Top Five Tips for Excellent Tone

Does your tone sound crunchy, scratchy, or wispy? Excellent tone production can be difficult to achieve. Check out my top five tips to simplify it:

1. Play with a Straight Bow

Bowing straight is necessary for good tone. The bow should always be parallel to the bridge and fingerboard (see examples below). Try practicing in front of a mirror to ensure you are bowing straight. Having immediate visual feedback will make it easier to create good bowing habits.

2. Make an Ugly Sound

While it may sound counterintuitive, it is important to know how to make an ugly sound if you want excellent tone. Once you are able to make an ugly, crunchy sound, all you need to do is lighten up on the amount of weight you are applying to the bow and string.

Start in the middle of the bow. Using the first finger of your right hand, bring the stick to the hair. With the stick still contacting the hair, move the bow back and forth. This will create an ugly, crunchy sound.

Next, slightly relax your first finger so that the stick is close to the hair but not touching. Move the bow. If done correctly, the resulting sound will be cleaner and not crunchy. If it’s still crunchy, lighten up a bit and use more bow. This exercise will be most helpful for violinists that have a “wispy” tone.

3. Bow Pushups

“Bow push ups” are also an effective strategy to create excellent tone. It is essentially the same exercise as tip #2, however, moving the bow horizontally is unnecessary. Bring the stick to the hair and quickly release the added weight. Repeat this motion a couple of times. This exercise is helpful for learning to play staccato and martelé notes because these techniques require a “pinch and release” of the bow.

4. Keep a Tall Elbow

Keeping a tall elbow will make it easier to get a big sound without working too hard. A tall elbow positions the bow on the “left side” of the string, making it easier for the bow to grab it. Think of what is needed for pizzicato. When plucking, you grab the left side of the string and pull to the right. Positioning the bow to the left side allows the hair to “grab” the string. This results in a bigger sound without adding more weight. A tall elbow will also provide more comfort when playing in the lower half of the bow. A low elbow will cause the wrist to bend more than necessary.

5. Avoid the Fingerboard

While there is a time and a place for playing close to the fingerboard, I advise against it when working on tone production. Dynamics are much softer over the fingerboard, so it’s not an ideal place for developing good tone. Any attempt to get a big sound over the fingerboard will have you working harder for half the dynamic level. Place the bow so it is equidistant to the bridge and fingerboard. Playing too close to the bridge could result in squeaky sounds if your bow technique isn’t comfortable.