TY - JOUR
T1 - Biomechanically Informed Bowing
T2 - Revisiting Rolland’s Principles of Violin Playing
AU - Kim, Min Jung
AU - Fairbanks, Stephen Thomas
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© American String Teachers Association 2022.
PY - 2024/7
Y1 - 2024/7
N2 - The purpose of this article is to revisit the biomechanical concepts of Paul Rolland’s scholarship on bowing to provide a new framework of Rolland’s underlying bowing principles. First, we discuss how whole body movements help facilitate natural bowing, which can generate better tone efficiently from freedom of movement. Second, we attend to the movements of the bow arm, which can be conceptualized as the natural rotation of the arm. Third, we comment upon the concept of balance, concerning bow hold, leverage, and bow pressure while discussing the particulars of finger placement, its function in bowing, and balance and leverage in the bow arm. The concepts of whole body, movement, and balance should be considered in variable conditions considering the relationship between body parts and the whole. Also, the three biomechanical concepts are not independent or self-sufficient but correlated ideas. Not only do these ideas help with the acquisition of technical skills, but they also pave the way for a pleasing and natural tone quality as well as enhanced musical expression.
AB - The purpose of this article is to revisit the biomechanical concepts of Paul Rolland’s scholarship on bowing to provide a new framework of Rolland’s underlying bowing principles. First, we discuss how whole body movements help facilitate natural bowing, which can generate better tone efficiently from freedom of movement. Second, we attend to the movements of the bow arm, which can be conceptualized as the natural rotation of the arm. Third, we comment upon the concept of balance, concerning bow hold, leverage, and bow pressure while discussing the particulars of finger placement, its function in bowing, and balance and leverage in the bow arm. The concepts of whole body, movement, and balance should be considered in variable conditions considering the relationship between body parts and the whole. Also, the three biomechanical concepts are not independent or self-sufficient but correlated ideas. Not only do these ideas help with the acquisition of technical skills, but they also pave the way for a pleasing and natural tone quality as well as enhanced musical expression.
KW - balance
KW - biomechanics
KW - bowing
KW - Paul Rolland
KW - violin playing
KW - whole body
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U2 - 10.1177/19484992221121756
DO - 10.1177/19484992221121756
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85194544148
SN - 1948-4992
VL - 14
SP - 5
EP - 21
JO - String Research Journal
JF - String Research Journal
IS - 1
ER -