I am trying to explain to my son that you need to plan ahead and work out where you need to place the bow at the start of a phrase to avoid having to play a whole bar with only 4 inches of bow at the end of the phrase.
Any hints as to how I might help the penny to drop?
Full Version: Bow management
QUOTE(Dulcet @ Feb 6 2012, 10:53 PM) 
I am trying to explain to my son that you need to plan ahead and work out where you need to place the bow at the start of a phrase to avoid having to play a whole bar with only 4 inches of bow at the end of the phrase.
Any hints as to how I might help the penny to drop?
Ask his teacher to tell him
My kids won't take instruction from me, but will take it from their teacher!
I don't know how old your son is, Dulcet. But depending on his age, and how keen he is on reading, there is a book by Robert Gerle that he might benefit from reading, called The Art of Bowing Practice. This has quite a long section in the first part about dividing the bow up into portions, depending on the bowing called for in the piece.
I also don't know how old your son is, but it might be worth getting him to see that the bow is a bit like a breath. Get him to try and sing (or say) a line of something he knows with a very small in-breath, followed by the same again with a bigger in-breath, and he may make the connection. 
If none of the above work, you could try putting a sticker or two on the bow (eg you could either use one sticker, dividing the bow into two halves, or two, dividing it into thirds). Then tell him he needs to start a bar with his bow at a particular sticker.
Obviously once he's got the idea, take off the stickers!
Obviously once he's got the idea, take off the stickers!
Playing scales with different rhythm can be a good idea...for example 'dotten minim, two quavers' on each note, to focus on the quavers being at alternate ends of the bow.
QUOTE(owainsutton @ Feb 10 2012, 10:01 PM)
Playing scales with different rhythm can be a good idea...for example 'dotten minim, two quavers' on each note, to focus on the quavers being at alternate ends of the bow.
Oo I like that idea! I might just make it a rhythm exercise in the first instance though and add notes later.
I acquired an old copy of Abracadabra Cello a couple of weeks ago and might suggest that he looks at some early pieces in that as it puts in notes like "Point", "Heel" and "WB".
QUOTE(soccermom @ Feb 10 2012, 09:49 PM)
If none of the above work, you could try putting a sticker or two on the bow (eg you could either use one sticker, dividing the bow into two halves, or two, dividing it into thirds). Then tell him he needs to start a bar with his bow at a particular sticker.
Obviously once he's got the idea, take off the stickers!
Like this one too!
Sadly (somewhat OT but I'll shove it in here anyway as this is a beginner cello thread) they've changed the format of the Hindhead "Little Cellos" this year - a single day for beginners and the 3 day course they want you to have the G2 extensions and 4th positions securely learnt. So he falls between those two particular stools
In addition, both the multi-day cello course and the children's holiday music course are OVER WEEKENDS this year. What use is that to the working parent, eh? 
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