Guide to a good bow job

There are many cool French and Italian terms for different types of bowing. The texts
have explanations of each of the different strokes, but these explanations range from
excellent to confusing to plain contradictory (just google dtach). These terms refer to
things the section does under the hood. As an orchestrator, it is important to understand these, as they are the rudiments of string playing. Remember that in the end,
though, the important thing is to know how to notate your intent; the section will
take care of the technique.
When discussing bow technique it is important to note that several terms players use
to describe a stroke are also terms used in notation; however, they have a slightly different meaning in this case. The two main ones to watch out for are staccato and
legato, which will be discussed in this section.
The default for bowing is to play on the string and change direction with each note.
Long Notes
Long notes are played on the string, or shorthand on, meaning that between notes
the bow does not leave the string, but rather maintains contact. The bow will change
direction for each new note. If you want more than one note per stroke, use a slur to
designate how many notes should fall under each bow.
How many notes you can write per bow depends on several variables. Some are nonnegotiable; for example, at loud dynamics the bow must move faster to maintain a
full tone, so fewer notes are possible. When the dynamic is soft, many more notes can
be played and the amount of changes and the speed of the bow can make some nice
colors. Watch a section bow; the speed changes all the time and this is what gives the
phrase life. There is a third variable: placement. Players will put the bow in slightly
different positions on the string to produce different sounds. The extremes are sul
ponticello and sul tasto, but there are many little variations in the middle that when
combined with speed and pressure give every note a unique sound.
The reason why samples have no life is that every note is recorded at similar speeds
and pressures, so there is no relationship between technique and musical context.
Short Notes
The default is still to play on the string. If you want the playing heavy and on the
string, you can label it marcato. Marcato is a term that refers to the attack; for strings it
is performed with the martel stroke. Notes start on the string and have a big attack

due to extra pressure applied. Note that marcato does not necessarily mean short; it
affects the attack, and due to the physics of how it is performed, the notes will have a
separation, and so by default will be shorter. A series of marcato eighths will give the
impression of being staccato. Its important to realize the distinction though, and understand that a normal short on the string bowing is called staccato bowing.
The alternative to bowing on the string is, of course, bowing off the string. This is
where the bow leaves the string between notes. The most common example of an off
the string bowing style is spiccato. One common misconception is that spiccato itself is
the way you label a passage as off the string. It is not. It is just one particular style of
off the string bowing. However, if you do use that word and it is perhaps not the correct stroke for the phrase, players will do what they do best and adapt their bow
stroke to the current musical context.
I believe the misunderstanding and misuse of the terms marcato and spiccato is due to
certain string libraries using these names for their short note patches. In the real
world it is impossible to play spiccato as loud and heavy as it sounds in these
patches, and as mentioned above, marcato is a type of attack, not duration.
Off-ish
Spiccato is a very useful and common bow stroke, but if you look at the physics of it,
it is not useful for heavier attacks and louder dynamics. For these we need more contact with the string and bouncing the bow off does not allow this. But we still want
the bow to come off between notes, even if it is very slight. This is a stroke that is between a spiccato and a marcato. It is not discussed often but if you watch a section, you
will see it is what naturally happens when they have to play short and heavy notes. I
have also noticed that even when asked to play on the string, when the music gets
fast and loud, the same thing happens and they gravitate to this same stroke, the bow
seems to lift a little as it changes direction. They also often do this for clarity. In cello
and bass, playing fast on the string does not project or come through as well as it
does on the violin.
Under Pressure: Looking at the Bow(ie)

Notice how I have bowed the above phrase. Even though I have not marked a
crescendo, there will be a slight one as the bow speed and emphasis change and the

sound gets more intense. If I did mark this as a crescendo I would also want the same
bowing. The louder the sound, the faster the bow has to travel to maintain a quality
tone. If it were a big crescendo and I had not marked it like this they would automatically go to at least two bows per bar as the music gets louder.
There are so many subtle differences to the sound you can make when you think
about the bowing.
Bowing does not always follow the phrase, but how you bow makes the phrase.

