F4;

7
b
a
a L E A R N I N GU N I T g
P
b Determining
SomeSimpleGuidelines Bowing
e
g By now it should be evident that the string playet's technique is in direct

a proportion to the development of his bow arm. All of the previous shrdies
contain a variety of bowing exercisesintended to free the right arm from
g rigrdity and to develop correct phrasingand a good tone.
There are several schools of bowing, each taking an arbitrary position

a on its own advantages. Since the bow works either with or against gravity,
and more strength is attainable dose to the hand than at the point, we ad-
p vocate the principle that more hair and greater pull can be applied as the
bow moves from the frog to the tip. This idea comes from the Russian
I school, in which string players are taught to begin the down-bow using
only part of the bow hair at the frog, with the stick turned so that tbrehairis
I toward the bridge. Then the bow is gradually tumed so that the hair is flat
against the string beyond the middle portion of the bow.
i9 Basically, the turning or flattening is determined by the particular qual-
ity of sound desire4 the distribution of the bow according to musical de-
p mands, and the stick balance. When selecting bowings for music, the
player should be governed by technical and artistic demands as well as
p style, period, and taste.Thesecriteria are important factors in the choice of
p bowing for a particular exerciseor piece of music.
In performance a string player generally begins measureswith a down- Basic principlesof bowing
bow (Fl).Thus, if a composition or phrase begins with a single note on the
I last beat of a measure,the note is played with an up-bow (V).A simple for-
mula to follow is this: If there is an even number of notes before a barline,
I the player should begin with a down-bow; if there is an odd number, he
I should begin with an up-bow.
Accents are achieved best at the frog with a down-bow. Likewise,
I chords marked forte Ne more effective with a down-bow, but this, of
course, will depend on the tempo and character of the music.
e Since accents are played with a down-bow, unaccented notes are
played with an up-bow, and consequently, afterbeats are frequently
t played with up-bows. The samebasic principle of accentednotes appliesto
syncopation.Since the accentfalls off the beat, it should be played, if at all
b possible,with a down-bow:

h
b v n v n n
s al . 'r la ah ' o r a| l l' a la' r '
:> :>

i{r
sl On bowings that crossback and forth on the strings without slurs, the
upper note should begin with a down-bow on the cello and bassbut with
st an up-bow on the violin and viola. The reverse is true in those bowings
that crossstrings without slurs and that begin on a lower string; that is, the
#
g t79

?
 r,f'
180 lt iermediate ClassInstruction
fI
F
bottom note on the violin or viola begins with a down-bow, while on the fF
cello and bassit is an up-bow.
When bowing is not specifically indicated, a combination of dotted F'.
eighth and sixteenth notes is generally played as a hooked bowing:
f=-
N NV V f*'
written
fi fi, oftenptayed
U U r'
J+'
Incidentally, hooked bowings are used frequently to achieve many of the
effects mentioned above; they permit the performer to arrive at the proper f-
place on the stic.kso that he can anticipate and execute the next musical ef-
fect.
f."
F
Competenry16:
-
Be able to describe and perform the following
bowings: d6tach6, staccato,slured staccato,
F"
martel€, spiccato,tremolo, hooked bowings, lour6, F
sul ponticello, col legno,.sul tasto, pizzicato.
F
Competency.16.1:
D6tach€
F
Bowing Terms f=
D E T A CH 6 F
Literally, the term merely means detached notes that are not slurred. ln
practice, it is the smooth change from one bow stroke to another. Often it is
F
misrepresentedas meaning strokeswith a spacebetween notes.
The d6tach€may be played at any part of the bow in a legato (smooth)
r'
manner. On the doWn-bow, the second, third, and fourth fingers pull the F'
bow, while on the up-bow the first finger pushes the bow. To achieve
smooth transfer in this finger action, the fingers of the right hand must be F-
flefble and relaxed. An example of ddtachd bowing follows.
*

t*
ts
E
G
lL

t-
E-
r
f

f;-
tr"
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 SomeSimpleGuidelinesDeterminingBowing 181

