Bowing guidelines (reprise)

[Thomas Erickson]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Sometimes you have to look ahead and see where you need that down Bow and work backwards. Much of the music I get has old bowings in them or erased but visible. Usually they help but sometimes they are the result of someones ability and not always the best bowing.

Three note pick-ups to a Dn bow line, start with an up bow. Odd notes, = up bow start and even is usually Dn bow. Some times it doesn't make sense to try what is written but do so anyway and then try your idea awhile and see what is best. I played the Nut Cracker at least 4-5 times now and only last year did I change one of the bowings I was doing because a player in the NYC Ballet told me to. Now, it seems easier as well as the other night, my stand partner kept jumping to down bows for this repeated rhythm. I told him (as the Ballet player told me), just do continous bowings and it will come out correct in the end. Up dn up - dn up dn - up dn up- dn up dn....

Patience helps as does listening to those who have more experience in professional orchestras.

+1
I think too often bowings are over-thought, with players getting into "ruts" of unnecessary bowings rather than simply having the patience to play things straight through; the result, in a section, being an overall loss of sound/tone and strange inflections finding their way into music where they don't belong.

IMO there's nothing wrong with playing as much stuff straight-through as possible; "tricky" bowing rarely makes something more musical and easily becomes an annoying habit.