learn different violin bowing techniques, a good violin bow will make it a lot easier to perform a smooth detaché or legato, a jumpy spiccato or ricochet and a crispy staccato.

A good violin bow will help you make a beautiful sound on your violin, make it easier to play difficult pieces and give you a lot more confidence in your violin playing.

Professionals will agree that they’d rather play a mediocre violin with a top range bow than the other way around.
‘Le violon, c’est l’archet.’
(the violin, it’s the bow) said the famous bow maker François Tourte around 1800. Most bows are still made after the design he developed.

To show an extreme difference between violin bows, check out this video review I made with a $ 29 bow vs a $ 8,000 bow.

Sure, Zlata, now we know the violin bow is extremely important for your violin playing, but…

What to look for when buying a violin bow?

How are different violin bows different?

Before I go into the reviews of violin bows, let’s discuss what differences you can notice between violin bows. When you are choosing a violin bow to buy, there are several characteristics to look out for.

#1 How the violin bow makes your violin sound

When you play with different violin bows, you’ll start to notice that your violin produces a different sound depending on the bow you use. Some bows will make it sound warmer, mellower and softer, while other bows will make your violin sound more brilliant, louder or even shrill.

It’s important to consider where you will use the bow for. Are you a soloist who needs to carry the sound over the orchestra in a large concert hall? Or are you second violinist who wants her sound to blend in the orchestra? Maybe you mainly play chamber music.

‘Response’

Response might seem like a vague term that’s hard to imagine if you haven’t experienced differences in it yourself when trying out different bows. In essence it means how the violin bow reacts when you start a note. Is the sound there right away? Or do you very consciously need to start the sound? Or do you feel the sound starts delayed? It’s pleasant when the sound starts right away as you make the bow stroke.

Dynamic range

When you’re testing a violin bow try out playing pianissimo in all places of the bow (for example also at the extreme tip) and playing fortissimo. You’ll discover that some bows can play very very soft and still have sound, while other bows seem to respond less and have a smaller dynamic range. To play the violin expressively, it’s important that you can play all dynamics easily with your bow.

#2 How it feels to play with a violin bow

When you start trying out different violin bows in your quest to buy the right one, you’ll quickly notice the bows feel differently while playing.

Weight (light vs heavy)

Some bows are extremely light like the Arcus bows of 49 grams. Other bows feel quite heavy, some even over 60 grams. This might not seem like lot, but you DO feel it a lot when playing.

Balance (stable vs bouncy)

A violin bow could be heavier at the tip or heavier at the frog.

Pros and cons of a heavy violin bow

When the bow is heavy at the tip it feels very secure, you can easily do a smooth legato, but jumping bowing techniques might take more effort and might seem more difficult. Also your pinky needs to do more work.

Pros and cons of a light violin bow

When the bow is relatively heavy at the frog OR particularly light at the tip (or both) the bow can feel a bit more nervous and jumps easily. This is an advantage for jumping bowing techniques like spiccato, sautillé and ricochet, but it can make smooth bowing more difficult. If the bow is too nervous for you, it feels like you can’t control it. Obviously a light bow is agile and fast runs can be easier. In general with a light bow you feel more ease in your playing and it’s less strenuous for your arm, hand and fingers. In wooden bows a very light weight often means that the bow is soft and can feel wobbly. In carbon fiber bows, like Arcus, it’s possible to make very light bows that are also stiff.

Stiff vs flexible

With a stiff bow it’s easier to put weight into the bow. When you press your index finger into the bow while playing, this pressure (or weight) will transfer through the bow and the bow hair into the string. If you have a soft or flexible bow, you will see that the bow easily bends in the direction of the hair (or even almost touch the hair) when you put pressure on the bow.

The pro of a stiff bow is that you can easily transfer weight, have a good response and play jumping bowing techniques like spiccato and ricochet. However, a stiff bow might also feel a bit nervous and miss a certain nuance. A more flexible bow can feel like you’re more in control and can make more subtle jumps in spiccato and a smoother legato. When a bow is too soft, it doesn’t function and is really hard to manage.

