Russian vs Franco-Belgian violin bow hold

What’s the difference?

The two most common styles of violin bow hold are the Russian and the Franco-Belgian. In my experience, the vast majority of players nowadays tend to lean more toward the Franco-Belgian style, which is also what I personally use as well. The Russian bow hold was much more common in the 1900’s than it is today. Some of the greatest violinists of the 20th century used the Russian bow hold rather than the Franco-Belgian. Let’s dive into the differences between the two.

Franco-Belgian

Characteristics of the Franco-Belgian bow hold include round, flexible fingers (especially a round pinky!), a slightly raised right wrist, and a tendency to tilt the hair. This flexibility helps the player produce a very sweet and singing sound. Some examples of well-known violinists who use the Franco-Belgian bow hold are Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, and Hilary Hahn.

Russian

Characteristics of the Russian bow hold include straighter fingers that are more balanced towards the index. The index finger is used to place a lot of pressure on the string, resulting in a very loud, powerful sound. It is said that players who use the Russian bow hold tend to avoid the frog because of a lack of flexibility in the fingers. Some examples of players who use this type of bow hold are Nathan Milstein and Jascha Heifetz.

The bow hold is a very important part of sound quality and tone production, but it is by no means the only thing that affects your violin tone. Other important elements include the contact point, bow speed, amount of bow, and amount of pressure applied to the bow. Additionally, no two bow holds are the same. Players should work towards developing a bow hold that not only helps them produce the best sound possible but also feels as comfortable as possible.

Watch the video below for a further description and demonstration of each type of bow hold. Leave a comment below and let me know what kind of bow hold you use!