Wohtfahrt,
Op.45,No.2

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182 Intermediate Class Instruction F
tF
fF-
16.2: Staccato
Competency
fr-
STACCATO
f*'
The staccato note is a detached separated, or disconnected note played F-
with the bow remaining on the shing. There are many types of staccato;
the style of music determines the type to be played. F-
A good rule for determining the duration of a staccato note is that it is
one-hilf of its written value (written j played )y). A musical example fol-
aF,F
lows. F-
Staccato er
RodolpheKreu?er
rr
F
F-
€r-
tr-
tr'
r
A

tr-
r
r
F-
gi*

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L
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q--
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i-.
F.
i-
t:
 SomeSimpleGuidelinesDeterminingBowing 183

16.3: Sluned Staccato

Competency

Slur(Staccato)

Saveyour bow on the V strokes.

Violin

Viola
?4,W.e!..-'

GF
184 InterrrediateClasslnstmction
$;
GF
G-
Competency16.3.1: Slur
S'-
SLUR F"
sluned notes are thosethat continuein the samedirection or follow in se- $.r
quencewithout a bow change.The characterof slurred notesmay vary. It
-
may be smooth,staccato,or evenspiccato.Seethe following examples. €"-

Slur(Smooth)
G-
G=
F
F
e-
e-
ryn e-
+.
1
*f, G-
n e=
e-
G-
G-
G=
t*
tt
L
1uc ' ) y ,\_?lh! a I
,4 L
L
Staccato Spiccato
(on the string) (V V V off the string) L
*=.

e,
F
r'
F-
F
F=
a SomeSimple Guidelines Determining Bowing 185
@
I
I Competencyl6.4:Martel6
g
I MARTEL6
I The martel6 is a staccato stroke that is referred to as a hammered stroke.
Each stroke must be prepared for by pressure before plalnng and must be
I followed by an immediate release of pressure. At the same time the bow is
drawn quickly. The next stroke follows the same procedure-pressing, re-
I leasing and at the same time moving the bow quickly. As in staccato, the
bow remains in contact with the string at all times. Martel6, however, is
I more accented, and it is marked with a wedge (r). The marteld is usually
t played with the upper third of the bow; the grnndmarteliisplayed with the
whole bow. An example of the martelE stroke follows.
I
I
I
s
I
" . r / : T Y , l .l l, , ,
B r , , ,r l l l !,r
I
9 ,rrq Yr rll ! , I r r ! , 1 ! r I

t
9 r f l t r l

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)

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 F-
186 IntermediateClasslnstruction
F
r
f,-rr
Competency
16.5: Spiccato
F-
SPICCATO F.-
The spiccato,a shaqpstaccato,is an off-the-stringbow stroke.It is some-
times referred to as"bouncingbow." However,one must be careful not to
r-
assumethat the bow is bounced like a ball. Actually, the spiccatobow
movesin a horizontaldirectionlike a d6tach6bow, exceptthat there is a lift
r-
aftet each stroke, creating the bouncing effect. occasionally,one usesa F-
pure vertical motion for specialeffects.
Thereare two broadcategoriesof spiccatonotes,controlledand uncon- f--
trolled. on conholled strokes,the right arm is primarily responsiblefor the
style.on uncontrolledstrokes,suchas sautilliot ricochet,theexecutionis a F-
result of the natural tensionand spring of the bow. The right arm is com-
pletely relaxedfor all forursof spiccatobowings f--
A beginning student should experimentto find which part of the bow
is most resilienb this is the sectionthat givesthe stickits belt springing ef- f--
fect.Examplesof spiccatobowing follow.
F
(F-
Spiccato
Joseph Haydn
F
Menuetto
f-
F
0'-
F-
*-

F-
ts-
ts
g-
L
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r:L
u7

T
F
tr
*

tr-
,#
 16.6: Tremolo
Competency

TREMOLO
The terrr tremolo signifies the technique of moving the bow as rapidly as
possible back and forth for the duration of the note value. It is best
achieved at the point of the bow with a rather straight arur, but not rigid.
To achieve the necessaryspeed of the stroke, primarily use the fingers and
hand from the wrist. It may be played anywhere on the shing-near the
bridge, over the fingerboard etc. Here is a musical example.-

