Trampoline Exercise
This exercise helps you feel how the string receives and returns energy.
It develops sensitivity to the moment the bow engages the string.
Why This Matters
Before you make sound by pulling the bow across the string,
you need to set your bow on the string.
This is where your sound really starts—
with your bow’s first contact.
If that part is unclear,
everything that follows becomes harder to control.
This is an exercise to help with this much overlooked part of playing.
It’s easy, fast, and effective.
The Setup
Start at the frog.
Put your bow on the string about
halfway between the bridge and the fingerboard.
Let the bow rest without pressing.
It should be parallel to the bridge.
(Sometimes a mirror helps to lock this parallel feeling into place.
It can look different from a player’s perspective than it does in a mirror.
Adjust your bow to the mirror’s perspective.
It might feel different. Lock in this new feeling.)
The Motion
Now, without pulling your bow to get sound,
gently push into the string. Feel it push back.
Let it return you to neutral.
It’s like bouncing on a trampoline without your feet leaving the surface.
Do it again, but with a bit more weight and strength.
Go until the push feels strong.
Then release.
Remember, don’t pull the bow. Keep it in the same place.
Do it a few times, experimenting with different strengths.
Exploring the Range
Now do the same thing with the middle of your bow.
Push your bow into the string. Let it bounce back.
See what it feels like to push the stick until it touches the hair.
Do a few repetitions.
Now, do it at the tip of your bow.
Like at the frog, you won’t be able to bend the hair down to the stick,
but still, get it into the string.
Adding Direction
Reset your bow at the frog. Bounce it again.
Again—but this time push into the string and hold.
Don’t release. Just feel it.
Now release it halfway, staying engaged with the string.
Next, gently nudge the string—without making any sound—back and forth.
Like a small impulse. Up-bow and down-bow. No sound yet.
I used to tell kids it’s like wiggling a loose tooth.
Make the string flex from side to side.
This is full string engagement.
What to Notice
Feel how the string resists,
and how it releases.
Notice:
how little pressure is needed—and how much you can apply
how the string responds differently at each point on the bow
how the contact becomes more predictable
Why It Works
This exercise isolates the beginning of the sound.
It removes distraction
and allows you to feel the interaction directly.
(If things feel unclear, revisit the mirror in the setup to check your bow’s alignment.)
Continue Listening
This exercise focuses on the moment just before the sound begins.
This pairs very well with Pulling the Bow Across the String.
→ Read:Response
→ Go to: Exercises
–Go to: Pulling a Straight Bow