tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468439890002165895.post6076186171514773923..comments2024-03-18T20:06:15.193-05:00Comments on TEACH SUZUKI: How to Start a Beginner, part 2: Holding the BowPaula E. Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03790961893704898488noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468439890002165895.post-29178367027171304682018-11-17T14:18:26.573-06:002018-11-17T14:18:26.573-06:00Hi, Nancy, I start my students with the thumb outs...Hi, Nancy, I start my students with the thumb outside. I have noticed that when I try to start them with the thumb inside, as my thumb is, the students collapse the thumb inward. So in the beginning, no matter the age, I will start them with the thumb outside. With older students or adults, I will adjust the thumb inside sooner.Paula E. Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03790961893704898488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468439890002165895.post-77723501286224627032018-06-30T08:43:58.884-05:002018-06-30T08:43:58.884-05:00Paula, Do you feel with an older beginner (age 10)...Paula, Do you feel with an older beginner (age 10) with the development of their hand coordination that an inside thumb position would work or is your experience still best starting on the outside? I've seen both and would value your insight. Thank you!Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06410062336260805561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468439890002165895.post-21333918098595808862016-06-11T23:04:18.076-05:002016-06-11T23:04:18.076-05:00Sometimes the littlest ones have a bit of a hard t...Sometimes the littlest ones have a bit of a hard time holding the bow with the precise bow hold that we expect of them later. When I see this happening, I do something that I learned years ago from Ronda Cole. I let them hang their pinkies over the front of the bow, like babies do when you offer them your finger. The thumb is in the right place, and the fingers too, but the pinky hangs over like a cellist bow hold. I let this be for a bit of time, and then one day I gradually begin having them start pulling the pinky back into the proper place on the back of the top of the bow. Corn pads (the small round kind) really help here. I have also used the fish part of the bow Buddies for the pinky also, although I have had some difficulties with the bow buddies sometimes. They work for some students, but not all of them. It's hard to explain, but the bow buddies actually permit a lot of students to completely relax everything about the bow hold, and the arms and wrists and hands completely sag down at awkward angles. The bow buddies work for some though, so I'm selective about who can use one and who I should stop from using it. Corn pads work easier, then later I use the rubber band.<br /><br />What happens when you ask him to invert his bow to his shoulder, when he takes on the action himself? I sometimes ask the students to lift their bows horizontally up above their heads ("helicopters up!") and then lower the bows to the violin ("down for a soft landing on the E string"). It's pretty hard to lift the bow up and down horizontally with the wrong bow hold, which is probably why Dr. Suzuki put all those downbow circles and pizzicato songs throughout the repertoire -- to check those bow holds!Paula E. Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03790961893704898488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468439890002165895.post-59056964454526382742016-06-11T12:02:48.522-05:002016-06-11T12:02:48.522-05:00Hi Paula
I have recently started teaching a large ...Hi Paula<br />I have recently started teaching a large number of toddlers aged 3,4,5,and so on.<br />It's the first time I have such young kiddies. I follow the same bowhold method as yours. Been doing so for the last 3 years and it works so well on my other kids.<br /><br />But what I noticed was that it is a lot more difficult for my 3 and 4 year old kids to do the same.<br /><br />Do you use the same method for young ones too. if yes,, how do you get them to keep their fingers on.<br /><br />I have a student who keeps his thumb on, we struggle and get all the fingers on and then when I invert the bow to the shoulder, his fingers go flop!<br />Help!Syannanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468439890002165895.post-39880647000870627582016-03-01T02:19:36.217-06:002016-03-01T02:19:36.217-06:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09689904346344960814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468439890002165895.post-70168969637323554972014-09-11T12:52:40.374-05:002014-09-11T12:52:40.374-05:00Hi Paula!
I'm glad you use the corn cushions!...Hi Paula! <br />I'm glad you use the corn cushions! I used them growing up as a Suzuki student, so I started using them with my students and it really helps. I was hoping I was doing something right. <br /><br />Also I have a question..a lot of students I have right now, are holding the bow with the thumb on the inside but all of their bow holds are.....spooky to say the least. Is it a good idea to move the thumb back to the outside until we get a solid relaxed bow hold that way and then bring it back inside? <br /><br />When I ask them which bow hold feels better to them they unanimously tell me thumb on the outside<br /><br />Thanks!caitlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07844094705165749658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468439890002165895.post-42177553870042485552013-07-22T07:28:35.581-05:002013-07-22T07:28:35.581-05:00This is a constant issue when I teach. I have foun...This is a constant issue when I teach. I have found that playing music by memory is crucial. I use the sharpie marker technique. I draw the road with the marker across the strings. This does not hurt the strings, but it has instant success in terms of straight bows (parallel to the bridge). As for banana thumbs, the practicing parent and I have to be very vigilant. I have sometimes found that for a brief time, pulling the two "hugger" fingers down a little bit lower will cause the pinkie and thumb to curve appropriately. Then after a few weeks, once the habit seems to be established, we move the fingers back to their usual places. I have also found that dog clickers are useful too.The goal though should be to have the student be mindful of this. We come up with games where the student is in charge of remembering. Those games work better than our being the one to point out the error.<br /><br />Officially there are 7 levels of string floors: G, G&D, D, D&A, A, A&E, and E. I tend to forget the in between "mezzanine" levels.<br /><br />One more thing, be sure to check out how your child's bow actually feels. I remember grinching constantly at one of my advanced university students for this same issue, and one day I happened to pick up her instrument and play it. Boy was I surprised to discover that the way she had lost hair on her bow actually caused her bow hold to slip in the direction of a banana thumb. We corrected that problem with a bow rehair.Paula E. Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03790961893704898488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468439890002165895.post-25893018952596926572013-07-08T00:35:04.718-05:002013-07-08T00:35:04.718-05:00Hi Paula, first of all thanks for sharing your vio...Hi Paula, first of all thanks for sharing your violin teaching experiences. I’ve been reading your posts whenever I need help and I’ve found many ideas that have been benefiting me and my daughter a great deal. <br /><br />My daughter has started holding her bow “thumb in” around the time she was learning Perpetual Motion which was about half a year ago. Her thumb has been nicely bent when she bows. However in the last lesson, her teacher was telling her to bow all the way to the tip, and her bow keeps going outwards, as it approaches the tip. I realised her right thumb actually flips (into a banana) as she bows low, especially when she was playing on E-string. I asked her teacher if there is something wrong with her bow hold, or bow grip, or she’s having a stiff wrist, or even if the bow is too long. She insisted her bow hold is correct just that her arm and elbow movement is not at the correct angles. I understand the arm angles, but thought there are basically only 4 angles – 1 for each string, and if the angle is wrong, the string/note played is wrong anyway. She kept telling my daughter to ”Look at where your bow is going”. I’ve been thinking about it over the weekend, and seriously suspect that it is her bow hold that needs to be worked on. I think I will just revert to sticking a corn cushion on her bow, to get her ‘thumb out’ bow hold. I feel bad that my 5 year old daughter seemed very stressed and discouraged in class when repeatedly told that her bowing was wrong, and she wasn’t able to get it right even though she was very attentive to her teacher. Wonder if you can give me your opinion on her bowing issue? Thank you.Lisanoreply@blogger.com