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Teaching Bow Hold and Fingerings for Student with Weak Hands

Regarding bow hold:

She has a 1/2 size violin, but it is hard for her to hold the bow with a relaxed bow grip - even holding a pencil with a bow grip is hard for her. I've been looking into bow grip aids for her, but don't know which ones are good or not, or if that would even be helpful. I've found "Bow Grip Buddies" or the "Bowmaster Bow Grip", both on Shar. Does anyone have experience (positive or negative) with these?

Regarding LH fingers:

Because of my student's weak hands, she has a hard time fully pressing down the string to make contact with the fingerboard. Naturally, this creates a wispy, whistley tone that lack of LH articulation does. I have her doing some strengthening exercises (squeezing a stress ball, stretching a rubber band), but don't know what else to try. I've thought of a lower bridge being helpful, but don't necessarily want to jump to that. Or maybe thinner, lower tension strings? But those might require experimentation to figure out, and I want to limit the extra things I ask my student and her family to buy to only what is essential.

This is my first time teaching a student with this particular disability, and I appreciate any advice and suggestions that anyone has to offer!

Replies (3)

Mary Ellen Goree

February 11, 2026, 1:09 AM · I have found Bow Hold Buddies to be very effective.

Lydia Leong

February 11, 2026, 1:22 AM · Has the parent had their child evaluated by an OT? Is the child receiving OT? That sounds like a level of weakness that should be professionally addressed.

When my son started playing the violin, he had the grip strength of a 9-month-old, per OT testing. His initial left-hand technique was definitely maladaptive as he tried to cope with his lack of strength. OT eventually fixed it.

He used a "pinky nest" plastic slide-on thingy on his bow.

Esther Kerze

February 11, 2026, 2:57 AM · Can the child press down the strings while holding the violin like a guitar? Or when it's lying flat on a table? I'm having a hard time imagine someone who physically can not due to string resistance without it being a major disability with significant impact on daily life.

Hard to tell without seeing, but I imagine it's not truly a "too weak" problem, but a "too weak to contort the hand into one of these tense beginner claw things and still be somewhat successful" problem.

If that is the case, then it will be a lot of slow work on posture, violin hold, and relaxed hand position. Maybe you can put in some guitar position pizzicato pieces to show her she can do it, it doesn't require much strength, and also to make things more interesting.