The art of bowing.

[Jeff Moote]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

There are a few schools of drawing the Bow that I am personally aware of. One is the heavy strong attack on each note. Another is a smooth execution where you do not hear the attack. A third is where it draws softly at the start and quickly swells to the desired tone.

I have used all three mentioned as needed. The first and last style should be used as needed for the music. The middle one where you have control of the note from the start should be the normal way to bow. This I find the hardest to maintain as it requires great practice as well as a Bass (with good bowing strings) that responds well to your Bow. Also, the quality of your Bow will greatly aide in this approach.

I'm with Ken. A clean and even stroke from frog to tip in both directions should be the default. Any articulation and dynamic should be only when called for in the music. I thought this is how everyone was taught? Maybe I just have good teachers?

Originally Posted by David Powell

I use the black hair also, which seems to be far more sensitive to where you bow the string. It's more challenging, but when you get it right, it is so different from the white hair. To my ear it is better, but the articulation has to be perfect or it will scratch or squeak.

I don't think this is really a black hair thing as much as the strings and your technique. I have to work really hard to get my bass to squeak now, but in my earlier days with different strings and less developed technique that's all I got! Good arco strings with a good stroke should speak well no matter the hair colour or how much rosin (within reason) or where you bow along the string (again, within reason). I use black hair, btw, but I don't feel it makes as big a difference as many say. It's more coarse and "gritty" for sure, but that's about it.