Task Detail: THUMB ANCHOR
The thumb anchors your bow-hand, keeping it in place on the bow.
Feeling the weight of the bottom of the bow resting on the soft pad of the tip of the thumb, (directly by the fingernail), allows the thumb to function well as your Bow-Hand Anchor.
Bowing creates lots of motion “on deck” above, ranging from floating the bow in calm music, to navigating choppy sound waves.
In order for the bow to engage the motion of the strings and produce a pure tone, the weight from the arm and the bow must be transferred into the string and remain supported and anchored.
The thumb is placed under the stick, bent, and constantly making slight alterations in its angle relation to the stick, depending on the type of bow strokes required.
If the thumb is not placed under the bows stick properly as an anchor, the application of the laws of gravity will cause the bow to “take air” and leave the string due to the pressure of the resistance of the strings.
A securely anchored thumb, makes playing much easier, which results in a pure tone and the ability to comfortably perform bow-direction changes.
The Thumb Functions as a Bow-Hand Anchor.
Introducing the Bow Parts of the Bow The Stick Horse-Hair The Tip The Frog The Winding How the Bow Works
Rosin Preparing to Hold the Bow Stick Training Exercises Bowing Terminology Down-Bow Up-Bow
Bow-Hand Set-Up Finger Tasks and Functions The Thumb Meet ARC Finger Segments The Index-Finger
Bow-Hand Pronation The Center-Finger and Ring-Finger Bow-Hand Fulcrum Ring-Finger Propulsion Bass Bows
Pinky Bow-Tasks ‘Casting’ the Bow-Hand Bow-Wrist Tasks Rotational Inertia Arco Clay Smile Exercise Meet ANGLE
The Bow-Arm Box The Shoulder Arc Bow Contact-Point String Lanes Bow-Segment Mastery Bowing Exercises
Finding the Bow Contact-Point “Painting With Sound” Bowing Exercises Menu Bow Taps Bowing Traditions
Perform Down-Bows Perform Up-Bows The Art of the Bow-Change Articulations Staccato Legato
Mastery Checkpoint One Building Bow Control Bow Speed and Bow-Arm Motion Bow Planning and Distribution
Slow Moving Bow Strokes Individual Bow Segments Traveling the Bow Bowing Dynamics Mastery Checkpoint Two
Advanced Techniques Slurs and Articulations Slur Training Locating the Bow’s Balance Point Ricochet and Spiccato
Exploring Ricochet Ricochet Control Spiccato Training Spiccato Control Spiccato Brush Strokes
Multiple String Crossings Virtuosic Bow Strokes Arpeggio Bowing “Flying” Staccato Mastery Checkpoint Three
SCROLL’s List of Bow Strokes
Rosin Preparing to Hold the Bow Stick Training Exercises Bowing Terminology Down-Bow Up-Bow
Bow-Hand Set-Up Finger Tasks and Functions The Thumb Meet ARC Finger Segments The Index-Finger
Bow-Hand Pronation The Center-Finger and Ring-Finger Bow-Hand Fulcrum Ring-Finger Propulsion Bass Bows
Pinky Bow-Tasks ‘Casting’ the Bow-Hand Bow-Wrist Tasks Rotational Inertia Arco Clay Smile Exercise Meet ANGLE
The Bow-Arm Box The Shoulder Arc Bow Contact-Point String Lanes Bow-Segment Mastery Bowing Exercises
Finding the Bow Contact-Point “Painting With Sound” Bowing Exercises Menu Bow Taps Bowing Traditions
Perform Down-Bows Perform Up-Bows The Art of the Bow-Change Articulations Staccato Legato
Mastery Checkpoint One Building Bow Control Bow Speed and Bow-Arm Motion Bow Planning and Distribution
Slow Moving Bow Strokes Individual Bow Segments Traveling the Bow Bowing Dynamics Mastery Checkpoint Two
Advanced Techniques Slurs and Articulations Slur Training Locating the Bow’s Balance Point Ricochet and Spiccato
Exploring Ricochet Ricochet Control Spiccato Training Spiccato Control Spiccato Brush Strokes
Multiple String Crossings Virtuosic Bow Strokes Arpeggio Bowing “Flying” Staccato Mastery Checkpoint Three
SCROLL’s List of Bow Strokes