Unbalanced bow pressure: the sign of the amateur?

December 26, 2025, 3:59 PM · What made you think he was using the wrong weight on his bow?

December 26, 2025, 4:25 PM · It would be pretty hard to tell anything about bow pressure on an electric violin. You’re not hearing a violin, you’re hearing an amplifier and a pickup.

Edited: December 26, 2025, 4:29 PM ·
>What made you think he was using the wrong weight on his bow?

Undesired accents in notes of the same value that require more bow.

Say 4 quarter notes of the 3:1 bow length kind.

December 26, 2025, 4:31 PM · I think I'm going to agree with Nickie here. Bow transients are quite different on an electric vs an acoustic fiddle.

Do you have much experience with electric violins?

Edited: December 26, 2025, 4:45 PM · Are you saying you can't distinguish undesired accents in an electric violin? That's not a pickup problem, that's a hearing faculties problem.

December 26, 2025, 5:10 PM · To my shame, I have to admit to being an "amateur".

December 26, 2025, 5:22 PM · Yes and no, I think.
In a broad sense the biggest issue for me is focusing on left hand instead of right when practcing because it7s easier. Within that is the failure to understand, or even know about the relationship between sound point, weight and bow speed.
On the other hand, I am bothered by people playing =slightly- out of tune all the time.
Cheers,
Buri

December 26, 2025, 5:28 PM · Even when you have control of the bow in a simple etude (pressure, contact, speed), transitions in music are still hard.

There is what is called carryover. Like inertia in physics, there is a limit. Is the movement fast? So is the heart and blood and the next adagio won't settle down until the 8th measure or more. Professionals still have to deal with this, not just amateurs. There are some concertos that require many transitions, every 2 or 4 measures. Imagination of the drama can help.

December 26, 2025, 7:26 PM · I agree that bow weight and control are super important, but I’ll add that finger strength, and the balance between the right and left arms and hands, are equally important.

Furthermore, there are many highly skilled amateur players. To put out a blanket statement implying that all amateurs have poor bow handling skills is not accurate and unfair.

December 26, 2025, 7:37 PM · Jimmy, so true. I know just as many talented amateur musicians as I know of talented professional musicians.

December 26, 2025, 8:55 PM · As an amateur myself, I’m quite certain my bow pressure and speed need vigilant attention. I don’t really understand how that impacts anyone else or why it would matter in the context of busking.

December 26, 2025, 9:14 PM · Rob -didn't- say all amateurs have poor bow handling skills. What he actually says is that if someone clearly is an amateur (that's uncontraversial) then it's likely that the main problem will be 'x'. That is a very different issue. As we all know, there are some incredible amateur players around, many of whom are players who ultimately decided not to turn professional even though they pursued that goal almost to its fruition.

Edited: December 26, 2025, 9:38 PM · I think that every problem I've ever heard with bow pressure in a beginner involved too little of it for the bow speed.
I wouldn't like to diagnose problems with an EV. Maybe there was insufficient rosin on the bow.