By Kevin Smith / April 3, 2026
This exercise continues what we started in the Trampoline Exercise—contact.
It connects a clear start to a controlled, consistent stroke.
Why This Matters
If contact is where a clean beginning starts,
the motion that follows needs to stay in the string,
supporting a clean sound for the entire bow stroke.
If the bow path is inconsistent,
the sound will lose stability.
This is where pulling a straight bow comes in.
The Setup
Begin from the same place as the Trampoline Exercise.
Establish a clean connection with the string.
Truly feel that initial contact.
Allowing the Motion to Continue
With your bow holding the string in its grip,
pull your bow all the way to the tip.
Now push the bow, still deep in the string, back to the frog.
Continue back and forth.
Pull! Push! Pull, push. Pull push.
If you practice this for just 5 minutes a day for a week,
you’ll be amazed how much sound you’re making.
Good sound!
Keeping the Path Straight
A word about your arm and pulling the bow.
Your arm has three hinges: your shoulder, elbow, and wrist.
How you open and close those hinges plays a huge part in
pulling a straight bow.
Usually when you’re starting at the frog for a down-bow,
all three are closed.
To start, open your shoulder, pulling through the string,
to about the middle of your bow.
For violin and viola, your upper arm should be even with your chest.
Next, open and unfold your elbow and wrist together,
your wrist pushing out and away, staying in the string all the way to the tip.
For your up-bow, reverse the order:
First, close your elbow and wrist,
getting to the middle of your bow.
It should travel parallel to the bridge.
(A mirror can help here. The bow can feel straight from your perspective,
but look different from the outside. Use the mirror to align the bow
parallel to the bridge, even if it feels unfamiliar at first.
Lock in that new feeling.)
Next, close your shoulder,
bringing your bow back to the frog.
It’s best if you can keep your bow halfway between
the bridge and the fingerboard.
What to Notice
Listen to the consistency of the sound.
Notice:
is the sound stable for the entire bow stroke?
does resistance come and go at different places?
does your bow feel guided or forced?
Experiment With It
Play with things like bow pressure—a little more, a little less.
How deep into the string can you get and still produce a clean sound?
How light can you go before the string kicks you out?
Try moving your bow faster. Then slower.
Which allows you to get deeper into the string?
Which one makes more sound, and which one makes it softer?
As always, stay in the string,
with your bow moving parallel to the bridge.
A straight bow is not forced.
It is allowed.
Why It Works
This exercise connects
the beginning of the sound
to the continuation of the stroke.
It allows the motion to develop naturally from that
stable start you built in the Trampoline Exercise.
Closing
This exercise develops consistency across the stroke.
Return to the beginning whenever the sound becomes unclear.