How to hold a violin bow (3 EASY Steps!) | KV
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 มิ.ย. 2024
- Hey guys, this is Joel Kennedy bringing you another video! Today, I'm showing you how I've taught a lot of students how to hold a violin bow. While attending school in NY and after moving back to the Pacific Northwest, I taught violin and viola for many years. I've instructed students from beginners to advanced players; some of which were accepted into some of the most prestigious schools in the US. Because of this, I'm sure that I can be of great use to you in your quest to quickly and easily master a proper bold hold.
First of all remember, there are 3 easy steps.
1. Place the tip of your (bent) thumb in between the leather grip and frog of your bow.
2. Place your bow on the first crease of your first knuckle for fingers 1, 2 and 3. Let the fingers relax and hang over the bow.
3. Place your (bent) pinky on top of the violin and leave some gap between it and your ring finger.
Helpful tips:
* ALWAYS, bent thumb and pinky. Being bent will allow them to flex and move while you play.
* PRACTICE, practice, practice. Rehearse holding the bow properly everyday and don't forget the 3 exercises I mention in the video.
1st exercise: Practice forming the perfect bow hold
2nd exercise: Practice "windshield wipers"
3rd exercise: Practice "spider crawls" up and down the bow.
Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE and visit us at KennedyViolins.com - เพลง
It looks easy oh. ITS SO HARD
I can pick up instruments easily but I can't hold the bow and having a hard time with making a sound.
Si señora
@@rociobier6519 did you add rosin to the bow?
i learnt how to hold in around 2 days, is that good 😰
@@timmyboo299 It's taking me months so yes
Thank you for doing this vid! My teacher says this is the most correct video she's seen.
ThinkerGirl i agree
Couldn't u just have your teacher teach it to u then?
Same
@Lonnie Walker relax it was just a question
@Lonnie Walker wasn't trying to make anyone feel dumb
I stopped playing violin age 14. The lockdown does crazy things to people - at age 57 I picked it up again and have had some zoom lessons! My teacher despairs of my bowhold!! Going to practice your method and surprise my teacher at the weekend! Thank you!
Hi , that’s great to hear. I played tenor banjo for years and stopped. Habe stsrted violin lessons aged 52😂
I started playing at 59
It'll work. Been tested hundreds of times. Takes practice to gain flexibility though. Good luck!
I was looking for a violin teacher and had some tryout sessions with two different instructors. One immediately let me play on the open strings on the first lesson, the other had FIVE jumpstart lessons just on bow holding and other body movements before we even got to play a real note. The bow holding technique described here is on point. Thank you!
Glad to help!!
I had the same experience to a certain extent - I tried a class with a teacher who said she spent around three classes just on the bow alone, which I was all for - but she had terrible communication skills, she wasn't a person who listened and i didn't feel we jibed. The second teacher I liked much more and felt the communication was better, but on my second class she had me playing the E and A strings when I was still struggling with the bow. I don't feel she explained anything about stance or where the bow should be on the strings or anything...now I'm thinking I might need to finish the classes I paid for and look for someone else! I'd prefer to go slowly and get it right, where's the fire?!! Please tell me more about how you found your teacher and your experience! It's so difficult! Also, I am learning to play left-handed.
I think you're the first one who clarified that you don't have to jam the thumb too deep. It made an immediate difference. Thanks!
ya, it just needs to be bent in the correct direction and relaxed. Relaxing is the key. Good luck!
When you say it is actually a "bow guide" I know right away you are the best violin teacher
Well, I better keep saying it then! 🤪
The only video I found that I can understand how to hold the bow! I loved when he said if you feel like you are going to drop the bow that is right lol that’s exactly what I was thinking at that moment and sometimes we need to hear the more basic things to understand something so sophisticated and beautiful
Thank you so much for this video! I have watched many bow hold videos and even been taught in person but I have never gotten it quite right until watching your video. It made an immediate difference to my sound quality!
Sweet! Thanks for letting me know! 😉
Oh thank you so much. I have a pinky finger that has been broken badly in the past, and this video showed me how to place it on the bow with minimal pain. I appreciate this a lot.
I've been struggling a lot to fix my bow hold and I've watched so many tutorials on youtube yet none worked on me but this one did actually work!! Thank you so much!
Hey Kennedy! I used to be a somewhat avid violin player starting at around 4 and through college... Half a decade later and I've unfortunately stopped playing nearly the amount I used to. Picking it back up and realized immediately my bow hold likely wasn't correct - thanks for your fantastic video!
2 months in for me and I find your video is very helpful.
SWEET! Glad to help 👍
I'm 55 and starting the violin for the first time; great video - thank you for taking the time to make it!
Glad to help. Happy practicing!
61 and just started! Yay for us!
