Isolating The Bow For Twinkle Success!
You have hopefully already learned the left hand fingerings for Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in the first lesson. Now it is time to isolate the right hand and start learning the variation bowings independent of the left hand. Learning to really use the bow is far more complicated than learning to place the right finger on the correct string. Start by reviewing the natural bow stroke lesson that covers important terms like T-bow and Forte-Freeway that you will hear throughout the lessons.
Isolating each variation rhythm with the bow before combining them with the complexities of fingerings, string crossings, and memorization is the surest and quickest path to mastery. Playing the rhythms on open strings with the bow may seem simple but just using the bow properly has so many pre-requisites that successfully executing each variation as presented in the video takes most students weeks of practice. Not that the rhythms are terribly tricky, but maintaining a proper bow hold and staying in the right part of the bow takes practice and the more that the task can be simplified the more the student is able to focus on keeping solid fundamentals in place while adding complexity. As you practice each variation, check in frequently with your bow-hand thumb, the contact point of the hair on the string and the angle of the bow.
Pro Tip
Rhythmic variations are an age-old trick used to maximize what can be learned from a single piece. By using the ubiquitous Twinkle Twinkle Little Star tune with 4 different variations we get at the heart of what every beginner needs to know — how to use the left and right hands together.
As you focus on the bow, let’s make sure that your posture is setting you up for success down the road. Here is a handy posture checklist:
- Posture – feet flat on the floor, cello between your knees, touching at your sternum, sitting straight up, shoulders relaxed, elbow out like a kickstand, straight EWP (elbow-wrist-pinkie)
- Bow path – bow travels straight across the string (t-bow), midway between the fingerboard and the bridge (forte-freeway)
- Bow hand – thumb slightly bent, index finger touching the stick between the first and second knuckle, hand pronated, fingers slightly apart — not overly spread or bunched together
Once you feel you’ve got it, go onto the next video!
HAPPY PRACTICING