How do you keep the bow parallel to the bridge?
In a recent office hours session, a few students asked me “How do you keep the bow parallel on the strings?”
Here are some tips on keeping the bow parallel to the bridge.
- Mirror practice
- Check the bow angle in the mirror. Some students also use the camera on their computer and look at that. While you’re at it, just film yourself. This will provide a lot of useful feedback.
- Use less bow
- Use some sort of physical guide
- A FiddleHed named Ty Smith suggested placing two straws in the F holes like so:
- There’s a product called Bow Right which offers a similar solution:
Further learning
How to be your own teacher
This micro-lesson is an excerpt from an office hours webinar I gave on February 25, 2020. View the entire live-stream with indexed questions here.
Do you have a fiddle or violin question? The office hours live-stream happens on the last Tuesday of the month.
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