@@melizmatea I think that's fantastic; good for you! It's a tough instrument, but stick to it - there is definitely a feeling of accomplishment when you see yourself progress. 😁
I'm already a flautist but I decided I wanted to learn the violin (on my own until I find a teacher!). I've looked at many other videos but yours is very clear and helpful! Thanks a lot for your help!
My pinky really wants to straighten out... But the tutorial really helped overall btw!
My pinky is double jointed, so that adds another level more of difficulty for me.
@@DanaPAH oh must be difficult
OMG! I have tears in my eyes because this is the first time I truly understand how to hold my bow. Thank you so much! I'm sure this is going to make a huge difference in how I learn to play.
Hello Tina, thanks for letting me know. I'm always glad to hear when my videos help people out. Happy practicing!
Thank you so much. I took lessons 20 years ago, but abandoned the violin because I'm an idiot. My instructor showed me how to properly hold the bow but didn't explain _why_ to hold it that way, and so it was always a challenge for me. Nor did she give me bow exercises, which makes a big difference in muscle memory. I'm ready to try again, now that I'm semi-retired. Yeah, I'm old, but who cares. The violin is such a lovely instrument and brings joy to play it, no matter the age. 🎻♥
Thanks so much for the kind words and it's true, that sometimes you just need to hear the right thing. Of course, it helps to be older and wiser as well. I wish I could hear my old teachers again. It'd probably make a lot more sense. Happy Practicing!!
I believed all of the videos I've seen so far where wrong because when I held it that way there was pressure on my pinky when holding the bow parallel to the floor. You're the only one who explains that this is correct and that the violin takes off this pressure when you actually use your bow. Thank you so much!!
Thanks so much for showing how to hold the bow right . Today I got so exhausted how to correct my students from bad bow hold they learned from previous teacher , their thumbs and pinky just go straight, they couldn’t bend 😢, it’s been couple weeks they are still going back to their bad habit bow hold , I even tried to let them hold the pencil for the easier effects , hopefully when I show them your video they will find a better way to fix their mistakes. Thanks again 😊
Thanks for the kind words and good luck!
I had my first lesson this week and currently figuring out my bow hold. This was really helpful!
Thanks for making it so easy to understand! Extra cameras also help
Glad to help!
Thank you for your video! I never noticed that the bow is has flat sides like a pencil. Now it makes more sense to let the pinkie rest there. Correct bow hold is starting to set in. Also saying its a guide and not a hold made me more relaxed and not having a death grip.....😊 Best tutorial!!
You just made life so much easier! 😭 Thank you... As a piano player, the violin is so much more challenging. I was really struggling from other videos
I'm glad my video helped. Thanks for letting me know!
I've been watching several videos on how to hold the bow but couldn't get it until I saw your video. Great explanation. Thank you so much!
Wwooowwww thanksss llooooottttttttttttttt
I've been watching tons of yt vids on how to hold the bow, and none of them helped, but yoooouuuu,,,, YYOOUU'RRREEE MMMEEE SAAAVVIIOOUUURRR.
Almost gave up on playing the violin, until i saw ur vid
Edit: just corrected some spellings
Wow, that's super cool I was able to help. Thanks for letting me know and let me know if you have any questions in the future! 👍
Nice! Am practicing! You are amazing!
Thank you for telling to put the stick at the first crease of the hand. That was so helpful for the students!
Thank you, I've been playing the violin at a more advanced level and I just couldn't progress further. That's when I learned my bow hold, violin placement, and my left hand placement were all wrong. Feels horrible to restart from the beginning, teacher's in school never go into this
Yes, they often don't because it's much more difficult to teach technique that feels so "unnatural" to a student. Glad to hear you left the dark side!
As soon as I turn the bow over, my pinky’s 1st knuckle stays bent, but the second knuckle straightens out and locks from the weight of the bow 😕
@@banjosforbreakfast6086 same, how do u fix :(
@@banjosforbreakfast6086 how about try to low your wrist a bit , sometimes wrist too high cause the pinky automatically straight and keep all the middle finger ring finger and pinky together no space , only leave space for index finger . Thumb and middle finger create a nice round circle. Please let me know if that helps
Thank you for this video. My son is struggling with holding his bow and this was helpful!
Always glad to help. Teaching hundreds of kids makes this stuff "easy". Hah.
4:02 "every way in which you hold the bow is practically 100 percent counterintuitive" Indeed, everything about playing the violin is practically 100% counterintuitive! I can't imagine anyone being 100 percent self-taught at violin and becoming any good or having anything close to proper technique! And even with proper instruction it's still very challenging.
Thank you so much for making this! I’ve been playing with a straight thumb for years and was struggling to bend it. This really helped.
This helps a lot especially that I am learning everything from yt videos; from unpacking to playing LOL. Time to practice these skills.
