Why the bow hold is SO important

I spend a lot of time talking about the bow, fixing bow holds, adjusting bow holds, changing bow holds, nagging about bow holds, nagging about bow placement, nagging about the bow arm...

Here's why: The bow creates our sound.

Think about that for a second.

The bow, how we pull it across the string, how we hold it, dramatically impacts our sound. If something is malfunctioning in the bow arm or hand, that problem is going to impact the sound we produce. More often than not, it severely limits the possibilities of sound we can create on the cello. Most importantly, it impacts the quality of tone we can produce.

We play the cello. Why does everyone love the cello? Because it SOUNDS amazing. It sounds rich, dark, chocolate-y, deep, mellow, soothing...I can go on and on and I'm sure you can supply many adjectives as well.

We want to sound like this:

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To ignore the bow is to ignore the possibilities of sound we can create. Typically, we get caught up in what the left hand has to do. That's understandable - there's a lot going on sometimes. Fingers are moving, the hand is shifting, later vibrato is integrated, etc. But the left hand is not unlike typing. Sure, there's a greater margin for error and you have to make sure you get your finger in the correct spot to produce the correct pitch, but in reality, it isn't that difficult to get the hang of. Even 3 year olds can do this. :)

What is much more complicated is the bow. First off, the posture itself is tricky. We spend many weeks, sometimes months teaching the bow hold. In addition, the bow hold is comprised of many skills that need to be taught in incremental steps. I cannot simply hand a bow to a child and expect them to be able to hold it perfectly. The basic posture, the 'bow bunny', needs to be developed, which, for a little one with new motor skills, is a challenge. Then, we need to take this bow bunny and place it on an object, usually a straw at first, and ask for the posture to be static yet flexible. That's hard! I'm looking for the posture to be consistent yet the hand to be soft and flexible, not firm and tense. Placing the bow in the hand even when the posture has been practiced hundreds of times on the straw is challenging - now there are specific places for each finger to go. Oh and the thumb! It's so uncomfortable!

The thumb is such a challenge for anyone because the joint always wants to collapse. But we need the thumb to be curved. This promotes relaxation in the hand. This isn't to say the thumb is ALWAYS and forever curved - it's not. But in the beginning we want to promote a soft and relaxed hand. A straight thumb will not do this. In fact, a straight thumb will likely only cause tension and later pain with playing for long periods of time. I know this from personal experience. It's not fun. In addition, there are a number of muscles and muscles groups in just the thumb: opponens pollicis, abductor pollicis brevis and flexor pollicis brevis. This is only the thumb. But all of these muscles need to be soft, relaxed and flexible.

The bow hold itself is a complicated posture and has many more facets than the left hand. But I've only discussed the hand. Other components to achieving a great bow hold posture include the arm, elbow hinge, shoulder and shoulder girdle, trapezius, latissimus and other back muscles. There are other mechanics at play here that aren't just limited to the right hand. Overall body posture impacts the bow and by extension, the sound.

Whoa.

Then, once we place the bow on the string, there are a number of other variables that impact the sound. You've heard these before:

• Playing close to or on the fingerboard creates a not so desirable sound, that fuzzy, shallow sound. 
• Playing too close to the bridge creates a scratchy sound. 
• Too much weight, crunchy. 
• Too little, again shallow. 
• Crooked bow or a bow that doesn't stay in the same spot on the string, inconsistent tone. 

Every little imprecise motion yields a less than ideal sound.

Here's a fact that's a little difficult to digest. You can get a good sound on the instrument even when you hold the bow in your fist. You can play Twinkle and sound great with that baseball bat grip. However, that 'bow hold' (if you will) won't last very long. There will be many sounds, techniques and skills that will be unavailable because of the bow hold. That's why I am so annoying,  fussy and particular about the bow hold from the beginning. Sure, you can get a great sound with a terrible bow hold. But that bow hold won't allow you to get a great spiccato bow stroke or even a truly beautiful legato stoke. Even staccato won't sound as ringy and clear.

I am setting up your child for the long haul. I very rarely approach a skill with limited foresight. Though it's frustrating that I insist on this particular posture from the very beginning, just think about it from the perspective of reviewing previously learned skills and scaffolding of skills. If I waited until students reached the point in the Suzuki books where they absolutely needed an 'adult' bow hold, we'd be dealing not only with a fairly complicated set of skills for the left hand, but also with rehabilitating the bow hold completely and developing a new repertoire of skills related to the bow. It's just too much. 

