hi in this video I want to talk about
the opening and closing of the arm here
at the elbow and how that interacts with
the shoulder so this falls under the
broad category of maintaining a straight
bow I have some videos on that but I do
think this is a topic that always
deserves exploration I also continue to
see in private students playing as well
as your video posts that there is still
confusion with with the elbow and and
this this idea of you know what opens
when and and it's it's not your fault it
really is the fault of the teachers I
think sometimes we try to describe
something that's incredibly complex and
we might use simple analogies like a
door opening and closing
I think that's misleading I'm guilty of
it myself I'm sure I've used that
analogy many times but in thinking it
through I think what what can happen and
when you think that way is that it leads
to isolating the there's the shoulder
and then just moving down here so that
actually can create a lot of problems it
can cause
tension in the shoulder as well as
you're both going to go crooked so I
want to sort of examine that and and so
to two kinds of buzz strokes one the
full bow stroke and then also when we
just make smaller bows here in the
middle of the bow or even at the tip
okay so first thing what I want you to
do do this with me pitcher violin down
if you have it if not left hand to your
shoulder and and we're going to make a
bow stroke and first what I want you to
do is pretend you're at the Frog and
then start to open your arm use the
shoulder relaxes the arm comes down and
then just let your lower arm just open
and flop down almost like you're just
dropping your arm okay now this action
is something that I frequently see okay
so I think you know that this this
happens that we start to open the elbow
and you continue to open the elbow the
difference is is there's the reach isn't
there and then when you add the reach
you start to engage the shoulder and
that's what we have to do to really keep
the bow straight and also to keep the
shoulder in in motion so you can think
of this you can they're different
analogies I have I analogize that the
dart throw in one of the videos or you
can think of hammering a nail on the
wall or punching so whichever works for
you but when you do any of these motions
your elbow opens okay you bring it open
but yet there's a bit of a reach and
when you do that you can feel the
shoulder come forward so this action is
very different than this section okay so
let's go back to bowing so opening and
then we have the reach open this show
open the the arm open at the elbow that
the reach then brings the shoulder
forward okay so I have I have some
strange footage for you so a new analogy
instead of the the single hinge door we
have a bifold door so if you have those
closet doors and when they open you know
the center part comes out and then when
it closes everything flatten so the door
opens and closes so I have so take a
look at this rare footage
so here both the arm and the door are on
track see how the hands sort of reaches
forward and then brings the shoulder up
with it now I am over cup and saving a
little bit in this footage you know to
make a point my bow is going out a
little too far and now the door is off
track you can see how the hands sort of
emulating that motion the shoulder just
stays back and the elbow opens up and
then it just pulls that bow kind of
crooked toward the fingerboard
okay here's on track again just to see
the connection
you
now there's no perfect analogy that
precisely describes the complex motion
of the bow arm but these are these are
ideas now let's talk about when we're
making smaller bow strokes okay so from
the point that you get to the square on
a full bow stroke okay stop
now this is where a lot we do a lot of
bowing fast bow strokes okay so we use
the middle of the bow and we play in the
upper half a lot so the same thing the
same thing that happens in the full bow
stroke the reach the opening of the
elbow the engagement of the shoulder
same thing happens when we're just
playing in the middle of the bow or at
the tip just on a smaller scale the
movements aren't as exaggerated but it's
still the same motion so go back make
your make your punching motions make
your hammering motions make your dart
throw motions and then just make them
smaller okay same thing same kind of
action now you don't have to think okay
I'll see I'm opening up my elbow and my
shoulders coming forward and try to
coordinate that just think about the
path that the direction the reach and
make sure your shoulder is loose and
that will take care of it
so just making sure that I'm bowing out
in a way that is sort of in a reaching
direction and not like this
Oh
and then make sure your your shoulders
loose and you can see it's happening
okay so I'll go back and forth so
correct incorrect so I'm keeping on
purpose my upper arm still I'm just
opening and closing the arm okay and now
I'll do the other incorrect thing which
is I'm just swinging at the elbow I mean
at the shoulder okay
so now back to that sort of reaching out
direction with a loose shoulder
once you start to feel that you will
know that you're doing it right because
it's it's very freeing it's not tiring
at all you could do it because it's such
a balanced motion you could do this for
hours and not get tired you cannot do
this for hours
nor can you do this for hours so once
you feel it it will feel easy so I hope
you I hope you wish you luck and in
working with with your bow arm