Best explanation on how to hold the bow I have seen on TH-cam.
I want to thank you for the tip. I played banjo for years and I am now learning how to play the fiddle this was a great help. All the best to you!
Very useful and practical 🙏⚘
Thank you so much! I tried for years to keep my pinky bent, but as soon as the weight of the bow was leveraging aginst it the middle joint would just flatten out. It took less than a week with these exercises to fix my bow hold
Wow thank you so much! I nearly cried (nearly!) . You have made this so straightforward with your 3 steps! And your rationale behind bent thumb and bent pinkie. Thank you!
Thank you so much for posting this brilliant video! It is the best information and practical tuition regarding how to properly learn to hold the violin bow that I have ever heard or seen!
I am returning to learning after having learnt to grade 5 as a child. I was never given this information especially regarding the bowing arm “being a guide”! Thank you again!
This was awesome and SO helpful thank you!! Also the customer service there is PHENOMENAL!
Thank you for the lovely comment. My favorite of the day! 🥰
you’re a genius. great reproducible breakdown. been trying to teach my kid for years and only got it after watching this.
Sweet. Glad to be of help!
Incredible info! Simple and clear. Thank you!
I really should’ve seen this video sooner cause i can’t help but straitening my thumb and if I bend my thumb then my pinky straightens so I’m glad that this video explains everything about why it’s happening and I wish I seen it before taking lessons
It's awesome to hear that the video helped. Happy practicing!
I have a Kennedy violin. Stays in tune and sounds great!
Ive been playing the violin for a long time, but had to go back to the basics because I didn’t have that easy movement. This is helping me so much! Thank you ✨
Thanks for your advice and your help, I appreciate you.
Glad to help!
About a week ago, my class got to try out instruments to band or orchestra. I learned how to hold a bow, but I forgot. But the girl teaching me said "If you have a good grip, you can swing it around like this." Next year I'm gonna be in middle school! Yay
Thank you! I wish I had watched this video the first day I started learning.
Ya me to....ha! Thanks for watching. 🤪
Brilliant! Thanks for the straightforward rundown.
Best bow holding video i've seen, with all this important information an camara view angles. The first video that realy works. Thank you!
Thank you! Corrected my straightened pinky. Now need to practice and get it right. ☺️
this was brilliant for FREE too thank you
Glad to help. Thanks!!
Hi, this is the best video showing how to put your fingers to a bow. This was very helpful for me! I appreciate your work. Thank a lot!
Thank you for sharing! informative❤️
Very detailed, clear step by step tutorial, I hope there's more on another part like exact putting of finger on the fingerboard and others.
Thanks for the compliment! We got a bunch more videos as well. Just go to the Kennedy violins channel and search our videos you'll probably find what you're looking. If you don't, just let me know specifically what your question is and maybe I could do a video on it.
Excellent lesson ❤ Thank you! I’m getting my violin soon, and will start out as a beginner. This is the best explanation of how to hold the bow that I have seen so far! ❤
Cool, glad to help. Happy practicing!
Concise and smart -- bravo! (from an ancient violist)
Much appreciated!
It made bowing a lot easier and or helped me a lot when I was having trouble
Excellent video!
Thanks!
Very useful, thank you very much for taking the time
Glad to help and thanks for the comment!
Thank you so much! still having a problem with my pinky but I hope I'll find a way to work it out :) Your video is very helpful. Cheers!
Thanks Joel.. This is a great help for me as an adult beginner..
Thank you so much. Nicely shown in different angles helped hugely.👍🙏💙❤️💜💚
😀😁🙃
I’ve been learning for 2 weeks now. I almost give up since i can’t hold it properly at all. Thank you for this, i thought im just the only one who can’t hold it properly
I can’t bend my pinky...if I try to it will slip off the bow- Help??
If you place the very tip of your pinky on the flat portion of the hexagonal shape of the bow, this will help a lot until you start to relax your pinky more. Some people use pinky helpers on their bow as well. Here is a link to one that is on Amazon but there are several types. I hope this helps! www.amazon.com/Blue-Set-StringsTM-Teaching-Accessory/dp/B002QAWNDE/ref=asc_df_B002QAWNDE/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312155612850&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=103950110954785208&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031533&hvtargid=pla-425974895693&psc=1
@@KennedyViolins thank you!!
Me too. Can’t hold the bowl with pinky bend.
Same problem... it naturally straightens.
Same problem here...
Brand new to this site. Thank you!
Thank you! That helps a lot!
Always glad to help!
Fab video, just starting and this helped a lot, thanks!
Very professional. Informative. On point with any unnecessary ramblings and playing so common in tutorial videos
Will be saving for future veiw for getting back to basics
Keep up great work
THANKS
THUMPER
like it😇
Great lesson. Thank you 😊
My pleasure!