Isn’t the stiff vs flexible a matter of tightening the bow? Yes, when the bow is tighter it will feel a bit stiffer. This is why it’s important that you know exactly how much to tighten your violin bow (watch the video here). However, the stick itself has a certain resilience and even if you tighten a very soft bow a lot, it will still be soft.

#3 Types of violin bows and what they’re made of

Carbon vs Wood violin bow: what is better?

Carbon fiber violin bows are good news for a few reasons:

  • It’s possible to make very good bow for very little money as you don’t need rare types of wood
  • You can manufacture types of bows (also higher range) that have benefits that wood bows can’t have (like the very light Arcus bows that are still stiff and offer the advantages of both baroque and Tourte bows).
  • Carbon fiber violin bows are far less sensitive for wrapping due to humidity and temperature changes. The are more durable.
  • Pernambuco is an endangered type of wood, so good quality wooden bows will become more and more expensive in the future.

Some violinists think the cheap carbon composite bows from Chinese factories are what carbon has to offer. However, these days in carbon as well as wood there are so many quality levels and types of bows that one cannot say something general about either of them.

Lots of violinists still like the charm of an individual wooden bow and love their precious pernambuco bow from a certain (maybe antique) bow maker.

Read more about wood vs carbon violin bows in my article right here.

Read here about all the different materials the parts of the violin bow are made of.

Octagonal vs Round violin bow: what is better?

The part of the violin bow at the frog is always octagonal (so the wood has eight edges). The stick of the bow can either be round (smooth) or octagonal. In general octagonal bows are stiffer, more agile and jumpier. Round bows are smoother, more flexible and peaceful.

Violinists play for 50% on round bows and 50% on octagonal bows, which proves that one isn’t better than the other. It’s a matter of personal preference. You can be a ’round bow person’ or an ‘octagonal bow person’ and you can switch during your career.

Please also know that the characteristics of each bow differ a lot and the fact that they are octagonal or round doesn’t say everything. When you’re looking to buy a violin bow, don’t limit yourself to one bow.

Watch this violin bow review video to find out more about round vs octagonal.

Now you know what to look for when buying a violin bow

How much does a good violin bow cost?

There are beginner level bows that cost under $ 100 and are still great bows to start out with. Intermediate bows cost between $ 500 and $ 2,000. Professional level bows start around $ 3,000 and cost up to six figures. I will review some great violin bows in each price range below.

Let’s get started with my bow reviews, so you can pick the right bow for you!

Top 16 Violin Bows of 2023: reviews by a violin teacher

I will review violin bows from cheap to expensive and will start with some bows that are great for beginners and a good ‘bang for your buck’. After that I will continue with bows for intermediate, advanced and professional players.

Selecting and buying the right bow for you is very personal, which is why it’s important to try out different bows for yourself if you have the possibility to. You can do this in a violin shop or have a selection of bows shipped to your home if you’d like to buy your violin bow online. I hope my reviews can help you make your selection.

Best violin bows for beginners

Price range $ 63 to $ 400

What are good violin bows for beginner violinists? Check out these top picks:

P&J Fiberglass violin bow you can rehair yourself!

Buy here

Price: $ 63

Features: fiberglass stick, easy rehair system you can do yourself at home, Parisian eye, mother of pearl inlay, available in lots of sizes and colors (fun for kids)

So your kid is a budding violinist and one day while playing the bow hair gets caught up in the finetuners of the violin when he’s not looking. Then he tries to get the bow lose himself and SNAP… the bow hairs are broken.

Or you’re an adult, want to take your bow out of the violin case and EECK… the bow hairs get stuck behind the bow holder and break. Noooo!

For bows under $ 100 there’s no point in getting a rehair that can cost the same as your bow except if you get a P&J bow with the easy at home rehair system. Yes, you can rehair this bow yourself!

