Bow Direction and String Crossings

from: Intermediate Bluegrass and Old-Time Fiddle with Chad Manning

This lesson is part of the course Intermediate Bluegrass and Old-Time Fiddle with Chad Manning.

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About This Course

Learn classic bluegrass and old-time tunes and improve your playing with fiddle techniques like unison drones, slides, pulses, and more advanced bowing patterns, as well as advice on improvising and soloing on bluegrass songs.

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Salt Creek

The second part of “Salt Creek” moves up into third position on the E string, so Chad starts by giving you advice on shifting into third position, with an exercise to help you practice the shift. Then he walks you through the A part, finishing by giving you an example of how he makes up variations and improvises on the second part of “Salt Creek.”

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Bow Direction and String Crossings

In this video, Chad addresses some questions Peghead Nation students have had about bow direction and string crossings. He uses the tune “Ookpik Waltz” to show how the bow direction at the beginning of each measure is usually a down bow, how to make the downbeats target notes for your bowing, and how to adjust your bowing to play down bows on all the downbeats, no matter what you’re playing between those target notes. Chad also gives advice on string crossings: how to think about bowing from the inside of the strings instead of the outside and keeping your eye on your bow. He also gives you an exercise in which you turn the bow slightly on up bows.

Previous Lesson

← Bow Technique: Using Your Thumb

Next Lesson

Bow Tilt, Patterns, and More →

Previous Lesson

← Bow Technique: Using Your Thumb

Next Lesson

Bow Tilt, Patterns, and More →

Previous Lesson

← Bow Technique: Using Your Thumb

Next Lesson

Bow Tilt, Patterns, and More →

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