The Cello Bow Grip

[4angelsteacher]

I like how you explained what contact point you use for the thumb. The other bow hold videos I watched were missing this point and I was having problems with that.

[CraftyArtsGirl]

what songs are you playin?



[llizz56]

@CraftyArtsGirl The first is Bach suites for cello no.1 Prelude

[AquaticCheese]

LOLOLOLOL "regardless of direction or string he's on"

the string he is on is the DETERMINING FACTOR of the note he plays. his "fretting hand" (which btw is an incorrect term unless your cello has frets. which it doesn't unless you put them on there. in which case, congrats, you have just destroyed it) does not move.

since it sounds like you play guitar, think about holding a standard G chord. playing different strings will produce different notes, even if your fretting hand stays unmoved.

[41publicdistortion14]

that wasnt even 5 minutes

[youngmastermagican]

pat--SAME HERE!!! ugh.

[PatTheAnchor]

I swear nothing ever works for me. This is pissing me off. I've been playing for 13 years and I cannot finish any piece without my thumb burning in hell like Dante's inferno.

maybe I should just cut off my thumb and attach a metal piece that just holds it.

[jamikerler]

This is real helpful I like that song at the end :)

[youfilthyape]

@jamikerler  It's Bach....I think....

[DunkdaHunk]

Thumb of bow hand should be bent to give flexibilty.

[ramenbender]

Thank you thank you thank you!! I've tried so many different bow holds, all which leave my hand feeling like hell, but your's is actually working! *applauds* *standing ovation* and props for a fellow cello player.

[LeslieMarie490]

thanks for this. Self teaching, and I've been struggling. :)

[French11horn]

OK...

a.) You kids are all idiots

b.) Cords is French for strings

c.) "Shimmying" the bow over the strings is called "Tremolo"

d.) It is clearly stated that bow-grip is individual. You should find what works best for you, keeping in mind the BASIC PRINCIPLES.

e.) Learn to play an instrument properly before you make stupid comments, the Bach he plays is ligit, even if you have no clue how it is supposed to work.

[BeckyLinda1]

I prefer the term "bow balance" to "bow grip", which indeed it is with me. The fourth finger is the least important finger. This way the bow PIVOTS between the thumb and forefinger. Gripping the bow with all 4 fingers you then have to physically angle it from one string to another. Playing an up bow and nearing the point of balance the sensation is of the bow "falling" into the palm of the hand. Gravity has just changed string for you effortlessly. This is how I was taught and works for me.

[oninjao]

i presume you mean vibrato cheese loves music and its not that hard and personally i dont like teachers who force a grip ive played for years and am grade 6 and ive never had a problem hollding my bow and i dont hold it like that and cheese did you really say chords whilst talking about a cello XD

[StopTheMoti0n]

what was the first piece he was playing? on ever cello vid i watch they play that! (i dont play cello, im a bassist in training)

[alejocello]

Prelude from Suite Nº1 in G major for unacompainned cello by J.S. Bach

[StopTheMoti0n]

oh wow that looks awkward to hold. holding a double bass bow is REALLY easy, epecially german bow haha.

[iL0veHaydenC]

:( i find holding the bow hard, especially because i'm double jointed.. but good vid.

[cheeselovesmusic]

does anybody know what its called when you sihimmy r hand on the cords on a cello?

[debian4tw]

awesome 5 stars

[jennmaxine]

Hi Justin, this is a great explanation. I tried your grip and found I had a much more controlled grip than the one I learned. I am wondering if you could tell me the advantages or disadvantages of the grip where the thumb is more rounded to the point that the tip of the thumb is gripping the bow where yours looks straight and you have more 'thumb surface' in contact with the bow. thanks

[sedomist]

nice pad haha I <3 NY

[shapterscello]

GORGEOUS BOW!!! Golden tipped im guessing, about 17k gold?? And... Looks like Brazil wood... With ebony??? Love it.

[Celloman4044]

Cranie4, You are a complete idiot. Go learn something about the cello first you noob.

[DJFactors]

@Celloman4044 haha a cello noob what a beginner?

[triplea007]

So, he explains his students how to properly hold a joint and align their pinkies... then, the thumb comes in... I'd stay away from the cello.

[ProduzententeamKoeln]

He plays a vibrato in the Bach cello suite??? I never would!

[walllboy]

Let us all go back to pretorte bows shall we?

[cranie4]

I like the overdubbed cello part when he played best...wonder what it actually sounded like.

