Dynamics are a bow thing
On a piano, a dynamic is one thing: how hard you strike the key. On the violin it's three things at once, all in the bow.
Read now, perform later. This lesson is here so that when you read
for<you know what it's actually asking of your arm. Producing it with an even, controlled hand is Stage 5, where the bow strokes get their own full treatment.
The three ingredients
| On the page | Bow speed | Bow weight | Contact point |
|---|---|---|---|
| p | slower | light | toward the fingerboard — soft, few overtones |
| f | faster | fuller | toward the bridge — bright, lots of core |
< | gradually faster | gradually fuller | drift toward the bridge as it grows |
> | gradually slower | gradually lighter | drift toward the fingerboard as it fades |
You met the "lanes" between bridge and fingerboard in Stage 0 (the geography of the bow). Louder music lives in the lanes nearer the bridge; softer music nearer the fingerboard. Weight is the smallest of the three — most of a dynamic is speed and where the bow is.
Messa di voce — the whole thing on one note
The same notes, loud then soft
Try it
Try
One very slow bow on the open A. Start it near the fingerboard, light and unhurried. Halfway
through the bow, drift toward the bridge and let the bow speed up — the note swells. Then
drift back and slow down — it fades. One unbroken sound that grows and dies: that's what a
< > over a long note is asking for.
The usual mistake
Making every dynamic with weight — pressing down for f until the string chokes and
scratches, lightening for p until it goes breathy and whistles. Reach for bow speed and
contact point first; add weight last and least. A bigger sound usually means move the
bow toward the bridge, not push harder where you are.