'Snow' Day = 'Bow' Day

February 4, 2011 at 5:01 AM

Houston is a funny place. There have been dire predictions of a major ice/snow "event" over the past few days for today and tomorrow. My office closed at noon today as well as tomorrow. All schools in the area are closed tomorrow in addition to the bulk of the city government. Besides a few brief minutes of sleet this afternoon, there has been nothing. The bulk of the "event" is occurring just to the north-east of us. But I'm not complaining, I have bows to try out.

This afternoon, I spent several hours with bow #1 and #4 and Kreutzer Etude #2. With Kreuzter on one stand and Simon Fischer's "Basics" on the other, I went to work. A dual purpose bow trial/right hand technical study sort of day.

The spicatto exercises were easier with bow #4. The bow has a good bounce, was very easy to control and produced a clear tone with minimal effort. Bow #1, being significantly lighter, required more effort to get the lower strings to "click". However Bow #1 was easier to transition between detache and spicatto. Bow #1 was also easier to navigate through the accent exercises.

I am realizing that my right hand technique needs more work than I had previously thought via this extended trial period. Though one bow may be easier in a particular technique than the other does not necessarily mean it is the better bow for me. What I'm starting to look for now is a bow that I can "grow into": a bow that is well balanced, produces a good tone, and fits my hand and body well. I'm looking for a bow that generates the volume, overtones and clarity with Hilda.

In other words, I'm looking for her mate. I am simply the councilor that provides the opportunity for her to develop a deeper relationship with her other half. Granted, I need to be able to work with both of them comfortably, but at the end of the day, it the combination of the three of us working together that will make the decision.

From Christina C.
Posted on February 4, 2011 at 7:14 PM

I'm with you on the bow-to-grow-into approach. I feel I still have lots of room for improvement in my right hand technique so when I bought my bow last year, my teacher's input was crucial in the final decision.

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'Snow' Day = 'Bow' Day

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