Bow Circles Primer for Violin

This was a quick webcam video I made for my online students...but I think the skill is CRUCIAL for all beginners to learn, and the exercises in this video are excellent for learning it.
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[@TheChickwithguns]

Yay! Unfortunately, none of my teachers in five years have focused on working bow circles, so now I need them, and I’m having to do remedial work. This helps a lot.

[@safarisg605]

Thank you for this lesson on bow circle and playing with the metronome

[@RedDesertViolin]

You are most welcome!

[@Coachella_jjk]

Thank you so much for all your teaching skills and enthusiasm. My son is 7. We just finished Lully Gavotte Book two and starting Minute in G . He constantly references your songs and techniques. You have helped us tremendously during this Covid when his teacher went zoom lessons. Thank you so much for your time love and passion for helping others learn violin.

[@RedDesertViolin]

I appreciate your comment a lot, Shelley. I'm honored that my videos helped your son! Tell him congrats on making it to Lully, and to keep up the great work! (and I'm not a Suzuki teacher if I don't say, "Review, review, review!!!"!

[@RedDesertViolin]

Shelley, your son might enjoy the Pleasant Diversions tune kits. You can check them out here. They are free aw669da.aweb.page/p/1a71a239-99fb-47a5-ac40-f24dfa551753

[@SubrataasVlog]

Thank you for the nice and helpful tutorial videos. I wish for your good health. Love and respect from India 🇮🇳 🎻❤️

[@RedDesertViolin]

Thank you for your kind comment. My heart and mind are with India at this time. Please take care of yourself, and I hope India will pull through the pandemic as soon as possible. Sending my best thoughts.

[@laurayale369]

You are so good at this teaching stuff! I love the bite sized lesson and the use of the metronome.

[@RedDesertViolin]

Bite sized lessons are a wonderful thing! Thanks for watching!

[@Hilalisoda]

Thanks for your kindness teaching. When I learned the viola, I was thinking about strange sound...where it comes from. Fortunately, you answered my question!

[@RedDesertViolin]

AWesome. So glad to hear that! Thanks!

[@globalstringsalliance3529]

Thanks for sharing!!!

[@RedDesertViolin]

My pleasure! See you next time!

[@storiesfilm-kristianwolski7950]

wonderful

[@RedDesertViolin]

An unpolished video, but the info was good, so I decided to share. I'm glad my viewers are very forgiving people!

[@violonistanur2600]

Thank you very much for your great video ❤️

[@RedDesertViolin]

Thanks for watching!

[@nicoleanneveracruz7838]

Thank you soooo very much!

[@RedDesertViolin]

Glad it helped!

[@thexpals3331]

Thank you very much for your videos, that was has kept my daughter going with her violin during lockdown. Big aroha to you from nz

[@RedDesertViolin]

Thanks for the giggle "aroha". Make sure your daughter has my "Pleasant Diversions" tune kits. They are fun and free. aw669da.aweb.page/p/1a71a239-99fb-47a5-ac40-f24dfa551753

[@sondolmd7522]

Thanks!

[@RedDesertViolin]

Hope it helps!

[@jvdiana]

Dear teacher Lora, as always your explanations are great and helpful. Thanks a lot 🌷🎶🌷🎶🌷 and I love your sense of humor 😂 👍 Regards,

[@RedDesertViolin]

Thanks, jvdiana. Keep up your good work!

[@noramurdock2569]

Thanks for another great lesson! Hadn’t seen a post for awhile- I was worried about you

[@RedDesertViolin]

You're sweet, Nora. I'm fine (lucky), just very very busy with online learning in such demand! Thanks for writing.

[@shipsahoy1793]

Interesting, thanks for the tips. I find that you are one of the half dozen or so women out here on YOuTube facilitating my progress and success in self-teaching on violin. I think it may be easier for me than the average older adult because I play other instruments, but posture, left hand, and right hand techniques imho for me are much more demanding on violin. Also, I especially have to work hard at bowing techniques, since I don’t have that added complication on other instruments.

[@RedDesertViolin]

Thanks for the nice comment, Ships Ahoy. Some people say playing violin/fiddle is like playing 2 instruments at the same time: violin + bow. So you are not the only one!