Of course that’s a big advantage, but also know that this bow is fiberglass (not carbon or carbon fiber) and will not have the sound and characteristics of bows made out of better materials.

However, for schools this bow is ideal!

Fiddlerman carbon fiber violin bow

Buy here

Price: $ 69

Weight: 60 grams

Features: carbon fiber stick, ebony frog, circle eye, horse hair

This bow is truly the best bang for your buck and the bow I recommend to everyone with a tight budget looking to upgrade from the bow that ‘came with their violin’. The sound is nice and full and it can easily do all the different bow strokes for you. Because it’s carbon fiber, the quality will be consistent and it’s very durable.

Dörfler D7 massaranduba violin bow

Buy here

Price: $ 109

Features: ebony frog, simple eye and round massaranduba stick

Dörfler makes excellent violin bows in Germany and really is a brand to look for when buying a wooden violin bow. Massaranduba is a municipality in Brazil making this a brazil wooden (but not pernambuco) violin bow.

This bow is nice and stable for a beginner, has a flexible round stick and produces a warm not too full tone. When you’re going into more advanced bowing techniques, you might however want to look for

Holstein pernambuco violin bow

Buy here

Price: $ 199

Weight: 60 grams

Features: pernambuco stick, silver mounting, ebony frog, Siberian horse hair, mother of pearl inlay

Forget that I said that only above $ 600 you can get a quality pernambuco bow. What!? This Holstein bow is made of quality pernambuco, it has a great response, good open sound on your violin, a strong resilient stick and… it’s under $ 200. On top of that it comes with the great warranty and service of the friendly guys at Fiddlershop. If you want a traditional quality bow with small budget, get this bow!

CodaBow Prodigy Carbon Fiber Violin Bow

Get rid of bow shakes and feel in control as a beginner violinist

Buy here

Price: $ 365

Weight: 60 grams

Features: graphite fiber weave stick with kevlar fiber acoustic core, nickel silver fittings, ‘Xebony’ frog, Mongolian horse hair

If you want to feel secure as a beginner and stop your shaky bow, get this Prodigy. It feels very stable, is on the stiff and slightly heavy side. It might not be as agile as the more expensive models by CodaBow, but it can be an extremely pleasant bow for the first years. It’s simply very forgiving and I recommend it time after time when beginner(ish) students complain about not being able to control their bow.

Best mid range violin bows for intermediate players

Price range: $ 500 to $ 750

If you’re playing more technically challenging pieces and start to deepen your musical expression, upgrading your bow can be really rewarding as an intermediate violinist.

Over the years I’ve convinced quite some intermediate players who thought they needed a different violin, to look into a new bow first. It can make all the difference.

Fiddlerman Pro Series carbon fiber violin bow

Buy here

Price: $ 599

Weight: 53 grams

Features: carbon fiber stick, snakewood frog, sterling silver fittings,

The sound of this bow is brilliant, open and clear. It’s nice and light, easy to handle and very agile. You can easily perform all bowing techniques with it and it offers excellent value for money. It’s a great affordable alternative for the more expensive carbon fiber bow brands. 

Watch my video review of the Fiddlerman Pro series here and decide for yourself if it’s PRO or NO.

Conrad Götz No.76 Pernambuco Violin Bow

Buy here

Price: $ 639

Features: round pernambuco stick, Parisian eye, ebony frog, made in Germany

Round bow with a mellow sound that’s comfortable to hold and easy to play. If you’re looking for a great intermediate traditional bow, this is a good pick!

Musing C3 Carbon Fiber Violin Bow

Buy here

Price: $ 675 (Müsing bows start at $ 495)

Weight: 54 grams

Features: 80% carbon fiber stick, steel fittings, star shaped button and ergonomic frog

Great quality carbon fiber bow that’s 80% carbon fiber, which means it allows great resonance of your violin (too much epoxy mutes the sound). These bows are agile and you can perform different bowing techniques with ease. Also it’s lighter than most wooden bows.