[nathan87]

what makes you think it was overdubbed? Looked real to me.

[cranie4]

Because on the first set of alternating notes he plays his fingers on his fretting hand don't move and his bowing isn't at the right speed to switch strings at the rate of the music that's playing.

[livoniaeagle83]

cranie; its called slurring notes. and when u change strings you dont necisarily have to move your fingers to get a different sound becuase YOUR ON A DIFFERENT STRING. way to go

[cranie4]

Ok let's see if I get you...You're saying he's changing strings which means he would have to bow the new string for it to sound, correct? Well he isn't. So back to you champ.

[livoniaeagle83]

he is bowing the new string he just isnt changing the bow direction AKA SLURRING u dumbshit

[cranie4]

OK. You think he's playing all the notes even though his bow movement(regardless of direction or string he's on) and his fingering don't appear to support that. It's cool. Milli Vanilli made a fortune off people just like you.

[quartercherries]

cynicism has taken you to retardation.

[cranie4]

Cecity has made you all sheep. GG

[JaliceJally]

livoniaeagle83 is right.

~If he had to change strings for every note, there would be over 100 strings on the cello.

~He is moving his fingers. It looks correct. Anyone with eyes can see that.

~The way he moves the bow does in fact support the music he is playing.

It's no dub.

[triviumlambofgod]

@cranie4 yea... its called slurring.... your a fucking idiot, you dont know how to play cello so dont pretend like you do.... slurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrring..... its a really really really common technique. the bow does not need to change direction to produce different notes on different strings... slurrrrrrring.... you are probably one of those people who thinks you cant play a guitar with one hand???

[cranie4]

This argument is from a year ago and you are still going on about it? Christ. Ok I'll play along..again. No I don't play cello but I play a lot of stringed instruments so I understand plucking a string, hammer-ons, pulloffs, fretting...is it SO hard to believe that one shot in this piece was placed wrong so what is shown is not what they played? I didn't say they didn't play the entire piece. It happens in video all the time. Wow, get over it already.

[triviumlambofgod]

@cranie4 i'm just saying you sound like an uneducated jack ass when you talk about things you have no idea about.... and thats wicked that u understand fretting and pull offs but if u dont know how to bow... you have no idea anyway. u should play cello!

[cranie4]

You're right. I'll pick up some small bowed instrument to learn. Maybe dulcimer...

[KalleShredonen]

Seriously, I play this piece and that's the way it works. You don't have to change bow direction when you change strings.

[TheSilentVloggerX]

@cranie4 If you were smart, you would know that the hair on the bow has rosin on it. Rosin (since your not musically inclined) is made of tree sap which makes the bow sticky. The stickiness has a grip on the string, which pulls it. Now to stop you from your cynicism, try buying a cheap violin and see for yourself. I'm not going to waste anymore time on the musically uneducated. Oh, and before I forget, the song he played is called Prelude to Cello Suite 1. Look it up. I feel bad for the ignorant

[cranie4]

@TheSilentVloggerX And I feel bad for people who are over a year late to the discussion...but since you brought it up... you're so right. I'm not musically inclined. All my music wrote and played itself. I just watched.

[Bjarmi92]

GAY!!!!!!!

[xserpa]

vai se lascar... quem quer saber dessa poha?

[JateDawg]

/golfclap

[kkrizzz]

Useful information!!

NOT!

[Megiddeh]

He's so dreamy

[Chiangee]

WOW, the pinky is in the wrong place.

[livoniaeagle83]

WOW, actually its not, its not supposed to be on top like a violin- its supposed to lay down rite near the ivory dot. if anything wrong its the fact that his thumb isnt bent, its striaght and stressed

[MaskguyEvan]

That's right! God bless you, livoniaeagle83. If there's one thing in this world I HATE it's people who don't hold the cello bow correctly.

[Seiku]

He said the way he likes to do it,

[swordsmankp]

i play the bass and its pretty mutch the same consept, just standing :P

[Megiddeh]

Yeah....except not

[Jericam45]

hey gorgeous, nice video

[lilmskaylad]

this is gay and i can only hear it

[sushidude95]

ok... i have the most awsome $100.00 cello bow...

[WtfRobot]

into a into a into a ahahhaah lololol

[JOGO]

I can't believe you watched almost the whole thing to get to that part, lol! The only reason I watched it was because your comment made me want to see how funny that stutter was.

[livoniaeagle83]

lol