Why Do We Tilt the Bow When Playing the Violin?

As discussed in earlier articles, violin playing can be approached through Turkish classical music or Western classical music.

Within Western classical playing, this article distinguishes German and Russian techniques. One difference concerns bow tilt. In the German approach, all the hair touches the strings; in the Russian approach, the hair faces inward and the stick tilts slightly outward. Using less than the full width of the hair does not in itself mean a quieter sound: volume is related to the pressure applied to the string. The article therefore describes no inherent difference in volume between the two approaches. More pressure produces a stronger sound, but excessive tilt lets the stick touch the strings and creates scratching. The Russian approach is described here as the more widely used one.

Duygu Deniz Uşaklıgil
Rekor Sanat – Violin Teacher