Use More Bow! - A Common Problem

Professor of violin Julia Bushkova looks into a common problem of reducing the amount of bow while nervous.
This video concentrates only on the right hand/arm. Coordination between the hands, intonation, etc. are not being addressed.

[@jalenjalenjalenj]

So helpful!!! I’m getting ready for auditions and I wish you were my teacher. Absolutely love your teaching.

[@LaViolinista]

Thank you so much for the helpful performance! It has been a problem for me for years and now I know how to improve my playing by opening the arm! Thanks again 🙏🏼

[@mariovicente]

I am guilty of this and I am working to improve it! I feel bad when I look at myself playing in that contracted way, its like I regressed a few years in my learning... Sometimes I even disrespect the time value of some notes because of that, which is even worse :/. Its also psychological, it does not depend much on the complexity of the piece -- just knowing that I am recording makes me nervous so I acknowledge that Miguel's position is very challenging for a student. If I was playing for Prof Bushkova in front of other people I believe I would do as good as a 5 year old with a toy violin... The angle of the bow is indeed more important the more bow we use. Thank you so much to Prof Julia and to Miguel for addressing this for us!

[@ab-zg8pt]

Huge admirer of the Russian school, the USA is really, really fortunate to have Professor Bushkova. It'd make my day to find someone who could teach me in this style, but for viola.

[@randybrinton9126]

Yes, couldn’t agree more. The upbow is the direction that shrinks first, compared to the down bow. After just a few strokes, many times, players - my students and the adult-amateurs I work with - will gravitate to a “comfort zone“ somewhere in the middle or upper middle of the bow. I have to work on it all the time in my own playing. Thanks for making your video on this topic.

[@deperonnet]

Thanks a lot to both of you Miguel and Professor ! Play with much bow needs to give more speed and length by pushing. It is also to angle the bow to let it parallel to the bridge. Open the elbow!

[@fateindustry]

Sadly, some audition pieces have very dangerous starts that don't even allow for longer bow to get settled down. Ex: Schumann Scherzo, Midsummer Night Dream Scherzo (i was actually asked this*)... No private lessons would have taught me more than what happened that day when I had to stand on stage for my first professional audition.

[@kyproset]

The longer 1st note really does the trick. Thank you, Professor.

[@ZhongweiLi]

Merry Christmas Prof Bushkova!

[@ViolinClassUSA]

Happy new year!

[@lolkolf7789]

Thank You very much for all of the great videos. I would like to request one about common technical problems in the left hand, specifically for players with big hands/long fingers. I have been playing for 5 years now, and I feel that I'm not able to reach a certain level of dexterity and "confidence" of motion in my left hand. I wonder how much of that is due to my physicality, and what are some exercises I could do to overcome that.

[@lluisrafalessole-classical5068]

Fantastic 🎻🎶👏👍

[@greatwarwalk]

Miss B. 😊 Happy Xmas and New Year and thanks for helping me. I'm a grade 8 musician / composer new to violin. They asked if I wanted 4 fine tuners.. I said No thank you, just one on the E please. They said I should use a shoulder rest.. but I said.. how can I play violin without one if someone gives me just a violin and I can't balance it on my thumb and finger like Yehudi ? Seems I'm not scared at all. BUT.. I just got a J Thiebouville Lamy Master Bow (new re-issue TLBV2) and you would think I am holding a stick of dynamite, so scared I am to play with it. Truth is, the bow is well beyond my current skill level so maybe a cheaper Dorfler bow or a carbon Col Legno Standard would be better for me at this stage ? Anyway, I'm absolutely loving learning the violin. And these videos (and Yehudi's) are really helping me to understand the instrument. Sadly, all the scales and fingerings I know so well on guitar have either changed or shrunk considerably in size so muscle memory and finger spacings are what I need right now, as well as double stops, string crossings, holding the violin properly, holding the bow properly and a million other things. Great !! Happy playing everyone and best wishes for this festive period and New Year ! Ian Squire.

[@ViolinClassUSA]

Thank you for your note. Four tuners are actually great for beginners, we all had them, much easier to tune. Shoulder pads/help are also indicated for most beginners. Sir Menuhin was one of a kind, he was a prodigy. His lessons are great but they will not help most players, unfortunately. So be wise about your own body, and make the violin life a bit easier.

[@walrusmaximus]

My teacher always telling me to use more bow! Thanks for the video :)

[@sadhbhdelahunt]

Thanks again so informative and useful to me

[@kehwa]

With all due respect, have you asked or wondered why a student would want to use less bow? They might feel a bit insecure, as if they will drop or lose control of the bow. All the extra tension is to make sure they don't drop it, which is obviously the incorrect thing to do. Often when this happens, I feel it's necessary to suggest that instead of using muscle tension to make the bow grip firmer, pronating the arm against the string will help make the bow grip more secure. This way the bow grip will be firm, but not overly firm, yet at the same time the muscles are the most relaxed they can be. If you lift the bow off the string, the bow grip will be looser, but the muscle tension would be approximately the same as if the bow were on the string.

[@ViolinClassUSA]

Rest assured that all the questions you raise have been addressed in actual lessons well before this video. I also have videos on those aspects - I encourage you to explore my channel.

[@apachelives.8262]

excelent, thank you.

[@tullochgorum6323]

Yes - but I'm not fully understanding the rationale for using more bow. Is it because bow speed is assumed to produce a better sound than a slower bow with more pressure, or a slower bow closer to the bridge? Surely that depends on the tonal quality we are looking for?

[@ViolinClassUSA]

Yes, it all hinges on the desired tonal properties. My student sounded timid and "stuck" and more bow speed helped with that.

[@nathanmeli4123]

Good video as always

[@peterspagnolo2505]

Fantastic lesson regarding bowing and all the related movements/none movements, which help proper technique. Thankyou. On a less serios note, i hope u dont mind. Many are familiar with Christopher Walken and his skit on saturday nite live regarding "more cowbell"! I would like to see the Professor hosting SNL featured in a skit about "more bow, more bow!!". thanks again, no offense i hope:)

[@ViolinClassUSA]

No offense! I'd gladly host SNL if ever invited :)

[@peterspagnolo2505]

@@ViolinClassUSA In that case, I will have my people call their people who with any luck will call your people and set something up,maybe a lunch. Though i wouldnt be surprised if theyd want christopher walken to play your part. Thats hollywood for you!

[@4allofu97]

I have problem to do ugly sounds with bow how to fix it please?

[@ViolinClassUSA]

Practice :)

[@123Violina]

Добрый день! Могли бы Вы снять видео на русском языке? Спасибо.

[@violiniistt]

What I can see is that the student does not have "free armpits".

[@ViolinClassUSA]

Nope, he does not. Not yet:)