hi!

i began cello lessons for the first time in early november. i am enjoying it a great deal. my teacher is happy with my progress and we are aiming for me to do the cello gr 1 exam in april. however, she is really not consistently satisfied with my bow hold. i feel it is 'working for me' actually, but she is very focussed on it, so much so that i am beginning to really question myself. i have watched videos of cellists and read about how to hold the bow, but can't seem to get it to her satisfaction.

any advice on how to better train myself? any videos i should watch? in john holt's book 'never too late' he talks about this bow hold topic and notes that actually many great cellists hold their bows in somewhat unique ways and not to become too obcessive about it...i'm trying not to let it get to me, but i'm also wondering what else i can do to improve my bow hold....is this experience typical for a strings beginner??
sorry for so many questions! just don't have many others to ask....any advice will be greatly appreciated!
celloseoul

Two years into violin lessons and my bow hold still varies from passable to terrible on a daily basis. My long-suffering teacher has to identify and deal with different issues pretty much every lesson. But that's part of learning a new instrument, especially when it's something as complicated as strings.


Keep soldiering on, have patience. It will come right in time.

Enjoy your music

Cheers

Katyjay

I'm not a cellist, but am having similar problems to you with violin. For now, my teacher has adapted my bow hold because, as yet, I haven't developed sufficient weight and muscle memory in my arm. In the meantime, I do exercises just holding my bow and pretending I'm a windscreen wiper to get me comfortable with the bow hold.

As Katyjay says, it will come with time. Don't be too hard on yourself, if your bow hold is working for you, then I would stay with it for now, but perhaps ask your teacher to give you some exercises to do to develop correct technique.

Enjoy learning the cello and I wish you all the best with your playing.