This was incredibly helpful as someone who overthinks their bow hand and arm! Even the “what is pronation” section was enlightening, let alone the whole video. Subscribed :)
73 year old beginner of nine months here. I’ve never heard of this before. I’m trying so hard to get rid of the beginner sound. I think this will actually help me. Thanks so much.
I’m so glad you found this video. This is definitely a big step along the path to improving your sound. Another part of getting rid of the beginner sound is a combination of altering your bow speed and pressure while listening for the sound you want. Professionals are constantly making both micro adjustments as well as very drastic adjustments to create the sounds and colors they imagine.
Thanks for these helpful tips. I sometimes experienced shaky bowing movement but did not know what caused it or how to correct it. Now I know pronation plays such a big part in improving my technique and sound.
You are welcome. So much of our violin playing from a technique perspective comes down to some basic scientific principles and once we understand the principles, we can fix the problem forever.
What a great lesson! Shaky bow and what I call "thinnies" where the sound just gets faint and squeaky, have plagued me from day one. Can't wait to try this.
I’m glad to hear that! There are great online resources but having private lessons is the best way to go and then using the online resources as supplements.
Well, I started learning violin in my 60s, and surprisingly I am on Suzuki book 7. However, I cannot grasp vibrato. No matter what I do and how many videos I watch. My teacher has been instructing me on it to no avail. I do nto know what to do!
Congratulations on that awesome progress and I’m always happy to hear about people who start learning violin at a later age. Getting a good vibrato is a long-term process. Most musicians I’ve spoken with have told me their teachers started teaching them vibrato but they had to kind of figure it out on their own. I try to get my students to get a generally correct motion first even if it doesn’t sound good, and the tweak the motion to get it more efficient while also having them imagine the sound they want and having them try to let their body get that sound (even if the vibrato technique isn’t good). It’s a process to align good technique in vibrato and a good sound and then get more efficiency and variety in the vibrato. I’d say be patient and accepting that this will take time, start with trying to getting the right general motion and ignore the fact it might sound bad, then work on imitating motion and sound and your teacher will be able to help you with tweaking the technique.
I’d be curious to hear where you read that and what reasons were given to avoid pronation. I’ve mostly encountered teachers and colleagues that suggest using it in some way but it is always interesting to hear other perspectives.
I've never been able to reach the end of my bow without it feeling tense and strained - this is a huge breakthrough. So well explained. I really enjoyed the video. Thanks so much :)