1. There is a school of thought that says you should use a long slur as a phrase mark
and the section will sort it out. Yes, they can work something out, but you will get the
result YOU want if you take the time to bow the passage yourself. In this case, the
principal will decide how to bow it. But they do not know the music or how intense I
would like each note.
2. This is how they would probably play it, starting on an up-bow of course. They
may also slur C to Ab. Each bar uses the same amount of bow, and the sound will be
consistent.
3. How I might do it. This will give the phrase much more life than the even bowing
of #2. The more notes, the slower the bow but more pressure is applied. Fewer notes
or single ones lead the bow to move faster with less pressure, giving a different intensity and some nice phrasing. So while the section will use a whole bow to cover the
six beats of the Ab and G, they will use half to three quarters just for the Eb. This is
what makes the music magical, and why samples have a hard time replacing the
emotion of a real section.
Keep in mind that even though the notes may be slurred, there are often places where
the players will have to change strings. These notes will not have the slurred sound

as the new string will not be vibrating before the next note starts. Players can work
around this in many cases by playing the line in a position that avoids the string
change, but if the interval is wide, this may not be possible. It is a very subtle effect,
and good players will be able to almost mask it, but it is still something to think
about.
In reality a good section can change bow direction without you knowing. This is very
easy on the violin but gets harder as the instruments get bigger. On the violin, the
string is not moving very far as it vibrates, but on the bass it is moving a lot, so stopping and starting the string as the bow changes is more perceptible. A good section
leader will have the section blend the bowing to avoid this issue, especially on quiet
passages.
Sometimes you will not want to hear any bow changes, but only a completely smooth
and even line. In order to get this effect you will need the section to change bow at
different times. This can be dictated by writing two overlapping bowing patterns, one
set of slurs above and one below. This will mask the changes and is sometimes referred to as divisi bowing. In the studios we often mark the phrase with a long slur
and ask the section to free bow. They will then change bow at different times, not as
a group. Unfortunately free bow is not a universal term. I have not found a common
way to describe this practice, so some clarification is often needed or the section will
still bow the line all together. If you just have a phrase mark and no indication, the
players will follow the principal.
As previously mentioned, there are many things that effect how many notes can
(physically) or should (musically) go under each bow, and even the most experienced
orchestrator cannot get it right all the time. Lucky for us, we are writing for humans,
not computers. They can make judgement calls and adapt the bowing to suit the musical situation. So if you do screw it up, dont worry, you are still giving the section
invaluable clues as to what you are looking for.
Watching and listening is the best way to learn how to bow.
Useful articulations

a. No emphasis, no space between notes.

b. Slight emphasis, very small space due to the bow recharging for the emphasis.

c. Detached, bow stops between strokes.

d. Heavy attack with a drop-off to a little space as the bow recharges for the next attack. You can add a tenuto to limit the space, but the accent will be less.
e. Lour, all notes under one bow. The bow pulses the notes by slowing, releasing the
pressure then applying and speeding up again.
f. As above but the bow pauses between notes.
If you want an extra smooth bow change, mark it sostenuto. This is the string equivalent to legato tonguing on a wind instrument.
Notation
As stated, the default is to play on the string, so no special notation is required if that
is what you want. But now we get into territory where the string terms start to mean
one thing to the players, but another in notation. Staccato, when used in the score,
refers to the length of the note and it does not necessarily mean to play the
staccato bow stroke.
One also must be mindful when using the word legato. While generally it means to
just connect the notes, it is often interpreted as meaning to slur. In Europe
the legato means to slur. In reality, if you go with the default and have no markings,
you will get legato, meaning connected not slurred.
In my scores, if I want off the string I mark it staccato (with dots or the word stacc.). I
prefer to use the word not the dots. It is cleaner, easier to change if we want to play it
differently, and it keeps the notes clear for when you want to add accents. See how
much less cluttered b. looks and how it could be changed to on the string by just taking out the word stacc.

If strings are playing eighth notes at light dynamics they will play spiccato and as the
dynamic gets higher or more intensity is required they will go into the off-ish style I
described above. The players adapt the bow style to the dynamic and intensity of the
music, and I do not need to micro-manage them.

If I want it heavy I label it stacc. e marc. If you accent every note you have no way of
getting an accent when you really want one. This is the notational equivalent to crying wolf.