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Though I've just explained many of the complicated aspects of the bow, I want to reassure you that it's not that difficult. It's not that bad. And addressing sound and bow issues is really simply to fix. Here's how.

Focus.

Simply focus on the bow. So many bow or sound problems are the result of simply ignoring the bow.

Give it some attention!

Just by drawing the attention to the bow by watching the bow hairs touch the string, we bring focus and attention to the bow and by extension, the sound we produce. I am always amazed at how easily so many bow problems are fixed just by watching the bow. I don't even have to say, 'keep the bow off the fingerboard and in the good sounding spot'. Just watching the bow, more likely than not, addresses the sound problems.

However, here's the catch. You can't just watch the bow a few times and magically all the bow problems go away. Watching the bow a few times doesn't fix the learned skill of playing on the fingerboard. Tackling sound problems requires focusing on the bow repeatedly and consistently. The reason why the bow slides onto the fingerboard isn't because we haven't learned to keep it off the fingerboard. It's because we weren't paying enough attention to it frequently and consistently enough to keep it off the fingerboard. So it became a learned skill. Sure, it will stay away once attention is drawn to it. But once our attention is pulled elsewhere, the bow slides right back up. Consistent attention is required and then becomes a deeply learned skill because we've repeatedly executed that skill in a variety of different contexts, i.e. pieces. Repetition fosters consistency.

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If I talk about the bow a lot, it's because it's important. The bow, and how we hold the bow, determines the quality of sound that comes out of the instrument. It's true that the left hand does have a significant impact. If the fingers aren't holding the string down all the way then we get a not great, squeaky sound. But the bow is in charge of the majority of the sound and determines the quality of sound that comes out of the instrument. Because of that, it needs some attention. A lot of attention, actually. It often comes second because we are overwhelmed with what the left hand has to do. But in reality, it doesn't matter what the left hand is capable of. If we cannot produce a beautiful sound, the left hand ability is almost meaningless and pointless.

So give your bow some love and undivided attention. It will pay you back with that beautiful, luscious and rich cello sound we all love.

Cello & Bow Care

Now that you have your instrument, how on earth do you take care of the thing?! Below are some guidelines to follow and helpful hints for caring for the instrument.

First, just as a reminder, here are two images with the parts of the cello & the bow. 

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Cello & Bow Care Guidelines

• General Guidelines
• When removing the instrument from the case, remove the bow first. Then, always put the bow in the soft case after the instrument when packing up. The bow is fragile and the case is very flimsy. Trying to get the instrument out of the case with the bow still inside can result in a broken bow. (see below for directions)
• After playing, use a clean, soft cloth (I use an old t-shirt) to remove rosin from the strings, instrument and bow stick. Do not use any furniture cleaners, oils or alcohol on the instrument.
• Place the instrument and bow in its case or in its stand after playing. Don't leave it on the floor! It usually gets knocked over by a sibling, dog, parent, the cellist...Investing in a cello stand is a great idea. It keeps the instrument off the floor but still readily accessible by the student. Most cellists (myself included) are deterred from practicing by just having to get the instrument out of the case. The stand eliminates this annoying task!
• Do not put anything in the case with instrument except what was meant to go there. There is at least one pocket on the case. Put all accessories in the pocket. Or carry a separate bag with all your cello accessories.
• No one but the string student should handle the instrument, including brothers, sisters, and/or friends.
• Hold the instrument only how your teacher has instructed. Never hold the instrument by anything except the neck.
• As a rule, the strings and bow hairs do need to be replaced. This likely won't be something you will run into frequently as students tend to change instrument often but it's a good thing to know.
  