[@augusttingjiaoli8440]

I'm struggling with this right now in Song of the wind... it's been 5 days I wasn't doing the right thing. Thanks for this!!! I'll get back to you in a week :D

[@RedDesertViolin]

LET US KNOW! We are cheering for you!

[@giraffeting]

BTW I LOVE the Suzuki Book 1 course. Definitely recommend. I have a question Lora! I have been practicing bow retake daily, using the upper half of the bow, with only minor success. I play open strings, scales, and the song of the wind snippets basically. My bow still bounces when I do the circle, as it's so close to the bounce point. I've tried relaxing, steering the bow in different ways, doing smaller circles, multiple landing strategies, many KZbin videos, but it seems like I'm not hitting the "secret". I do decent bow circles if I use the lower half of the bow, but how do I improve song of the wind? I watch you play song of the wind and those middle-bow circles are on point!!! For now, I will trust the process and keep practicing daily, and hopefully, it will come together eventually, however long it takes. But is there anything else I should be doing? All KZbin videos I watched start with lower half bow circles, and they never talk about mid-bow circles! Maybe the skills will eventually transfer to the mid-bow circles? Should I maybe use the lower bow for Song of the Wind? I'm on Allegro right now, but my Song of the wind is still not up to full speed. BTW I LOVE the Suzuki Book 1 course. Definitely recommend.

[@augusttingjiaoli8440]

i think i'm finally getting it... It wasn't all about my bow circle. I was not changing strings very efficiently in song of the wind and I was playing my E string too far away from A string. Once I made the angles flatter it seems to help a little bit. Violin is so hard! Things take me 1 second to learn on the piano would take me an hour on the violin :\ This COVID needs to go away so I can have a teacher stand next to me and watch my every move!

[@RedDesertFiddle]

@@giraffeting Thank you for your kind words about my Suzuki Book 1 course! So, as my student, you are WELCOME to send me a video of your bow circles, and I'll give you personalized feedback. But from your description, you are doing everything you should, and yes, trust the process. It will come. But I will tell you this: 9 out of 10 students think they are doing their bow circles, and getting "reset" early enough....but most of the time, students aren't getting set early enough for the inertia of the circle to stop. (so it's like their bow is still in motion) So, MAKE SURE you are getting reset early enough. Now.....for Suzuki Book 1, you mostly only need LOWER HALF BOW CIRCLES. If I mentioned "mid-bow" bow circles.....I was giving you an advanced challenge....and I didn't mean to make it sound like you MUST learn mid-bow circles. You don't needs those until later. (I apologize if I made it sound essential.....did I?) Anyway, feel free to send a video if you need more help! Keep up the GREAT work. The better place to reach me for much faster replies is "[e-mail]"

[@RedDesertFiddle]

@@augusttingjiaoli8440 Covid can't go away SOON ENOUGH. Stupid covid. :-) But, you are learning to problem-solve.....and although it takes longer now, that is a critical thinking skill which.....once you learn it, will help you FOREVER and EVER! Please be safe and stay well!

[@ajitsank]

A kind request. Please include the names of the book that you mention in the video in the description section.

[@RedDesertViolin]

Thank you for that request, Ajit. I was speaking to my online class of Suzuki students, and they know what "Book 1" means. So, when I refer to Book 1, I am referring Suzuki Violin Book 1. This starts out with the famous "Twinkle" variations. When I refer to "Book 2", and mention Gavotte from Mignon, I am referring to "Suzuki Violin Book 2". Thank you for your comment!

[@DivaDeb1234]

Why is your violin upside down on the wall?

[@RedDesertViolin]

LOL....I guess because right side up is so......normal!!! :-)

[@RedDesertViolin]

That is funny that you were both wondering the same thing. It was just a whimsical decision....I wanted to be different!

[@DivaDeb1234]

😁😁😁😁

[@robfontall5364]

why are you always out of breath? why are your nostrils always flared?....why is your hair messy and unkempt?....why do you ignore your feminine side?...is this necessary?....just relax and look after your hair!

[@RedDesertViolin]

Why are you so judgemental? Why are you so rude? Why do you think it's your place to tell me how to act?

[@robfontall5364]

@@RedDesertViolin sorry. i sincerely apologize.

[@loralynstaples5483]

@@robfontall5364 Apology accepted.