4a

NORMAN LUDWIN

Down bow is louder than up bow (generally

speaking)
This is because the frog is heavier than the point
and the pull of gravity

Strong beats are down bow

Weak beats are up bow

Upbeat= up bow

Crescendos= up bow

Diminuendos= down bow

Forte passages need more bow

Piano passages need less bow

Legato, lyrical melodies should be slurred together

Forceful, agitated, or strong themes can be

separate

Bowings should be balanced

Think of breathing

Watch same pitch being bowed together

Patterns form regular results

Use same bowing for similar passages

Dont slur notes over the barline

Standard Bowing practices:

There are exceptions but:

Down bows on the strong beats

No more than four notes to a slur unless it is a fast

tempo
6/8 meter could have six notes unless very slow
tempo
Triplets are 3 to a bow, or 2 and 1

Bowing Variations
Allegro Moderato

&
P

&
p

&
!

&
F

&
F

11

13

&
F

Unbalanced

&c
f

Balanced

Example 1 is correctly marked;

two notes for the down bow and
two notes for the up bow. The
slurs shows us that the two notes
are to be played without stopping
the bow.
Example 2 has the correct down
and up bow markings but the slur
covers all four notes which
contradicts the bowing markings.

Often students will not remember

that the down and up bowing
markings must alternate.

When you slurs two notes

together then only the first note
needs a bowing marking.