Online Lesson; Up and Down Bow

This online violin lesson will cover the up and down bow of violin. One can easily become confused when they think of a down bow as strictly 'down'. When playing a down bow on the G string, it will actually look like you are pulling the bow up in the sky. The same is true with an up bow on the lower strings. When you play an up bow on the G and even D string, it will look like the bow is point down towards the ground. 

UP and Down Bow Tips

In addition to understanding how to play the up bow or down bow with your bow you need to understand the symbols used in music showing that you need to play an up bow or a down bow.

The Picture below shows the symbol that will appear above a musical note when you should play an up bow. Begin at the tip and pull towards the frog. 

The Picture below shows the symbol that will appear above a note when you should play a down bow. This means begin at the frog and pull towards the tip.

Mark your own music. Not all music comes marked with the appropriate bowing. Sometimes it is helpful for beginners to mark their own music. When deciding what bowing to use, it is typically a good idea to start a measure on a down bow. Here are some other useful tips when marking the bowing. Use down bows on the strong beats of 1 and 3 and up bows on beats 2 and 4. A new set of eight or sixteenth notes should begin on a down bow. 'Pick up' notes (a note leading into the beginning of a song or measure) should be played with an up bow, so you can begin the next measure on a down bow.