Practice Using the Whole Bow - Get Unstuck! (FREE Printable Exercise)

The Tune Project
2 days ago
2 min read

If you find yourself playing in just one part of the bow, you are not alone. Sometimes using other parts of the bow can feel uncomfortable and even intimidating, but you'll find that once you start, it's almost never as scary as you thought it'd be - and your playing will improve greatly as a result!

Why use the whole bow? Let's break down the parts of the bow, and how they can be useful:

The Frog - Not only is the frog great for chopping during fiddle styles when backing up others, it's also a way for us to be able to make smooth, legato transitions from 'up bow' to 'down bow'.
The Middle - If you're reading this, my guess is you're probably already very familiar with the middle of your bow. It's the most comfortable place to play, and the most flexible part of the bow. It's great for both staccato and legato strokes, slurs, and more.
The Tip - The tip of the bow is excellent for short, light bow strokes such as tremellos, in classical playing. It is also where we transition from 'down bow' to 'up bow' as we make our way back toward the frog.
The Whole Bow - Using the whole bow is perfect when playing slower pieces and tunes such as waltzes, and conveys a sense of confidence. It's also highly useful when slurring several notes together, as it allows us to fit multiple notes into one stroke without changing the bow's direction, and thus interrupting the sound. Practicing using the whole bow is a great way to improve your tone, technique, and more.

The exercise I am sharing today allows you to practice using the whole bow in a fun, accessible way. You will also get to practice your slurs. My recommendation is to practice this exercise with a metronome set to a moderate tempo (70-100bpm), and stick to one tempo - speed is not the goal here. On the first note of each slur, use a bit more bow speed to "push" yourself to the other end of the bow. How much bow you use for each note will depend on your tempo, but the goal is to keep everything nice and even, using the same amount of bow for each note throughout.