Jean-Paul Pernambuco Silver 2-star Violin Bow

Buy here

Price: $ 739

Weight: 60-62 grams

Features: carefully selected pernambuco stick, horn frog, large pearl eye

A traditionally crafted pernambuco bow with a beautiful full and warm sound. This bow is made with great attention for details.

Jean-Paul is known to make excellent bows with a peaceful character and a warm sound. Make sure to also check out their carbon fiber bows if you want the advantages of carbon fiber with the look and feel of a traditional pernambuco bow.

Best all-round violin bows for intermediate, advanced and professional players

Price range: $ 1,200 to $ 2,250

Are you looking for a bow that can blend in in an orchestra, help you shine as a soloist, enjoy chamber music, be great at your wedding gig and does all bowing techniques with ease while at the same time make your violin sound best?

These bows can really do everything for the active amateur or the professional with a variety of gigs:

Codabow Marquise GS Violin Bow

Buy here

Price: $ 1,295

Features: unidirectional carbon fiber stick, natural acoustic core, ‘Xebony’ frog,

This is the top of the line bow by CodaBow and compared to it’s ‘little brothers and sisters’ it’s definitely worth the extra money. It really gives you the smooth subtle feeling from a traditional master bow and it sounds warm, but full, and has a great response.

For example the GX does everything it needs to do, but the Marquise allows for more expressive playing and a more complex tone. I know this all sounds vague, so definitely give it a try.

Michael Mönnig Violin Bow Silver

Buy here

Price: $ 1,739

Features: very high quality aged round pernambuco stick, silver mounting, Paris eye

This is a great example of a versatile, high quality hand made pernambuco bow. It has a powerful and sonorous sound with a great response. This bow will express all the subtleties in your playing in a beautiful sound. 

Arcus T6 Violin Bow

Buy here

Price: $ 2,250 (for the T6, the T-series starts at $ 1,080)

Weight: 52 grams

Features: unidirectional hollow carbon fiber stick, snakewood frog, silver mounting

The T-models are the most universal bows made by Arcus. It’s also their newest series and since it’s introduction I’ve been recommending them so much to a variety of players. They cover a huge spectrum of sound colors and playing styles. Violinists can expect great warmth and brilliance at the same time, which make them suitable for a majority of instruments.

For this review I chose the T6, because I think the sound and playing quality is noticeably better than the T4 or the T5 and definitely worth the upgrade if you can afford it. Above the 6 it’s a bit more costly, still worth it, but more luxury than necessity for a professional.

Watch my review video of the Arcus T-series right here. In it I also walk you through the different classes (T4 to T9), because I know that can be very confusing if you’re new to Arcus bows.

Most expensive violin bows for professional violinists

Price range: $ 3,799 to $ 288,960 (!)

Get ready to be tempted by these top tier violin bows suitable for the most demanding professional players. Usually when you want to buy a high quality violin bow, the way is to visit a violin shop, try out several bows and perhaps take a selection home. You will find unique bows by bow makers of the past and present. For this article I have selected some professional violin bows that one could buy online.

What is the most expensive violin bow in the world?

Did you know that violin bows can cost up to six figures? Antique bows of famous makers that are in a good state and have a history of being played by famous violin virtuosos like Kreisler or Paganini can be auctioned for very high prices. The most expensive violin bows are made by the famous bow maker François Xavier Tourte (1747 to 1835). Most bows are still made after his design. Recently a silver and ebony bow Tourte made and was played by Bronislaw Huberman is sold for a whopping $ 288,960.

Why are expensive bows gold mounted?

All bows I review below of the higher price range are gold mounted. Are expensive violin bows more expensive because of the gold mounting? Yes and no. It’s a tradition in bow making for a maker to use the most precious materials for their best bows. Gold mounting is to indicate that this a a top level bow. However, of course the maker must calculate the gold price in the violin bow price. Gold is a little lighter than other materials, but it doesn’t really make a difference in the playing characteristics of the bow.

