Perfect violin bow hold in 6 easy steps

In this article, I'll share with you my approach to teaching proper violin bow hold, suitable for both children and adults. In my experience, everyone achieves a harmonious bow hold !

I use this method for beginners who are handling a bow for the first time, and for more advanced violinists who have tensions, problems to be solved or bad habits.

There are 6 very simple steps, which enable you to place your fingers in the ideal position and obtain a relaxed, effective bow hold.

Once the violinist has mastered this technique, it's just a matter of remaining attentive to certain details to maintain a perfect bow hold over the long term.

I've been applying this principle to all my students for over 20 years now, and believe me, no one has ever had a problem with their little finger, tight hand, or bow movement!

You can also forget about all those commercial accessories such as finger positioners and other gadgets designed to make bow handling easier.

I should specify that this is the most commonly used bow hold today, namely that of the Franco-Belgian school.

The 6 steps for a perfect violin bow hold

All you need to start is a pencil ( then a bow, of course!).

1. Turn your right hand palm up. Fingers slightly extended and naturally spaced, pencil held in the left hand.

2. Place the pencil on the fingers. It should pass between the 1st and 2nd joints of the index finger, and between the tip of the little finger and the 1st joint.

3. Place thumb opposite middle finger so that it is rounded.

4. Round off the fingers.

5. Turn hand over.

6. Place the little finger on the pencil.

Here are a few more details:

• the tip of the thumb is in contact with its right side, and always remains rounded in the same direction (it doesn't tense up)
• the little finger is in contact with its left side, and when correctly positioned, inclines all the fingers towards the front of the bow
• the point of contact of the index, middle, and ring fingers remains between the 1st and 2nd joints, and these fingers descend fairly low on the bow
• all fingers remain well rounded
• the hand is slightly inclined towards the index finger, giving the arm a natural pressure on the strings.

It is important to repeat these 6 steps regularly.

It is also very useful to hold the pencil for a while, and then turn your hand, move your arm or round and stretch your fingers.

Once you've mastered this pencil grip, all you have to do is reproduce it with your bow !

At this point, you need to pay close attention to finger placement. The thumb should be placed in the space reserved for it, just beside the frog, and the little finger should ideally be placed above the little eye.

Otherwise, the same steps apply!

A few tips and things to watch out afterwards to ensure a good position :

• keep the hand as natural as possible. Finger spacing should be the same as when the hand is at rest.
• keep fingers low on the stick. If they move upwards, you end up holding the bow with your fingertips, which causes a lot of tension.
• the index finger must not hook around the stick, nor be tense
• the bow is “held” by the loop formed by the thumb and middle finger.

A special note about the little finger : it often tries to take control of the bow !

To avoid this, it needs a lot of attention.

Here are the most common problems I encounter, and my solutions:

- If it tries to put pressure on the stick:

 Realize that the bow is held by the thumb-major loop, by slightly lifting the little finger. You'll soon realize that there's no need for this pressure.

- If it tightens :

 The little finger often becomes tense because the other fingers are not placed low enough on the stick. Lowering the other fingers helps round out the little finger.

- If it bends to the side of the button, tilting the hand backward:

Take care to tilt the whole hand towards the front of the bow, so as not to let it pull back. Check that the contact point of the little finger on the stick is on its left side.

To dig a little deeper

The importance of a violin bow held with well rounded and grouped fingers has always been emphasized by the great pedagogues of the past.

Here are a few selected excerpts :

What about you ? Do you have any problems with your violin bow hold ? Leave me a comment and I'll help you find a solution.