Tremolo
Ci6sarFranck

L87
 'f-
188 Intermediate Class Instruction
F
r.-
f-
fr-
6-
F-
f,-
f-
Competency
16.7: Hooked or linkedbowings
f-
f-
HOOKED BOW.ING f-
The term hookedbnoinq applied to the technique
-is
notes to avoid awld,vardbowings
of tying or slurring
orimproper accmts. an exairple follows.
a=-
c-
HookedBowing Its-
Hector Berlioz
G-
r
ts-
{i-
{=-

€!-

Cr-
G.-
c-
S"-
&-
@-
A+-
.F.
si.-

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€-

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#F".

@; SomeSimpleGuidelinesDeterminingBowing 189
@)
@r
g, Competency
16.8: Lour6
g'
9, L O U R E( p o r r a r o )

9. The lour€ or portato

fgle is a semistaccato
type of bowing that is smoothly
separatedor "pulsed." It is used to enunciatecertainnoies without pauj-
!, ing betweenthem. To accomplishthis type of bowing a slight pressureis
placedon the notes,asindicatedin the musicalexamplethaifoilbws.
9
9 Lour6(Portato)
AntoninDvoi6k
I Andantegrazioso

9.
I
9
p
9
I
I
)

,
Andante grazioso
)

t
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t
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 ,F-
190 in:rrrnediateClasslnstruction
tu
F-

Competency
16.9: Sul ponticello f--
F-
SULPONTICELLO F-
This type-oflowing is done with the hair of the bow ascloseto the bridge
as possible.T9 acquirethe desiredeffect,it is helpfirl to tilt the bow hir {h-
slightly awayfrom the bridge.seethe musicalexairprethat follows.
f-
Sulponticello
(German:
am Stqg) f-
GustavMahler
Schnell f-
am Steg{sul ponticello}
F.-
F-
am Steg(sul ponticello)
-6:-
F-
F-
fr-
PW F
am Steg (2l F
s-
--
F_
F-
0!-
Itr-
*-

L.
L
e-
e-
&_
ts-

€:-

€:-
A.
e*-
A:
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tr
w
Some Simple Guidelines Detemrining Bowing l9l

@
,@ Competency
16:10: Col legno
g
g COL LEGNO
"with
g Literally the term means the wood." In performing this type of bow-
ing, the string is struck (or tapped) with the wood side of the bow. It is
helpful to tilt the bow so that the hair is turned away from the bridge. Col-
9 legno style is generally performed with the upper half of the stick. A musi-
g cal example using this technique follows.

9 Americathe Beautiful
9 Col Legno
SamuelA. Ward

9 Moderato
,g Violin

I
p Viola

,
Cello
9
I Bass

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EFn

1,gl InternediateClasslnstruction
+
+
Competency
16.11: Sul tasto +
+
SUt TASTO tr+
Tdr:tyt" givesa sottuooueffect It is perforrred with the bow placedover F+
the fingerboard.The fingers of -the right hand should be coripletely re-
laxed and hold the bow rather loosely.see the musical .*u*pl" thai fot-
lows.
F+
F+
Sultasto
GustavMahler
F+
F-+
V'olin I F=+
F.-+

F-
Violin ll
f-
$-
F-
F-
t..
nnfto riten.
F
lF-
S==
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}-

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FF':

@) SomeSimpleGuidelinesDeterminingBowing 193
w
w
@t 16.12: Pizzicato
Cornpetency
&,
&, PIZZICATO
"to pluck" It may be done with the right hand or
Pizzicato means literally
Qt
with the left hand if the right hand is occupied with bowing. Modern
"nai( pizzicato, where the string is plucked with a fin-
9, music may require
gerna+
"snap" pizzicato, which is achieved by plucking the string with
g, such force that it snaps against the fingerboard;
"thumo- ptzzicato, which
is accomplished by softly stroking the shing with the fleshy part of the
w, thumb; or the two-fingered, pu;zicato, used for rapid passagesand also in
order to avoid an arpeggio effect.
9'
9 Peter llyich Tchaikovs[y
9 pizz.sempre
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f1
194 InterrrediateClasslnstruction
f-t
ir\

16.13: Coll6
Competency
f-r
i,-;
corrE i-
This strokebeginswith the bow placedon the string similar to an up-bow F-
spiccato.At the moment of contact,the string is pinched lightly but with a
sharpattadc As soonasthe note is sounded,the bow is immediatelylifted f-
off the string in preparationfor the next stroke.An examplefollows.
i-
C,ol16 i-
Joseph Haydn

Allegroconbrio F-
Violin I f!

