Viola da Gamba Tutorial No. 4: More bowing | with Sam Stadlen

The fourth of my mini-tutorial series aimed at beginner and intermediate viol players. This video looks at using your arm effectively to control bow strokes, making sure that the arm is relaxed and nothing is 'held up'. Again, this is only my approach - there are lots of other opinions and so my way is not the 'right' way, only one method.

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Thank you!

[Etheriacaprae]

Is it possible to do staccato on the Viola da Gamba?
If it is possible, how fast can it be done?

[johnbryan]

Hi, Sam. Thanks for making these videos available: your explanations are really clear and helpful. I'm recommending them to my students.

[willwilkin]

Thanks Sam for the great concept of the pendulum bowarm led by the leading side of the forearm, diffusing the consequent and relaxed following movement throughout the wrist, elbow, shoulder and torso.

I'm hoping that pendulum van also help me in a weakness: counting time and playing in rhythm. Perhaps that pendulum can often serve as a tactus by which I'm measuring beats even if not actually counting them? It seems so impossible to me that real musicians actually have a background counter (one-eee-and-a...) throughout their artful rendering of a piece. Is there a secret counting trick built in here somewhere?