Right Hand Violin Technique - Marnie Thies Violin Lessons

Violin Technique Videos

Awareness of right hand violin technique shown below is crucial in becoming a good violinist. As a Suzuki violin teacher, I emphasize technique in lessons but for visual and audio learners, my hope is that this page will result in a deeper understanding of violin technique. As a result, this page will save the student and I time in the lessons.
Thank you.
Happy Practicing!
-Marnie

Below are some things to keep in mind and videos you may want to view when addressing certain technical issues playing the violin.

Playing With a Straight Bow

One of the most important aspects of tone production is playing with a straight bow. A straight bow is defined as keeping the bow parallel to the bridge at all times.

When playing the violin with a straight bow, it can look crooked to the player thereby creating an optical illusion. I recommend looking to the right into a mirror to check that you are bowing straight.

Some common issues when trying to play with a straight bow includes the following:

The violin does not cover the left shoulder when playing which results in a crooked bow. More right arm adjustment to create a straight bow is necessary if the violin is not placed on the left shoulder and the violin is held in front.
The right elbow moves in front or back of our bodies which creates a crooked bow.
Our right wrist does not follow through when playing at the frog. Bending our wrist as we bow towards the frog is necessary for bowing straight.
On the down bow, some violinists do not extend the arm in a straight line. The elbow moves in back of our right side, thereby playing with a crooked bow.
On the down bow, the upper arm moves forward a little to maintain a straight bow.
It is important to note that as children grow taller and have previously played with a straight bow when children master the skill of playing with a straight bow, they need to make minor adjustments with their right arm in order to achieve a straight bow. As their arm gets longer, they need to pull their arm back towards the side of their body to achieve a straight bow.

Professor Prof. Kurt Sassmannshaus discusses straight bow geometry:

stance and violin position video — *click to watch on youtube.com*

Some practice tips in developing a straight bow include playing in front of the mirror and placing the violin bow on your strings. This idea wasn’t covered in the video but If you’re an adult student, make sure to stand in front of the mirror and place the bow parallel to the violin string. You can then move your right hand up and down along the length of the bow while holding your violin with your chin:

exercise for natural straight bow stroke — *click to watch on youtube.com*

Another strategy which has helped my students play with a straight bow involves holding the violin with the chin and looking into the mirror while playing.

Other videos which may be helpful in playing with a straight bow include the following:

Put the violin on your lap and bow across the strings. Feel the grippiness of the bow hair into the string and listen to make sure that your sound is deep. Memorize pieces like “Twinkle” and “Mary Had A Little Lamb” so you can watch for a straight bow:

straight bows and tone production — *click to watch on youtube.com*

Use a corner in a room to help you bow straight. Start with a 1/3 of the bow in the middle and use more bow as time goes on. The wall prevents your bow from going crooked:

straight bowing trick for violin — *click to watch on youtube.com*

Learning to bow straight by feel:

straight bowing techniques — *click to watch on youtube.com*

Figure 8 Bowing To Achieve Straight Bowing: