Technique: Ricochet

TomasCotik

How to produce clear and controlled bounced bowings on the violin

Many string players fear ricochet bowing, but it isn’t as hard as it looks. One of the biggest obstacles to doing it well is having the preconception that you need to make the bow jump. In actual fact, the trick is to get the bow to bounce all by itself. The moment your mind and body become too involved, you will tense up and ruin the stroke. With the right combination of balance, alignment and release, you will learn how to make the bow ‘want’ to do all the work for you…

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