Violin bow grip

Question

There is a ton of tension in my pinky when my hand is supporting the entire weight of the bow. This goes away when the bow is resting on the string, but I cannot get it to be relaxed when holding the bow in the air. I am curving my thumb, and I have tried many different hand angles. Is this correct or should I feel relaxed even when holding the weight of the bow?

Answer 1

I would inspect the rest of your bow hold and determine if there is tension in the rest of the hand. You can try holding the bow while playing on your phone or watching videos every day, just holding it while doing mundane tasks at home, all the while maintaining relaxation in the hand. Draw vertical lines, circles and crosses in the air with the tip of the bow while the hand is still, gently retract and extend your fingers, try to let your hand float and flow like a jelly fish while moving it in circles and figure eights. After a week of doing this the bow will essentially be a fidgeting toy in your hand and mental synapses granting you more ease with the rest of the instrument because the bow has become an extension of yourself. Always think of the bow as a gentle yet firm when needed paint brush and that you are drawing the sound out of the instrument to paint what you want to express.

**If you are experiencing any pain or excess tension do not continue the bow fidgeting exercises and consult an instructor for a proper inspection and alignment**

Answer 2

A long as your hand is relaxed when playing on the string you shouldn't worry. If you aren't playing you can rest the frog of the bow on your right knee to help support the weight of the bow. If your hand is tense while playing make sure that your hand is relaxed enough to turn in towards your pointer finger.

Answer 3

This is all normal. When the bow is on the string, you can give into the force of gravity. You can't when the bow is in the air or else you will drop it, so it makes sense that you would tense up because you're trying to keep the bow from falling. Some beginners don't trust that the violin will support the bow and feel like they are losing their grip while playing. That's the kind of tension that will get in the way of your technique and not what I believe you are describing.

That being said, excess tension in the body isn't good, in terms of injury prevention. It's really just not a good idea to hold your bow horizontally in mid air. Use your left hand in the middle of the stick to support it or rotate the wrist so that your bow is vertical, instead. If you are trying to work on right hand technique only, hold a pencil or bow on an open string, so that you don't strain your hand by using the bow without the violin to support it.