Improve your Bowing Technique on the Violin
Master your violin bow and create a beautiful sound.
Free violin lessons that teach you how to bow smoothly, make fluent bow changes and master different bowing techniques, so you can play the music you love beautifully.
![[Video] How to Play Soft without Bow Shakes | Violin Lounge TV #252](https://violinlounge.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/How-to-Play-Soft-without-Bow-Shakes-Violin-Lounge-TV-252-400x250.jpg)
[Video] How to Play Soft without Bow Shakes | Violin Lounge TV #252
The root cause of the shaky bow problem can be a couple of different things. In this video I explain four possible causes and how to solve your specific problem. After this video you can play soft with a beautiful tone and without bow shakes.
![[Video] Wrist Position when Bowing at the Tip | Violin Lounge TV #251](https://violinlounge.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Wrist-Position-when-Bowing-at-the-Tip-Violin-Lounge-TV-251-400x250.jpg)
[Video] Wrist Position when Bowing at the Tip | Violin Lounge TV #251
Should you push out your wrist when playing at the extreme tip?
One of my Violin Lounge Academy students asked me this question in the online student community we have. He told me that another teacher told him that the wrist should be straight all the time and that bending your wrist gives problems while playing.
![[Video] French, German, Belgian, Russian or American Bow Hold? | Violin Lounge TV #248](https://violinlounge.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/French-German-Belgian-Russion-or-American-Bow-Hold-Violin-Lounge-TV-248-1-400x250.png)
[Video] French, German, Belgian, Russian or American Bow Hold? | Violin Lounge TV #248
This video is made to end the confusion you might have when you see all the possible different bow holds when you Google bow hold.
![[Video] How to: Portato Bowing | Violin Lounge TV #247](https://violinlounge.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Video-How-to-Portato-Bowing-Violin-Lounge-TV-247-400x250.jpg)
[Video] How to: Portato Bowing | Violin Lounge TV #247
In this video you will learn how to play portato.
Portato is the bowing technique you apply when you see slurred notes with a line below or above them.
![[Video] How to Train a Relaxed Bow Hold | Violin Lounge TV #246](https://violinlounge.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/How-to-Train-a-Relaxed-Bow-Hold-Violin-Lounge-TV-246-400x250.jpg)
[Video] How to Train a Relaxed Bow Hold | Violin Lounge TV #246
This episode is all about how to have a relaxed and flexible bow hold and bow smoothly with a beautiful tone.
Practice Finger Bowing to Bow Smoothly | Violin Lounge TV #241
This episode is about the exercise ‘finger bowing’. It will help you bow more smoothly en make a beautiful sound on the violin!
Beginners tend to bow mainly with their lower arm without much movement in their wrist and fingers creating the typical beginner sound. Your body will always do what’s easiest based on movements you are familiar with. However, these movements from daily life aren’t always the best for creating a beautiful tone on the violin.
What is Default Bowing? (part, amount and direction of the bow) | Violin Lounge TV #229
You might have noticed that there are so many ways to bow and so many bowing techniques. There are so many ways to color your sound on the violin with bowing.
However it might be confusing that there are so many possibilities. What would be the standard way of bowing (if there is one)?
How to Make Your Left and Right Hands Cooperate in Spiccato on the Violin | Violin Lounge TV #219
In this episode I’m answering a question from one of our viewers about Beethoven’s Violin Sonata nr 5 ‘Frühling’.
How, When and Why to Tilt Your Violin Bow | Violin & Viola TV #215
This video shows you how to tilt your bow, explains when you should do this and why. It also shows a way to bow smoothly at the frog by tilting your bow just at the frog.
How to Bow Comfortably and Fluently (with Arthritis or Fibromyalgia) | Violin & Viola TV #205
The bow hold that is optimal for your sound and playing technique, is a very strange hold. If you do this in a tensed way, your muscles can’t do it very long. Every beginner, certainly if you have arthritis or fibromyalgia, should work on the movement in the bow hold instead of focussing on keeping a strained hold.
In the video I demonstrate the effortless movement of using your wrist and fingers as a spring system. Violin playing shouldn’t cost a lot of effort in a short time. It should be refined, fluent and relaxed. In the end of the video I show you a jellyfish exercise.
Learn and Improve Your Spiccato with “Put Down Spiccato”
Have you been trying to learn spiccato, but didn’t it work out exactly as you expected? Or do you want to improve your spiccato?
Can You Over-Drop Your Right Elbow or Shoulder while Bowing?
I recommend making a nice square with your elbow slightly below that. This is very comfortable for your arm and produces a nice tone from your violin or viola. Here’s how to do that.
When Does Your Pinky Leave the Bow?
You might hear all the time that your pinky should remain on the bow all the time... nicely curved. However... when you look at performers playing, you see the bow hold changing in every bow stroke and you see them playing with the pinky off the bow. In this video I...
How to Hold Your Bow when Playing with Weight
In this video I will explain how to combine the principles of ‘Weight vs Pressure’ with your bow hold. This video is an answer to a question from viewer Marisa. Hi There,Could you please post a video on "bow grip" and "weight vs. pressure" combined? There are YouTube...
How to Move Your Hand and Fingers while Bowing
In this episode we answer a question from viewer Sarah: Hi, I am realizing that to bow straight, your wrist, fingers and arm do things as you bow from tip to frog and visa versa. On most videos, you don’t get to see what the hand is doing - especially when the bow is...
How to Prevent Your Pinky from Slipping off the Bow
In your violin or viola lesson your teacher might have instructed you to make your pinky round and set it on top the bow. This is easier said than done. Loads of violin and viola players struggle with this. Pamela writes: I am learning to play beginning violin at 66...
How to STOP Your E String from Whistling, Squeaking or Scratching
Lots of violinists find it difficult to get a beautiful sound when playing on the E-string. A good bowing technique, bowing straight, making clear string changes, choosing the right E-string and keeping your strings clean will prevent weird sounds of your E-string. In...
How to Play Multiple Staccato Notes on One Bow
In this Violin Lounge TV episode I answer a question from one of our viewers: Dear Zlata, I have trouble playing pieces where there are multiple staccatos in a row. My bow usually ends up jumpy and I find myself tensing up a lot. I am confused about the motion used to...
How to Make Your Bow Jump on Purpose (Spiccato)
Valyncia asks: I am learning how to play Irish jigs and there is a funny thing that is done with the bow: it sounds like a skip (I don’t know the tech name for it... sorry). I can do it on accident, but not on purpose... Question: How do I do it on purpose? Making...
How to Keep Your Left and Right Pinky Round in Playing Violin or Viola
Keep your pinky round, your teacher might have told you a hundred times. A round left pinky will improve your intonation. A round right pinky will improve your bowing and tone production. It’s easier said than done as your pinky needs strength (muscles!), flexibility...