Bow

What it means

The bow is the tool that sets a string instrument's strings vibrating: a slightly curved wooden stick with a ribbon of horsehair stretched along its length. Drawn across a string, the rosined hair grips and releases the string in a rapid sawtooth motion, producing the instrument's characteristic tone.

The modern bow design is credited to François Tourte in the late eighteenth century, who established the now-standard inward-curved stick, adjustable frog, and even hair tension. Earlier Baroque bows were lighter, curved outward, and produced a more articulated, less sustained sound.

Musical use

The right hand holds the bow at the frog and controls tone and volume through pressure, speed, and contact point on the string. A smooth bow change between up-bow and down-bow keeps phrases sounding continuous.

Bowing (arco) is distinct from plucking with the fingers (pizzicato); pieces often move between the two. Col legno, striking the string with the wood of the bow rather than the hair, is a rare percussive effect.

Performance practice

Keep a relaxed but controlled bow hold: too much pressure produces a pressed, scratchy tone, too little keeps the string from speaking properly. Practice long, even strokes at a constant speed before attempting fast bow changes.