Bow Hold

For over two centuries, there has been much debate among string teachers as to the "correct" way to hold the bow. The truth is there are many ways that the bow can be held and still produce an artistic result. If you closely studied the bow holds of today's greatest performers, you would find that they all hold the bow slightly different. In the past, string pedagogy had different "schools" of bow holds based on geography: the German School, the Russian School, and the Franco-Belgian school. The difference between these "schools" had to do with finger placement, pronation of the hand and wrist, and several other factors that would result in a different quality of sound production. As people have become increasingly mobile, pedaogical styles have blended, and many teachers have taken the best features from the varied approaches and incorporated them into their own teaching. There seems to be widespread agreement on a few general conceptual ideas regarding the bow hold:

1) The thumb and the middle finger have a special relationship. For the hand to be balanced, the thumb should be across (opposed) from the 2nd finger.

2) The hand should be comfortable, and free from tension.

3) The ideal bow hold is one that permits the musician to execute all the on and off the string bow strokes.

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