Penzel Violin Bow Goldbow

Buy here

Price: $ 3,799

Features: top level pernambuco aged 40 years, gold mounting, Parisian eye, Hill liner, sequential numbering of the stick and frog

Traditional violin bow made out of top level pernambuco wood by master bow maker Matthias Penzel in Germany. This is a family business with a tradition going back over 100 years. This is a bow one could for example play in a professional orchestra, but it’s also a gem to have or the demanding amateur.

JonPaul Vetta 14K Gold Violin Bow

Buy here

Price: $ 4,348

Features: carbon fiber bow with a varnish finish made after the example of a Pecatte bow, rose gold mounting, white horn frog (also possible to choose ebony or black horn)

Made after the example of an actual Pecatte violin bow (a famous antique bow). This bow really has the advantages both of a high priced antique pernambuco bow and a top level carbon fiber bow. The best of both worlds! The balance, weight and flexibility are optimized. The sound is warm, rich and powerful. You’ll feel you have a precious antique bow.

Archet SLC Gold-Mounted Pernambuco Violin Bow

Buy here

Price: $ 4,500

Features: 35 to 80 years aged pernambuco stick of top quality, gold mounting, mother of pearl inlays

Top quality pernambuco violin bow hand made in Salt Lake City (Utah, USA) in the French style of Pecatte and Maline. 

Arcus S9 round Violin Bow

Buy here

Price: $ 8,000

Weight: 48 grams

Features: top quality unidirectional carbon fiber stick, gold mounting, snake wood frog

We end this article with the violin bow I own myself as a violin teacher. Of course I’m extremely biased, but I just love this bow. The light weight makes everything feel easier. It almost feels like you are cheating. It performs every bowing technique with ease (I made my 102 violin bowing techniques video with this one) and it gives a full brilliant sound on my violin.

As I’m biased, I asked my colleague and professional violinist Giedre to review this bow in this video, so you can judge for yourself what you think.

Conclusion

You’ve learned what difference a violin bow makes in your playing, how much a good bow costs, what to look for when buying a violin bow and I’ve reviewed some great violin bows for you in each price range. I hope you find this useful and it will help you find the right bow for you.

What I get asked a lot about violin bows

How much to tighten a violin bow?

If your bow is too lose, you will play with the stick on the string. If it’s too tight, your bow will be worn down faster. In this video I show you exactly how to tighten your violin bow.

Why is a violin bow bent?

The distance between the stick and the hair of your violin bow should be smaller in the middle of the bow than at the frog and the tip. This creates a spring system, so you can perform bouncing bow strokes like spiccato. Never tighten your bow so much that the bow is straight.

Wrapping of the bow

If your bow is bent in the other direction, for example that you see that the bow is curved outwards to the left or the right and doesn’t align with the hair (looking from the top, not the side), then your alarm bells should go off. Often this can’t be repaired and the bow doesn’t play as well.

Wrapping can happen due to changes in temperature and humidity. What you can do to prevent is to not tighten your bow too much, don’t expose it to too much temperate/humidity changes and be careful when putting away the bow in your case.

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:

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Hi! I'm Zlata

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

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How often to rosin your violin bow?

If you don’t rosin enough, the bow slips and doesn’t make (much) sound. If you rosin too much, the sound will be harsh and squeaky. In this article I explain all the dos and don’ts around rosining your violin bow.

How to known when to upgrade your violin bow?

Usually this starts with a feeling that you know a better bow would help you sound and/or play better. Then you might want to try some bows out and see what difference a violin bow makes. If you have a cheap violin bow that ‘came with’ a factory violin set, I usually recommend upgrading even if you’re still a beginner.

What to play when trying out a violin bow?

It’s important that you do a good test drive when you’re making a selection and buying a violin bow. Check out this article and download the exact excerpts I use when testing violin bows.

What violin bow strokes and bowing techniques are there?

Dive more into the technique of bowing with my video about 102 different violin bowing techniques right here. If that sounds too overwhelming, just start with these six most common bow strokes.

What violin bow do you have?

Leave a comment! I’d love to read it what you’d recommend.