You saved me
Thank you so much ❤
Very helpful, thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Oh wow I just got my violin from you guys. Got I different for someone else and would never stay in tune. But yours is very nice especially for a beginner like me. Stays in tune very good. But just stumbled upon this video haha. Still got a lot to learn but I think I’m picking it up haha
so helpful. THANK YOU
Always glad to help!
Thank you so much for your teaching, I totally agree with you, my daughter spent past 1 year 100 times more effort to change her bad habit of bow hold - which led to her tense shoulder and tense wrist and freeze body ...presently my son of 6 years old is freshly working hard on the bow hold after each lesson with his teacher . His hand is much better with bent thumb and bent pinky but still very tense and sharpy sometimes... Then while frustrating, last night I asked him to hold the bold with 3 fingers (thumb, index and middle as 3 leaders of the bow hold) first for some seconds and then add on the ring and pinky finger, it's much more relaxed and curved and round (but when his them index and middle fingers appear to be lazily not holding the bow...the pinky and ring finger will back to tense again...so keep reminding him - let the three fingers be responsible leaders in the process).. I hope I am helping him in some way .... Also, please may we ask for your good tips on relax the arm weight while exercising the bow? I myself play piano, I understand how the arm weight can all fall onto that finger tip pressing the piano note...Is that playing violin is the same? Relaxing your arm weight while moving the bow up and down and fall all the weight onto the point of string the bow is playing ... but how to help a small child to understand this arm relax concept and how to find the supporting point of all the weight. and What kind of exercise to help them to have the muscle memory. Do you sugget small children like my son to go straigh into playing a piece of the first pages or practice bow moving with no violin? Thank you in advance for your help. Many thanks, mum of two children.
Hello Enyu, thanks for the comment and it sounds like you are a very committed parent! Having a relaxed bow arm is an art and can take many years to perfect. Why a person has a tense arm can be for many reasons, so it's not really possible for me to diagnose here but as a general rule, tension often starts with large muscle groups and is passed down to other muscle groups. If his arm is tense, the biggest culprit is probably his shoulder. It is important that he never raises it while playing. If you see him "shrug" his shoulder while playing certain bowings, you will be able to see the tension start and then it's passed down to the forearm and eventually wrist and fingers. Practicing simple long bow strokes while keeping the shoulder down, will often help!
@@KennedyViolins Thank you for your prompt reply and have taken down your suggestions and will put into practice! All the best to your teaching!! Thank you again :)
Thank you so much! That's a great teach video
Loved it will practise
I've never held a bow in my life and this me it feel comfortable. thanks
thanks on the video,, makes it way easier,, thank you
Always glad to help!
best video for bow hold👍🏽👌
i know right😀
This is such a great video. Thank you so much.
Glad you liked it. Thanks for letting me know! 👍
Good job on the vid! I needed the help!
Trying to teach myself to play. Thanks for all the information
Thank this video is very helpful
I stopped playing violin because my teacher was never giving me encouraging words always told me I'm bad and was always fat shaming me and 7 year old me was done with it. I looked at my violin one day and picked it up and I found this video very helpful because I'm taking lessons later this week and I wanted to be ahead and start early before class starts.
💚
Thanks a million for this
dude i finally get it. ty!
SWEET!!
Thank you!
"If you hold the screw by the left hand"
Me: wait.... left hand¿ wait,
Is that why the neck rest is so uncomfortable¿
Edit: after 3 seconds I try to hold the violin with my right hand....
It wasnt pretty.....
So therefore.......
I hadth come to the conclusion...
That
1) I'm hungry and i need some snickers
2) this is a right hand violin, if that exists anyways
3)my hands have scoliosis
Lol. Keep trying! 😜
Omg lol I think that #1 was probably the correct answer
Thankyou!!😃
Tysm for this :>
Watched this one too today! I realized my pinkie is straight. I will correct it now onwards. Thank you! Another big help!
Ya, super important but easier said than done. Happy practicing! 👍
VERY helpful.
Thanks for letting me know!
Thanks 🙏
I'm so glad I watched this video before 'learning' the violin and making bad habits early! This made a world of different. Sadly I almost -always- wear wrist braces because of bad carpel tunnel so my hands/wrist are very weak and it's hard to hold the bow this way. I hope they get stronger from playing.
Very helpful
😉
Very good video!
Thanks 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Always glad to help!
Age 20 im about to play beautiful music for Jesusss!! you explained everything amazing, thank you!
Glad to help as always!
Thank you ☺😍
love it
Glad to help!
Thank you so much for this video. My teacher always told us to tuck our thumbs in the little U shaped part of the frog and I had the tendency to bend my thumb backwards and my other fingers always slid up. It will be a hard habit to break!
Yikes! Glad to help and happy practicing!