Violin Starter Skills: Bow Strokes and Sound Production (Lesson #3)

Main Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLI-txycyB78IaaXac-wu_By-Y_9wQ8JbQ

This video covers the first lesson around creating a sound with the bow on the violin. We are going to focus on simple rhythms on the A and E string, with an emphasis on good mechanics and beautiful sound production. The prerequisites for this video are (1) good violin posture, which will set up the angles for our bow arm, and (2) good bow grip, which will allow us to manage the bow in a relaxed and controlled manner. Those are covered in previous videos.

I’ll give a few checklists to keep in mind when practicing these bow strokes, covering the sound quality and the mechanics themselves. I really do advise paying attention to the mechanics even if it feels like a lot for a simple bow stroke; a strong grasp of these mechanics will set us up to do more and more with our bow over time.

Intro
0:00 Welcome
0:50 Demonstration (A+E String, Single Notes + Mississippi Hot Dog)

Prerequisite Checklist
3:00 Prerequisites
3:19 1. Prerequisites: Violin Posture
4:20 2. Prerequisites: Bow Grip
6:07 3. Prerequisites: Bow Setup (Tightening, Rosin)
8:53 4. Prerequisites: String Setup (Age, Cleanliness)

Sound Checklist
11:12 Sound checklist
11:41 1. Sound Checklist: Start of Note
12:45 2. Sound Checklist: Middle of Note
13:38 3. Sound Checklist: End of Note
14:29 4. Sound Checklist: Single String
15:24 5. Sound Checklist: Strong Tone

Checklist for Tiki-tiki Ta-ka
16:10 Rhythm checklist
16:32 1. Rhythm Checklist: Legato + Stacatto
17:28 2. Rhythm Checklist: Full tone on every note
18:16 3. Rhythm Checklist: Consistent rhythm and tempo

Checklist for Arm Posture
19:18 Mechanics checklist
20:10 1a. Posture checklist: Shape of arm at middle
21:48 1b. Posture checklist: Shape of arm at tip
22:35 1. Exercise: Silent placements
23:10 2. Posture checklist: Arm levels
24:30 2. Exercise: Silent arm levels

Sound production checklist
25:30 1. Sound production: Weight of bow
26:45 2. Sound production: Speed of bow
27:25 3a. Sound production: Contact point
28:24 3b Sound production: Flat bow
29:15 3c. Sound production: Straight bow

Conclusion
32:00 Wrap up

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