Bowing Tips: 3 Easy Ways to Improve Your String Crossings
Work your shoulder weight to gain speed, accuracy, and power
The Problem
You’re not getting power in your strokes after sloppy string crossings.
The Solution
Sharpen your awareness of bowing arm dynamics. When you want to move to different strings and power your longer strokes, the shoulder is the area of the arm that does the job. “The major source of power for all string players is the big back muscles,” says Sally O’Reilly, violin professor at the University of Minnesota. “We function like baseball pitchers and it’s [always] baseball season.”
Watch a good baseball pitcher and you’ll see what full, fluid bow strokes need as well: power, efficiency, coordination, and follow-through. First, the muscles of the shoulder (not to mention the rest of the body) are used to “wind up” the energy needed for the pitch. In a split second, you’ll see the upper arm move. The rest of the motion, though equally important, is the follow-through.
Begin by isolating the motion required to change strings.
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