Franco-Belgian vs "Russian" Bow Technique -- Violin Technician Critiques own Technical Evolution

[@RFRP]

Golden Era Violin Technique for the win! Perfectly clear explanation differentiating the two techniques. Also, magenta for the win.

[@emilyricksviolin]

Am I right? Taffeta and lace, no less!

[@JustFiddler]

Matur suksma Mam😊

[@rachaelviolinstudio]

I love this Emily! Thank you for so clearly putting into words the technique that I also use and love. The sound speaks for itself--you can really hear the difference. This was such a clever video and so engaging. Thank you thank you!

[@emilyricksviolin]

Thanks, Rach! You are the best! ❤

[@davidekdal7190]

One interesting aspect of playing this way it enables you to basically go from tip to frog without using the bicep. You can initiate the bow from a slight shoulder swing and carry it over into a push from the elbow in the lower half. I have been experimenting a lot and there really are many ways to accomplish similar things, but being able to switch on command is for me the goal. You can pick and choose from different styles/schools to have a dynamic pocket knife-like "toolbox" of solutions for whatever you would like your technique to produce or feel like. Comfort comes hand in hand with results (Although it's easy to find a comfortable bow arm that doesn't yield good results). One important thing for me lately is realising that getting to the frog (and back immediately) is not the same thing as playing at the frog. You can get to the frog in many ways but there are fewer good ways of staying at the frog.

[@davidekdal7190]

About not using the bicep, to close the arm there needs to be a force contracting the elbow joint, but I think you still need some help from the bicep. But it seems if you pronate your lower arm enough, you avoid needing the large part of the bicep but instead using the closer to the bone part of it, making the arm feel relaxed. I don't want to be spreading myths so please correct me if my thinking is flawed.

[@emilyricksviolin]

Hi David, thanks so much for your comments. I believe I understood everything you said, just from your verbal description! It is fascinating to me to hear you describe concepts of this technique using your own original terminology and mental process. I believe we arrive at the same (or similar) outcomes using different explanations. For example, instead of honing in on which muscles contract or don't contract, I call attention to which hinges are employed or not employed. So, to re-state your description, I would say the bow change is almost always initiated by the shoulder hinge. The elbow hinge can sometimes be used in small increments, only for the purpose of maintaining a bow that is parallel to the bridge. It is astounding, the difference in tone that is produced when bow changes originate from the shoulder instead of the elbow. What do you think? Do we agree?

[@psakbar]

The beauty of what you describe is you have control over dynamics, IOW, smooth frog to tip without bumps or accents. It's on purpose.

[@davidekdal7190]

@@emilyricksviolin I think I would agree. I get large tone when starting from the shoulder. I just feel I can't grasp just how to decide when to do what, but this is really getting into the weeds... Let's say we want to start a soft downbow from the upper half/frog, surely just starting the bow by letting it fall to gravity with the hand and then follow passively with the arm is an acceptable solution? I would argue using the shoulder is risky for soft frog playing, but very possible.

[@davidekdal7190]

@@psakbar Yes, what you see a lot of is people lose tone with every bow change, often preceded by a sudden bump of sound before the change. It is mistaken for expressive playing but is in my view just a habit that isn't scrutinized properly in most people's practice time. It is difficult to get rid of because you have to let go and trust that the bow change is going to be good as long as you know how the next bow is gonna start. You don't need a surge of tone before the change, and you don't need a loss of tone in the new one. It is mostly done out of fear to get a hard sound at the change.

[@psakbar]

What a wonderful video! It's so helpful to see your development from A to Z. I am so fortunate to have learned the "Russian" bow arm from the beginning (Suzuki wasn't even invented when I was a child), and that informed my tone and interpretations from there forward. I am now subscribed to learn more from you, Emily. All respect to great teachers.

[@emilyricksviolin]

Welcome aboard! I'm so happy to have you here!

[@BlaBla-vm5yu]

Thank you very much for this amazing video! I have 2 questions. First of all I would be very interested in how you went about learning it. Did you switch to a teacher that taught it? Or did you learn it on your own while having a teacher that plays with a Franco-Belgian hold? And the second thing I would be interested in is what you did about performing while readjusting. The first video you showed us was 18 months into the switch. But what did you do 2-3 months into the switch? Did you still perform repertoire with a Franco-Belgian hold and practice the Russian hold on the side? Or did you completely commit to the Russian hold in one go?

[@emilyricksviolin]

Hi, and thanks for these thoughtful questions. Yes, the teacher I studied with when I attended university was teaching Golden Era/Russian technique. I think it would be very hard, if not impossible, to learn a technique that is different than what the teacher is using, since technique is such a personal and unique thing. Most good teachers wrap so much technique into what they give their students. It requires someone VERY open-minded to allow the student to learn technique somewhere else. However, I can say that teachers like this do exist, but they are rare. To answer your second question, I made the full commitment to Russian and was able to play my first jury within about 3 months (Sept-Dec). I don't have footage of that jury, so it wasn't included in the video. The 18-month (Wieniawski) recital that you saw was my first solo recital after making the change. I played 3 juries before that recital. It does take time for things to season and get really comfortable, but fully committing to the change was really the only way to go about it. It didn't take long before I felt like I could play with the new technique, and I could hear a big difference in the tone. That bolstered my confidence and my commitment. Thanks for asking!

[@leonardobastos1945]

The Franco Belgian grip allows you to put more pressure on the string with much less effort. Not to mention the freedom to move the fingers and create a spring like function.

