Bow Exercises Suzuki Violin Book 1

Here is a partial list of the bow exercises I take students through to learn the bow skills in Suzuki Violin Book 1. I teach them one exercise at a time, then we play through them in lessons every week. When the list gets longer we choose a few of the exercises to master and take weeks off to do scales. The point is to make it enjoyable and beneficial, not to just get through it.

1. Rockets: make a nice bowhand; go up and down like a rocket slowly 4x.
2. Windshield Wipers: go back and forth turning your wrist and forearm like a wiper on a car 4x.
3. Cereal Bowls: make big circles like you are mixing a big bowl of your favorite cereal 4x.
4. Bow Taps: keep a relaxed bowhand, tap each finger 4x.
5. Regular (detache): play every string 4x keeping the bow straight.
6. Staccato (stop-bow): play every string 4x keeping the bow straight and stop between each bow stroke.
7. Bow Circles down bow: play every string 4x keeping the bow straight all down bow coming off the string and going back towards the frog.
8. Bow Circles up bow: Now, play every string 4x keeping the bow straight all up bow.
9. Crescendo: play each string 4x starting with small bow and then more and more each one.
10. Descrescendo: now play each string 4x starting with big bow and get smaller and smaller.

What are some exercises that you have been doing to learn the basics on the violin? Let me know if you have any questions about my list.

Suzuki Cello Book 1, No. 1: Twinkle Variation A

Focus Points:

• Get into a good playing position every time, do not just let something slip.
• Put your bow on the D string.
• Start thinking of the rhythm: "pepperoni pizza" or "mississippi stop stop" or "1-e-and-a 2-and"
   however you think about it, go for a consistent rhythm on each note. 
• Stay relaxed and enjoy!

Suzuki Book 1, No. 15: Minuet No. III

Focus Points:

• Start at the middle of the bow
• Play the hooked bows, which are the up-up quarter notes gently
• Since the Minuet is a song that people dance to, try to play it in a way that you would want to dance to it

Suzuki Violin Book 1: Go Tell Aunt Rhody in A, D, G Major with Preparation Exercise

Focus Points:

• Keep polishing the previous pieces, seek to make them more interesting, playing them at different tempi (speeds).
• Get into a good playing position: violin on the shoulder to the side, curved fingers for the bowhand, stand tall, left thumb by the first finger.
• Place the bow at the middle between the bridge and the fingerboard.
• This piece starts on the A string, just like the Twinkles and Song of the Wind, but now we start with two fingers down (the note C#).
• In the second line you repeat Section B quietly (indicated with a p), watch for that in the video. Make a difference between the p and the mf.

Suzuki Violin Book 1: Twinkle Theme

Focus Points:

• Now that you know the notes and can play Twinkle with different rhythms, it is time for the Theme.
• Get into a good playing position: violin on the shoulder to the side, curved fingers for the bowhand, stand tall, left thumb by the first finger.
• Place the bow at the middle between the bridge and the fingerboard.
• Concentrate on keeping the bow flowing and smooth throughout the piece.

Suzuki Violin Book 1: Song of the Wind in A, D, G Major with Preparation Exercise

Focus Points:

• Keep polishing the Twinkle Variations & Theme and Lightly Row.
• Get into a good playing position: violin on the shoulder to the side, curved fingers for the bowhand, stand tall, left thumb by the first finger.
• Place the bow at the middle between the bridge and the fingerboard.
• This piece starts on the A string, just like the Twinkles. 
• There are rests in the pieces during which you do a bow circle, watch for that in the video.
  

Suzuki Violin Book 1: Twinkle, Variation D

Suzuki Violin Book 1: Twinkle, Twinkle - Variation C

Suzuki Violin Book 1: Twinkle, Twinkle Variation B

Bow Circles: Good for Tone

          This is one of the simplest ways to build your tone on the violin. It even works with viola, cello, and bass. So what you want to keep in mind:

• the bow needs to be placed gently on the string at the frog (bottom of the bow).
• then pull the bow gently watching that the string resonates (wiggles really fast).
• then circle back to the middle of the bow! 
• keep the bow off the fingerboard and use as much of it as you can.
• start by doing 5 bow circles per string, then every week keep adding 1 more bow circle per string.
• after 2 weeks you can experiment with slower and faster bow circles.
• you can even do bow circles up bow

This warm-up exercise is good for the rest of your life, just like marriage, so keep at it and be creative.

Violin Book 1: Lightly Row in A, D, G Major with a Preparation Exercise

              You are ready for Lightly Row, so other than a pretty melody what will you learn? Check out some of the focus points:

• This piece starts on the E string, not the A string like the Twinkles.
• Playing position. Get into a good playing position: violin on the shoulder to the side, curved fingers for the bowhand, stand tall, left thumb by the first finger. Place the bow at the middle between the bridge and the fingerboard.
• Hopping. Practice the hop between the 1st two notes, the E string to 2 on the A string, with different rhythms.
• Once you can play the piece without stumbles, you can try playing it starting on the A string and then starting on the D string, just like in the video.

Violin Book 1: Twinkle, Variation A "Pepperoni Pizza"

Mastering the (Rubber) Bow Hand

           Violinists, Violists, Cellists, and Contrabassists (usually we just call them “bassists”) need a good bow hand (some call it a “bow grip” or a “bow hold”) to produce a beautiful tone (the kind of sound you make) on their instrument. This good
bow hand is a relaxed, tense free, firm bow hand.  Sounds like a contradiction, right?  I mean how can your hand be relaxed, tense free and firm at the same time?  

What helps me to imagine this is a good quality rubber band. You can stretch the rubber band (something that is flexible and relaxed we can say) and at the same time it is firm because you can only pull it only so far before it breaks. The same goes for the bow hand.  The fingers are firm and flexible at the same time. The picture of the hand being like a rubber band is no a perfect one, but it may help you like it helped me.

So how do you get this rubber bow hand?

Short answer: Consistent concentration, practice and patience to have curved, firm and flexible fingers.

Longer answer: As you practice regularly (this means that you have a goal for how often and how much to practice) you will make it a priority to achieve the rubber bow hand by spend time doing exercises patiently to attain this wonderful phenomenon of curved, flexible and firm fingers. The pinky is standing on top close to the ring finger, the ring and middle finger are on the frog, the index finger leans passed the middle knuckle, close to the middle finger.

Inside Scoop: This is why teachers spend time with you the first 2 years of lessons working on your bow hand; it is a part of the foundation of being an excellent string musician.  So do not get upset with them for taking so long, it will pay off big time in the long run, join them in the journey!

What can I do to achieve the amazing rubber bow hand?

1. The Pencil Miracle. Take a pencil (or pen, or marker, etc.) and apply the bow hand. Hold the pencil as lightly as possible, see how gently and lightly you can hold it until it falls out of your hand! Then practice bow taps, your songs, and whatever else you like in the air with the pencil miracle!

2. The Bow Tap. Take the pencil in your bow hand, once it’s ready. Tap each finger 5 times while keep the non-tapping fingers in a perfect bow hand position. 5 to start off, after 2 weeks tap each finger 10 times, keep adding 5 more taps until you can tap each finger 25-30 times with a perfect rubber bow hand.

3. The Air Bowing. Take the bow in your bow hand and practice songs in the air like a rocket, like a car parallel to the ground, then slanted like on the violin.

I only listed three exercises because you probably know others from your teacher.  Do these simple exercises consistently, patiently with concentration during your practice and you are on the road to the amazing, wonderful, incredible rubber bow hand!

 
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