Bow (music) Facts for Kids

This article is about the bow used to play musical instruments. For other meanings, see Bow (disambiguation).

In music, a bow is a stick with hair stretched along it. Musicians use it to play string instruments like the violin, viola, cello, or double bass by pulling it across their strings.

How a Musical Bow is Made
Bowing Techniques for String Instruments
- Other Types of Bows
Images for kids
See also

How a Musical Bow is Made

Good quality bows are usually made from a special wood called pernambuco, which comes from Brazil. Nowadays, some bows are also made from carbon fiber. These are often cheaper but still work very well. The bow needs to be slightly curved. This curve helps it straighten out a bit when the hairs are tightened, which is important for playing.

The hairs of the bow are usually made from horsehair. Over time, these hairs can fall out, especially if the bow is used a lot. When too many hairs are gone, a musician can have the bow "re-haired."

When a bow is new or has just been re-haired, it won't make much sound. This is because the hairs need to be rubbed with rosin. Rosin is a sticky substance that helps the bow hairs grip the instrument's strings as you pull the bow across them. Every string player keeps a small piece of rosin in their instrument case. They might need to apply rosin to their bow briefly each time they play.

At one end of the bow, there's a screw. This screw is used to tighten the bow hairs before playing. After playing, it's important to loosen the hairs again. This stops the wood from bending out of shape, which is called warping.

The black part near where you hold the bow is called the frog. It helps hold the bow hairs in place. The frog is often made of ebony wood, but sometimes it can be made from ivory or tortoiseshell. Near the frog, there's a grip, which is usually made of leather or sometimes snakeskin. Very expensive bows might even have a tip made of silver.

Other instruments also use bows. In the Renaissance period, instruments called viols were played with a bow held with the palm facing upwards. Some double bass players still hold their bow this way, which is called the German method. The more common way, holding the bow overhand, is called the French method.

The type of bow we use today was created by a famous bow-maker named François Tourte in 19th century France. Some other cultures have bows with only one thick hair instead of many.

Bowing Techniques for String Instruments

The parts of a violin bow

Learning to play instruments like the violin, viola, cello, and double bass involves spending a lot of time practicing bowing. Musicians learn to control the bow to create a beautiful sound. They learn to use strong fingers to control the bow, but without holding it too tightly. Sometimes, instead of bowing, players pluck the string with their finger. This technique is called “pizzicato”.

The bow is held in the right hand. The left hand presses fingers firmly on the fingerboard to make different notes.

When string players talk about “putting in the bowing,” they mean writing in the music whether each note should be played with an upbow or a downbow. A downbow is when the player starts at the frog (the end they are holding) and moves the bow towards the tip. An upbow is when the bow moves from the tip back towards the frog. Players don't always use "whole bows" (from frog to tip). In fast music, they might only use a small part of the bow. A downbow usually feels stronger than an upbow, so it's often used for the first beat of a musical measure.

Downbows and upbows can be used for alternating notes. However, often two or more notes are played in one continuous bow-stroke. This is shown in the music by a slur, which is a curved line over or under the notes.

Generally, the bow should touch the string about halfway between the end of the fingerboard and the bridge (the raised piece of wood that holds the strings). To play quietly, the bow should be closer to the fingerboard. To play loudly, it should be closer to the bridge.

If players have been plucking the strings (pizzicato) and need to start bowing again, the word arco is written in the music. This is the Italian word for bow.

Special sounds can be made with the bow. These include:

sul ponticello: This means playing the bow very close to the bridge. It makes a glassy, scratching sound, full of interesting harmonics.
Sul tasto: This means playing the bow over the fingerboard. It produces a very quiet, muffled sound.
col legno: This literally means with the wood. Players turn the bow over and hit the string with the wooden part. Musicians with expensive bows often don't like doing this and might use a cheaper bow for these parts.
On the string bowing: This means keeping the bow touching the string between notes.
Off the string bowing: This means lifting or bouncing the bow.
Spiccato: This is a technique where the bow bounces to make notes short and detached (staccato).
Ricochet bowing: This is an advanced technique where the bow bounces very quickly on its own in the upper half of the bow (near the tip). Each bounce can be for a different note.
Double stopping: This is when two strings are played at once to make two notes sound together.
Three or four strings can also be played at once. This usually happens at very loud volumes with a loose bow. Sometimes, a chord effect is made by quickly playing two strings, then the other two.

Other Types of Bows

The Chinese yazheng and yaqin, and Korean ajaeng zithers are often played by "bowing" with a rosined stick. This stick rubs against the strings without any horsehair. The hurdy-gurdy, an instrument from medieval Europe, has strings that are "bowed" by a "rosin wheel." This wheel is turned by a handle.