[@emilyricksviolin]

Hi Leonardo, thank you very much for your comment, and especially thank you for watching the video even though my message differs from your preference. That kind of professionalism is rare. I find much value in it. Best wishes, Emily

[@leonardobastos1945]

@@emilyricksviolin Thank you, too!

[@paulsoumya]

Hi Emily. Thanks for the wonderful video and the insightful depiction of your journey as a violinist. After watching it, I am definitely going to give this technique a try. One question I have is, I seem to notice that over the years, as you adopted the golden era bow technique, the angle of the violin on your shoulder also seems to have changed. It seems to have gone from being almost flat resting on your shoulders to an almost sideways and vertical position. Would you say that my observations are right? If yes, then I understand that tilting the instrument on your shoulders more lets the bow arm relax better, so was this intentional and also part of the technique? Does this also help to get a bigger and fuller sound? Thank you!

[@emilyricksviolin]

Hi Paul, glad to have you here! Thanks so much for your comment, and I apologize for my delayed response. It's an interesting observation you've made. I wouldn't say that I advocate a sloped shoulder position for resting the violin. If anything, what you observe is more of a side-effect, perhaps, of the whole bowarm coming higher to approach the lower strings. It could also be due to setup with the height of the shoulder rest, etc. Ideally, shoulders have open posture, the violin is positioned on a level shoulder, and bowarm is brought to the violin on that level position. It's something that can and should probably be corrected. My students sometimes receive this feedback when they play for other Golden Era teachers. It doesn't bother me, I suppose because that's how I play. I wouldn't recommend it as a helpful adjustment to produce better tone. However, I'm curious what you have found for yourself. Do you find the sloped position more comfortable? Thank you for illustrating the point I made in my concluding remarks of this video; that there are infinite refinements and improvements we can make to our own technique if we invest the time.

[@parismilane51]

I love that dress your grandmother made!

[@emilyricksviolin]

Me too! Isn't it amazing?? The bow in the back is so big, you can see it from the front.

[@susannahhofheins351]

Aww I love it so much!

[@emilyricksviolin]

♥♥

[@Dr.Bright50]

Great lesson, but when you are speaking with the violin playing in the background its hard to hear your explanation.

[@emilyricksviolin]

Hi, and thank you for your comment! Could you try the CC (captions) feature. I checked it just now and it seems to have enough accuracy to get the message across. You can also slow down the speed of the video if the captions are coming too fast. Let me know if this helps. You can also visit goldeneraviolin.com to request a free training that you should be able to hear the lesson with no problem. Thank you!

[@jervilopez1844]

Could there be a way to combine both?

[@emilyricksviolin]

Hi,@@jervilopez1844! Thank you for your comment. It's so nice to have you here. It's a great question; one that is asked fairly often. I would like to know if you can tell me which positive attributes of each technical approach you would like to adopt and use in tandem? For example, do you want to be able to use natural arm weight, while at the same time having action in the wrist and fingers? Or maybe you want to get a beautiful, strong tone without the appearance of the high wrist? All these things are worthy of consideration. However, in my experience, the two approaches cannot work in tandem. I find that it's impossible to have pure flow of arm weight while having action in the wrist and fingers because the action of changing direction with the smaller joints disrupts the pure flow of weight, and I can hear a negative impact on the tone. I mentioned in the video that the different structure of the bowhold merely signifies a completely different set of rules for playing the violin. It's very hard to follow two vastly different approaches at the same time. That's my opinion. What are your thoughts?

[@jervilopez1844]

@@emilyricksviolin I find the franco-belgian to be good for flexibility and bow changes. I guess, for the golden era bow hold would be good when I go to the upper half of the bow.

[@jervilopez1844]

The Franco-Belgian bowhold works for me and is actually good, but I find, I'm having trouble reaching the tip. My teacher says it's ok if there's little bow left though.

[@emilyricksviolin]

Hi @@jervilopez1844, I agree with your teacher that it's ok if there's a little bow left at the tip. I do this with my students when they are still learning how to successfully transfer weight all the way to the tip. It sounds like you've found a way to combine the two approaches in a way that is comfortable for you, and I think that is wonderful. Since you mentioned using a golden era approach for the upper half, I wanted to send this segment of my tutorials, in case you haven't seen it yet. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKvckmqBqqyAo6M . If it's helpful, I would love to hear from you about it. If not, no harm done. Overall, I'm glad to hear that you are taking your teacher's recommendations to heart. Please continue to prioritize what your teacher is instructing you over whatever you are finding on my channel, as your teacher has a vested interest and long-term knowledge of you and your playing. Good luck in your continued violin journey! - Emily

[@giovannilangiu4971]

io penso che i suoi problemi di suono erano dovuti essenzialmente al movimento scorretto del gomito .Una posizione "appesa" del braccio, che richiedeva un continuo cambiamento di pressione. Il movimento nell' arcata in su .non riportava il braccio nella posizione di partenza. Non penso che la posizione delle dita della franco-belga fosse un problema. osservando Kavacos il movimento del gomito basso è chiarissimo.

[@yoliv2469]

Not gonna lie this is the most extreme russian bow hold ive ever seen

[@emilyricksviolin]

Hi @yoliv2469, thanks for your comment. I'm so glad to have you here. You are absolutely correct and I agree with you about the extreme look of my technique. This is due, in large measure, to the extremity of the length of my arms and fingers. My physique is much longer than average. Based on your comment, I want to make sure you saw the following segments of the video: 14:03-15:30 and 20:30-24:17. Best wishes, Emily