I rarely use the word On or Off in a score; the default or the notation above implies
how it should be played. If I had labeled staccato and the next section is not, I just use
some tenutos or if it is repeated notes, it is safe to use legato. Have faith in your players. Provided you give them a clear starting point, they will then also listen to what is
around them and come up with the best stroke for the musical situation. It often ends
up that you have a combination of different strokes. This random, often unintentional
blend is what gives life to the music, something that cannot be replicated with samples.
These simple indications have gotten me through hundreds of sessions, from the
lightest happy cues to the loudest agressive boss battles.
Accents
Accents are performed by adding pressure, speed, and duration to the contact of the
bow and string. In the example below, the accented notes will be a little longer than
the unaccented ones.

This sounds very natural and is easy to play at slow and medium tempos, up to 130
bpm or so. But when it gets faster, or if this were sixteenth notes, the effort needed to
make the accents can make it difficult to keep the unaccented notes smooth and metric. When I hear this problem in the studio, I have the players only think about the accents. But it is always good to think ahead and orchestrate around this problem.

One would not think that a pattern like this would cause any trouble, and maybe to
some it does not, but being a drummer, I want everything as even and metric as possible, and when I hear the violins play this the time will slightly push and pull
around the accents. There are several solutions to this problem. In this case, as the accented notes are a different pitch, they will stick out anyway, so recently when this
came up at a session, I just had them ignore the accents. But lets imagine that everything is the same pitch, or the composer really wants big accents. Here is what you
do -

I have taken the accents out of the first part and the seconds are just playing the accented notes. You will not miss the seconds on all the notes, and the firsts will actually be able to play more heavily now as they do not have to allow for the accents. Finally, the timing will also be perfect. The finished product will sound much better
and be easier to play. If there are more than strings in the orchestra one could also
add some woods, perhaps an oboe with the seconds. Percussion can also help. In fact
if you have percussion and brass hitting the accents, you do not need them in the
strings at all, as the overall result will sound accented.
Labeling Bow Direction and Bow Position
99% of the the time this is not needed. String players have been bowing since they
were four years old, and choosing to start with an up- or down-bow is second nature.
In general if a phrase starts on a weak beat (a pickup, for example) that will be an upbow. If it starts on a strong beat, that will be down, simple as that. Long notes at soft
dynamics start on an up-bow as that is the easiest way to start softly. The one time it
is common to label is when you want a series of heavy attacks, in which case you
mark all down-bows. In reality, players are pretty good at a heavy attack in either direction, but what a series of down-bows does is ensures there is a gap between notes
as the player has to retake between each one. They will also play at the frog. More
than half the time I have seen a series of down-bows written it has been ignored by
the players!

The bow is held at the frog, so this is the easiest place for the player to exert the most
pressure on the string. The tip is the furthest point from the hand, so consequently it
is the easiest place to play with the least pressure, producing the lightest tone. Some
orchestrators mark to play at the tip or frog. Just like direction, I have found the players tend to pick the best position with no input other than a dynamic. They will play
a quiet tremolo at the tip, and a ff stab at the frog, because it is second nature. But
should you wish to break this default, then mark it otherwise.
Styles
Ordinale (ord.) The default, use ord. to cancel any of the following. The bow is in a
neutral position, the sweet spot between the fingerboard and the bridge.
Sul Tasto - On the fingerboard. The bow plays over the end of the fingerboard, producing a softer tone with a less edgy attack and less high harmonics. See below for
more discussion on this technique.
Sul Ponticello (Sul Pont.) On the bridge. Opposite sound of Sul Tasto. The bow moves
closer to the bridge producing a raspy, edgy tone. There is less fundamental and
more high harmonics to the sound. If you go extremely close to the bridge you can
completely lose the fundamental and will only get harmonics.
Flautando The bow moves faster than normal with a very light pressure producing a
pure, flute like tone.
Col Legno With the wood. There are two types of col legno. Tratto is where you bow
the string with the wooden part of the bow. Battuto is where the wood strikes the
string. The default is battuto. Keep in mind, the sound of col legno samples is never
replicated in the real world. Players do not like smashing their $10K bow into their
$200K instrument. Sometimes the players might get out their 2nd, not so precious
bow or I have heard of people asking them to play with rulers or pieces of dowel. It
does not matter, they will hit the instrument that hard with anything. In scores
where the composer wants loud, unrealistic col legno, we usually just use the samples
and dont even try to play it. If the passage is only some isolated notes, you can substitute snap pizz. When it comes to Tratto, it hardly makes any noise, and what noise
it does is not very pitched. To make this work, players usually let a little bit of bow
hair contact the string. That recording where you thought you heard col legno tratto,
maybe not!

