When you’re here on the A string, your bow arm should be forming a nice square while your bow is in the middle of the bow on the string. Now when you move to the D string, your elbow is going to go up. When you move to the G string your elbow is going to go higher. When you move to the E string from the G string, you have to drop your elbow.

It’s very important that your entire right arm works as a team, that it’s not just your elbow going up to get you to the G and your wrist is hanging down but that it’s all level.

You can practice bow arm levels by starting on the A moving to the D and watching your entire bow arm that it all moves as a unit. You can also do this in front of the mirror and keep an eye on your bow arm.

You can make a game out of it. Play a mississippi stop stop on the A string and then go to the G. Make sure everybody is working together and properly. Do mississippi stop stop on the G string. Drop real quickly to the E string and do a mississippi stop stop on the E string but do make sure that your elbow elevator is in operation and does work correctly. So you have the E floor, the A floor, the D floor and the G floor and you go to the E floor. One of the first pieces to learn on the violin, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, you have to immediately go from the A to the E floor. So while you’re practicing your elbow elevator, you can practice going from the A string to the E string since those are the first two notes of Twinkles and then you have to go back to the A string.

Have fun keeping an eye on your elbow elevator and that it is in operation. video and please be sure to check out other videos on heatherkayeviolin.com.

Let me know in the comments below what you will implement to practice your violin bow arm elbow levels.