F!

F-
F-
6ti

F-
f-
F-
f-
F.
F-
F
f*.
s=
L
Competency
16..14: ScordaturaTuning
L
&._

SCORDATURA
e=
A specialschemeto tune the open strings in such a way that unusual ef- tr
fects,such as tone clusters,can be createdby merely playing open strings.
It literally meansto retune the strings to pitches other than the established F.
pitches and can be used in a variety of ways.
F"
*.
F--
4L
B:
rr.-
d SomeSimpleGuidelinesDeterminingBowing 195
*3
**3
To RobertKotman
€ O He Did Whistleand ShbDid Sing
-*e (carolfor children'svoicesin unisonandtwo violinsand cello,openstrings)
by RichardFelciano
€
Andante J = 57ca.
*9 voicesin unison
Children's whistle

€ Stringsscordatura
@ ViolinI

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(astheyseethem)
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196 IntermediateClassInstruction r\
+.-_
fr-
Competency
17: Beableto markbowingsin.a stringpart. ;:-

i-
SomeBasic BowlngGuldellnes i-
one must rememberthat none of theserules is binding.
There arremany t=-
exceptionsthat are dictatef by musical concerns,
and one can find in-
stanceswhere two outstandingstring teacherswill
disagre";;; the same i-
passage.Theserules are merely set up to establishg"dil;
periencedstring teacher. roi tt u ir,"r-
r-
1. Measuresusuallybeginwith a down_bow.
2' To comply with rule number 1,notesthat beginbefore
r-
a bar rine,if they
consistof an odd numberof separatebows,fegrn _itf, f*-
* "[to*.
d*-
e rusrnt) 6--
e--
A dotted eighth note and sixteenth are usually
bowing p.,770.)
linked. (see hooked
c*-
If there are a successionofunintemrpted sixteenth
then each group of fourbegins with a down-bow.
notes without slurs, G'-
f-
FI n
FF= ffi 6;-
J J J JJ J J J
0--
To achievea crescendo,it is better to move from f-'-
the point to the frog.
(An excellent_"*Toplu
of an exceptionto rule numberi, ._ptoyiigrule
number5, is Bach's"Air on the G string," which (F
be6ns *itir-.i"r"."ao
-
on a sustainedwholenote.It is betterto be6n with
In "p_torv)
F
O.ts-
a:-Ycl-.J
t: tl F-
L=
lVhere
long, sustainednotes causedby ties, slurs,
bettel in orchestralplaying to permit ihur,g"
or tempo occut, it is L=
of bow by different play_
ers at different times. On iuggestion is: DJ
not change on a beat, and
assign inside and outside ptay"tr on each stand
e-
times.
diff"erurrta"rrg.,ut"a
a-
In syncopation,especiallyin accentedor forte
note is played with a down_bow.
passages,the syncopated #-
n
e-
nV nFt V n
8v\l G-
4 a t a ah' l l ar. T l | \r
aa I a'a .lrlJ r lf
\,,
F-
G--
€=
dF=
@'' SomeSimpleGuidelinesDetemdningBowing 197
@
@
8. When there is a tie or slur over a bar line, it is usually played with a
@ down-bow.
@
@
@
@
9
g
9
p
s
I Moderato
p
9
p
s
I
9
I
I
s
p
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I
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fl
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I
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198 InterrnediateClasslnstruction q:
6-.-
sr-
tF-

fs--

F-
F-
Overture F-
Moderato f-
F-
C--
6=q

G!-

6F-i

f G;!
vnv.
Gi-
F-
6i-
f;-
F-
F-
F-
0L-
*=

lF-
Q=-
L
&
e-
€i--

€=

€t-
e
G.--
A
ti=-

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