Ricochet and jet are off the string strokes

where the bow plays multiple notes in one direction by bouncing. I have found these impractical for studio work unless it is just an effect. Multiple bounces are just not precise enough for what we need in modern
recording. I sometimes hear a player suggesting it as a way to play a fast, light figure
and will nicely ask them to play it with separate strokes.
The Left Hand
Apart from the lowest notes on the lowest string, and the highest notes on the highest
string, all other notes can be played in more than one position. The higher up the
string the position is (within reason), the darker and less edgy the timbre will be. This
can be notated: Sul G (on the G string) passages are very common on the violin, but
in many other cases this is the sort of judgement call a player will make based on the
musical situation. While this has nothing to do with the bow, it affects the sound as
higher positions mean shorter strings.

Sul Tasto Not So Fasto

I have noticed from the podium that when the violins have been asked to play sul tasto, they do not appear to be playing over the fingerboard. It was not until researching
this article that I learned what was really going on. There are some technical and sonic considerations when playing over the fingerboard. I have heard different takes on
what is happening when performers see this indication, but one thing is for sure: sul
tasto is not as cut and dried as any of the books would have you think.
In the case of the violin, the strings on are relatively short, so the sweet spot where
the bow makes the best sound is quite small. Move away from this toward the fingerboard and it becomes much harder to make the string vibrate and produce a full tone.
The true sound of sul tasto on the violin is a thin and wispy tone.

At the bridge or in the normal position, the strings are in a nice arc
that allows the player to play any string without touching the other
ones with the bow. If you are playing in anything other than first position and the bow is close to or on the fingerboard, pressing the strings
flattens this arc and it becomes much harder (sometimes impossible)
to avoid sounding the other strings. On some violins, and the viola
too, it is possible for the bow to hit the body of the instrument when
playing on the outer strings. In the normal position, the bow falls
right into the cutout of the body, but when you move over the fingerboard, the shape of the instrument no longer works in your favor.
In most cases, what we are really asking for with sul tasto is a softer,
less edgy tone, as it is on the cello and bass. Some would call it muted,
but the actual sound of con sordino playing and sul tasto are not the same. There are a
number of ways to create this sound. The violinists accomplish the sul tasto effect by
using a combination of light bow pressure and slow bow speed. They may indeed
move closer to the fingerboard depending on the pitch, but not always. As the instruments get bigger, so too does the sweet spot, and actually playing on the fingerboard
becomes no problem at all. It can be done a little on the viola, and fully on the cello
and bass. Other techniques players use to make a softer tone include playing in a
higher position on a lower string and using less hair on the string.
In the studio, players make a judgment call in order to create a fuller sound that
blends with the other instruments and projects well for the microphones, all while
catching the essence of sul tasto and avoiding the technical difficulties.
Talk to players, and youll discover a range of opinions about this technique. In the
concert hall, violinists will try for a more literal sul tasto than they do in a recording
studio. As one player put it, I would try to play a little bit over the fingerboard, just
not as extreme as a conductor may want to see. The same player also noted that
everyones instrument is a little different, so their approach may need to be different
too. The situation here seems to be similar to that of double stops or divisi, where
what actually goes on has not quite filtered back to the authors of the text books.
Based on the musical surroundings, players may play sul tasto (or fake it) without being told. In fact, they are always making little adjustments, as depending on pitch,
volume and context, the sweet spot may be in a different place for every note. The
higher the note on the string, the closer to the bridge that sweet spot will be.
With this in mind, you will see that sul tasto is type of color or effect, and not neces-

sarily just the technique of bowing over the fingerboard.