• Bow Rules
• Loosen the bow hair, but not so much as to allow the hair to touch the stick or for the individual hairs to separately hang loose. Never try to take the bow apart. You may have seen me do this in the lesson but do not replicate it.
• Never, ever, EVER touch the hair of the bow, nor allow anything except rosin to come into contact with it. Do not attempt to clean it. The horsehair is intended to be coarse and the rosin makes the hair extra sticky so it can grip the strings. Oils and dirt from our skin counteracts the stickiness of the rosin and weakens the coarseness of the hair. Rehairing the bow can be expensive and you'll have to do this if you touch the bow hairs a lot.
• Never use the bow or instrument for anything other than practicing or playing. Never hit the bow on anything. It is not a sword! Also, watch where your child is swinging that bow...there have been a few close calls. No one wants a bow in their eye.
• The bow hairs get stretched out from repeated tightening and loosening and needs to be replaced from time to time. Also they get pretty gross with all the rosin caked on. The bow needs to be re-haired about once a year and, in Austin, runs around $60.
  
• Cello Rules
• Never bump or jar the instrument sharply, even while it is in its case. Bumping the instrument against another object may damage the wood, cause the bridge to slide out of alignment or cause the sound post inside to fall down.
• If the bridge moves, don't touch it! Have your teacher or the rental shop fix it for you. Often times, moving or removing the bridge will result in the soundpost falling down. Not a huge deal but something your instrument shop will have to fix.
• the soundpost is a dowel stick inside the instrument that is help in place by the pressure of the front and back of the instrument. It's not glued in, just merely held in place by wedging it in. If pressure from the instrument is suddenly released, like the bridge falling off, the soundpost will also fall down.
• I can fix a moved or fallen down bridge but I cannot fix a fallen soundpost.
• Bridges (like soundposts) are not glued in place, but are held in place by the pressure of the strings, which allows them to be replaced and adjusted as needed. If the bridge pops off, don't glue it back on! Also, wait for your teacher or the instrument shop to fix this. It has to be in a particular spot and place on the instrument a particular way. It's possible to put it on backwards.
• Do not allow the instrument to get too hot or too cold. NEVER leave an instrument in your car, especially the trunk. Excess heat and humidity can cause varnish to melt, even in the winter. Extremely cold temperatures can cause wood to shrink, and the accompanying dryness may possibly cause cracks or separate of pieces to develop. Do not leave the instrument near an air conditioner or a fireplace. Think about it this way: if you are uncomfortable (too hot or too cold), the instrument is, too. Any extremes are terrible for the instrument and cause all sorts of havoc.
• If an accident occurs or a string breaks, take it to the shop where the instrument was rented or purchased for repair. Never attempt to repair the instrument yourself.
• Unless your teacher has showed you how, never turn the pegs. Improper turning 
• Strings get old and when that happens, they go false and are difficult to tune, don't hold being tuned or simply sound off. They then need to be replaced. How often? Probably once a year. A set, depending on the brand, runs anywhere from $50 - $100. Consult your teacher before purchasing new strings.
  

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Please help your child to be careful and gentle with the instrument and bow as a rule. Accidents, bumps and drops happen but don't make this a habit. Establish early on that it is not a toy but rather a fragile and pricey instrument that needs to be cared for regularly. 

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How to Unpack & Pack the Cello

Unpacking the Cello

1. Lay cello case on back, on the floor
2. Remove bow
3. Unzip cello case
4. While holding the neck of the cello, lift the front of the case and gently pull the cello out
5. Set cello on side
6. Adjust the endpin length 

*When unpacking the cello, the bow is always removed first*

Packing the Cello

1. Push the endpin back inside the cello and secure the screw.
2. Place the scroll inside the case first, then slide the rest of the body inside.
3. Zip case
4. Loosen bow.
5. Place bow inside case. 

 *When packing the cello back up, the bow is always placed inside last*

Rest Position (on the floor)

In rest position, the cello is placed to the left of the chair, bridge facing out towards the left and endpin forward. When placing the cello on the floor, gently and quietly move the cello with the left hand securely around the neck and the right hand holding the rib edge/C bout. 

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While it seems like there are a lot of DON'Ts for the instrument I have one word of reassurance. The little cellos are pretty durable. I'm not inviting you or your child to man-handle the instrument but a bump here or there won't be a devastating blow. Even when the cello gets kicked over or dropped - yes, this happens, a lot - it's okay. The instrument will likely go out of tune but that's typically the worst of it. However, repeated drops, bangs and bumps will result in cracks or open seams (which are very expensive fixes) but the occasional and accidental bump won't harm the instrument long-term.