Why is bow hand flexibility so important?

You may have heard me and/or other violinists and teachers stress the importance of bow hand flexibility and share exercises to help you develop it. But WHY is this so important? There are two big reasons: tone and bow strokes.

Tone

When your bow hand is flexible, your tone is not only softer and sweeter but you can also produce a bigger range of dynamics and tone colors. When your bow hand is stiff, the sound is much more likely to be forced and even “crunchy”, and there is a lack of depth to the sound. Additionally, if the bow hand is stiff the bow is much more likely to bounce (which we want to avoid at all costs!)

Bow strokes

Certain bow strokes and fast string crossings require your bow hand to be flexible or else they will not work properly. These bow strokes include off-the-string bow strokes such as spiccato, sautille, ricochet, portato, and others. Additionally, when performing fast string crossings, it is vital that the shoulder and upper arm stay still while the fingers and wrist do the work. Not only is this going to produce the best sound, but it is also the most efficient way to perform these string crossings. If you’re using a lot of shoulder and arm you’re sure to get tired much quicker!

In short, bow hand flexibility is vital to develop as a violinist. Watch the video below to see me try (and fail) to play well without it!