New and scientific self-instructing school for the violin

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In No. 18, the notes are played with the half bow, very slow, and close together; commencing from the middle of the bow.

The notes in No. 19 are played with a half bow, but very darting, making a short rest between them.

The following are the principal varieties of bowing that will be used in the Progressive Lessons, which the scholar must be familiar with before preceeding any farther. These, as far as No. 21, are to be practised in the following Exercise, which must be well understood before applying them. The pupil should practice diligently all the Preliminary Exercises, as it will very much facilitate his studies in the following lessons; as a good beginning is sure to make a good ending, if preservered in.

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In all these varieties, use from one third to one half of the bow, except Nos. 1 and 2, which will require the whole bow. The position of the bow must be strictly attended to, in these varieties; that is, not to let the bow run off the strings at the upper end, or slide past the middle towards the hand. For instance, if an equal length of bow is used to each of the four notes in No. 7, the bow would run off the strings at the upper end; and, in No 8, where the bowing is reversed, the bow would slide past the middle and reach the hand. In order to keep the position of the bow on the strings, the fourth staccato note in No. 7, must receive the same length of bow up as the three slurred notes down. In No. 8, the first note is played with the half bow down, and the other three with the half bow up. In No. 13, the seven slurred notes are played with the half bow down, and the eighth with the half bow up. In No. 14, the first note is played with the half bow down, and the seven slurred notes with the half bow up. In No. 15, two notes are played with one stroke of the bow, making a short rest between each note. The other varieties the scholar will very easily understand, with a little practice, without any further explanation. The crotchet and quaver, in 6/8 time, and a short note between two long ones, are played in three different manners, which must be equally familiar to the scholar. The first manner is, to play the short note which follows the long one with the same stroke of the bow, making a kind of short rest between them, as in the following exercise:

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The second manner is, to play the long note with a down bow, and the short one with an up bow. Example:

The third manner is, to play the long note with an up bow, and the short one with a down bow. Example:

The scholar may think that it is useless to practise so much on the different varieties of bowing, in the early part of his studies; if so, he will find his mistake before he gets half through the Progressive Lessons. As the bow is considered by all great masters of this instrument to be the soul of violin playing, a few hours spent in practising some of its varieties, in the beginning, may not be considered as thrown away. I therefore advise the scholar to practise them frequently, commencing as far back as No. 11, where the notes are all bowed. A long note, and the short one that follows or precedes it, give to the scholar a difficulty, both in the time abnd bowing; and the following examples will serve to give him a correct idea of playing all such notes, whenever they may occur. The short notes in the following examples will serve to give him a correct idea of playing all such notes, wherever they may occur. The short notes in the following examples receive the same length of bow as the long ones do, whether it be a whole, half, or quarter bow. The half bow may be used in the following examples, commencing in the middle, when the note begins with a down bow, and at the upper end when the note begins with an up bow.

Count four twice, or eight, in a measure; three for the pointed crotchet, and one for the quaver.

Count three in a measure; two for the minim, and one for the crotchet.

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