Start watching at 20:00 to see how Tom Rosenberg explains the most important concept for beginners. How not to squeeze the bow. It's the best explanation I've ever seen!
Click HERE to learn more about transmitting weight into the string.
Refined muscular control takes a long time to develop. Also, it is not obvious which set of muscles need to work and which ones need to stay relaxed.
Here are some things to understand:
- the fingers of the right hand do not exert pressure, they only transmit weight.
- I think the best stroke to learn first is the staccato so you can rest the arm after each note and sense the muscles releasing/relaxing.
- Imagine how you learned to ride a bike. Once you were able to get the bicycle going by getting on and pedaling, it didn't take long to stabilize your ability to balance on the bike. Your bow arm can learn to balance once you learn how to get the bow onto the string and once you understand some basic arm movements.
Using different muscles for different strokes
- In the lower half of the bow, it may feel like your elbow is initiating the stroke. You are using your largest muscles (mostly the upper arm muscles, latissimus dorsi and trapezius)
- When you move your forearm and keep the elbow relatively still, it is more natural to bow from the balance point into the upper half.
- Advanced: For fast strokes that use only a small amount of bow, you'll be using more of the smaller muscles of the hand. The hand will move from right to left (or in a circular motion for very tiny, fast bows called sautille') and the rest of the body responds. Watch out for rigidity especially in the spine. It's all about balance and engaging only the muscles that are needed.