3 Reasons your bow bounces and How to fix it
Bow bounces are super annoying and frustrating; trust me, I know. However, the modern violin bow was made to bounce, so when it does, the bow is really just doing its job. And how can we get mad about that?!😜 There are times when we want the bow to bounce, like during off-the-string bow strokes such as spiccato and sautille. But most of the time, we want to keep the bow bounces at bay (hey, that rhymed!). Read on to discover why your bow bounces and how to prevent it.
There are three main reasons why the bow bounces.
The bow is too tight.
When tightening the bow, the stick should curve downwards and there should be about enough space for a pencil to fit through the smallest part of the curve. If the stick is a straight line or curved upwards, the bow is too tight and much more likely to bounce.
You did not land on the string before playing.
This typically happens at the beginning of a piece or right after a retake. In order to avoid bow bounces, the bow must land on (or touch) the string before moving.
Your bow hand is too stiff.
This is the most common culprit of bow bounces, especially in adult beginners. A bow hand that is too stiff increases the chance of bow bounces exponentially. Learn how to loosen up your bow hand with these bow hand flexibility exercises.
Here are two ways to prevent your bow from bouncing.
Loosen up your bow hand.
Change the angle of your hair. The flatter the bow hair is, the more likely the bow is to bounce. Tilt the stick of the bow away from you and allow the angle of the hair to change. This is a great technique that I employ myself in emergency situations! 😂
Do you struggle with bow bounces? Let me know in the comments!
