# The Bow Hold To find the natural spacing of your fingers in the right hand: 1. Hold your right forearm parallel to the floor 2. Relax your hand and let it dangle ![[20230917184733 Finger Spacing.jpg]] When holding the bow, bring your thumb and middle finger together. This positioning should be maintained as closely as possible during play. | | | | | ----------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | | ![[20230917185321 Thumb and Middle Finger.jpg]] | ![[20230917185335 Thumb and Middle Finger.jpg]] | ![[20230917185340 Thumb and Middle Finger.jpg]] | - The thumb should be kept straight but not tense when holding the bow. - Whether the thumb more curved or straight depends on the size of the object we are holding. - When **grabbing** a large object, such as a water bottle, our fingers tend to curl around it. When **pulling** a thin object, such as paper, the thumb tends to be straighter. - Treat the bow as a thin object that we pull. So keep the thumb straight. - You would have to go out of your way to curl your fingers when pulling a book. | | | | | ----------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | | ![[20230917190451 Grabbing a Water Bottle.jpg]] | ![[20230917190456 Pulling a Book.jpg]] | ![[20230917190500 Pulling a Book in an Unnatural Way.jpg]] | Practice bow holding using a pencil, as it mimics a smaller version of the bow-stick. | | | | --------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- | | ![[20230917213838 Pencil Bow Hold.jpg]] | ![[20230917213842 Pencil Bow Hold.jpg]] | | ![[20230917213846 Pencil Bow Hold.jpg]] | ![[20230917213849 Pencil Bow Hold.jpg]] | - you should feel that you are holding the bow in your fingertips - the bow rests on your thumb for cello and more on your middle finger for violin; do not let it rest on the strings when you are playing - your first finger should be passive and resting on the stick at the joint - your thumb and middle finger are opposite each other and should be touching - your pinky should be **very nearly** on top of the stick - the advantage of putting it **directly** on top of the stick is that it is very easy to maintain a feeling of balance - George Neikrug placed his pinky **just a little lower** so that he could manipulate the bow much better; more on this later ![[20230917214519 Neikrug.jpg]]