OldTimeFreak - Posted - 09/07/2010:  08:59:46

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I just realized that I have been putting to much down pressure on my bow. I didn't think it would be loud enough, I'm a hell of alot smoother on my slurs now. It's almost like I'm only putting enough down pressure on to get the note.

M-D - Posted - 09/07/2010:  09:08:02

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I torque the bow only for a particular emphasis, not as a matter of course.

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Edited by - M-D on 09/07/2010 09:08:38

fiddlepogo - Posted - 09/07/2010:  14:19:26

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And I think you'll find that you actually get as much or more volume... the added downward pressure actually CHOKES the vibration
of the string under the bow, so it's counterproductive.
Greater volume comes from both greater efficiency in bowing, but also from more sideways velocity.

Dick Hauser - Posted - 09/07/2010:  16:10:36

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To demonstrate how much pressure should be applied to get the right amount of volume, I have seen instructors reverse the end of the bow they are holding, and play a few bowstrokes.
By holding the bow near the tip, and then playing bowstrokes, the frog applies additional pressure to the bow, and applies about the right amount of pressure to produce the required volume.

If you go to Youtube, and browse "Jacie Sites Learntofiddle", she has a few videos that discuss holding the bow, right amount of bow pressure, how to get good tone, and how to help keep the bow parallel to the bridge. Watching the 3 videos won't take long and could provide you with useful information. On Jackie's videos, she mentions that lack of bow pressure is a common problem among young students, and older students.

bj - Posted - 09/07/2010:  18:18:38

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Too much is no good. Too little is also no good. You have to find the amount that is just right. And this may, to at least a slight degree, be affected by your bow, your bow's balance point, and the strings you've got on your fiddle.

carlb - Posted - 09/08/2010:  06:47:22

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Vaired pressure can equal varied dynamics; like pulsing. Also, varied speed of the bow can equal varied dynamics.

bsed - Posted - 09/08/2010:  18:00:41

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To me, I think this is one of the benefits of recording yourself. Listening to the playback you might comment, "Jeez! I'm puttin' down too much pressure on the bow!" From my own vantage, I'd have a hard time identifying this problem any other way. (I'm not saying it's the only way.)

Barry1963 - Posted - 09/08/2010:  20:32:37

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quote:

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Originally posted by bsed

To me, I think this is one of the benefits of recording yourself. Listening to the playback you might comment, "Jeez! I'm puttin' down too much pressure on the bow!" From my own vantage, I'd have a hard time identifying this problem any other way. (I'm not saying it's the only way.)

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I agree with recording yourself, its been one of my best tools. Its amazing how different the fiddle can sound under your ear vs what others are hearing. even to the point of how different it sounds to you when your either looking down the neck or laying your head to the side. example: soldiers joy sounds crunchy under my ear but good when i play it back, when it sounds sweet in my ear it sounds weak on the recording.....but hell, I may be gettin old and deaf so dont take my word for it...lol.

I dont mean to be tellin' tales outtta school, but theres a man in there that'll pay you ten dollars to sing into a can

groundhogpeggy - Posted - 09/10/2010:  05:19:53

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This seems to be one of the many great difficulties of fiddling, from what i can see. Classical people might be able to teach a cookie cutter, sure-fire method to get the right pressure, but self-torturing-learing fiddlers find things out in their own way, and as a result you get a lot of different sounds... I guess, I'm guessing. I never really knew any classical violinists, so i don't know, but in everything else they have "correct technique" and then everything else is frowned on.

To me... as a beginner exploring this whole big ol' thing... seems rather than think in terms of pressure on the bow... I think, at this early stage (and reserve the right to change my opinion as I learn more and get more experience in) that if I think more in terms of tugging with some pressure, rather than pressure on the bow, the pressure is more in the tugging of the bow...I believe my tone is more secure and reliable... more sturdy that way... alghouth sometimes I get the annoying quivers and shakes too. The other day my bow was sliding, giving me chills up and down... I put more rosin on and no luck... finally, I wiped down the strings good and got the bow hair to grip them better again.... assuming I had some rosin build up, especially because it was the worse on the coarse strings... I guess they can collect rosin to fill in the gaps of the strings so that the bow can't gip them enough... anyway, that worked for me then.

As far as tugging.... I don't have the same luck shoving... if I shove (up bow pressure) the bow my fiddle sounds hoarse, like it has a cold... so I let it float upwards and tug hard (well, not real hard, but, you know...) going down. Seems to work for me at this point.

I should add what I'm doing is all either Nashville Shuffle (Down, u/d UP, d/u) or revolving closely around it... this tugging/floating thing I do at this point...don't know if it would work so well with another approach or even with this approach by another fiddler. Just saying where I'm at and what I'm learning... or THINK I'm learning... more coffee... on to work!

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Edited by - groundhogpeggy on 09/10/2010 05:23:29

fiddledan - Posted - 09/10/2010:  05:49:12

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quote:

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Originally posted by OldTimeFreak

I just realized that I have been putting to much down pressure on my bow. I didn't think it would be loud enough, I'm a hell of alot smoother on my slurs now. It's almost like I'm only putting enough down pressure on to get the note.

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Congrats on the discovery OTF! A joy when you find that less gives more. I teach to only let gravity take the bow down and only enough push up to overcome said gravity. Pretty light when you stop working so hard. I look forward to your next insight as you are now on your way!
Play nice,
Dan