How to Play the Guitar With a Violin Bow
Playing a guitar with a violin bow gives you incredible tone and a strange but cool sound. Jimmy Page pioneered the bowing of guitars, and the tradition is carried on today by bands like Sigur Ros. Using a violin bow on your guitar takes a lot of practice. You may not get any sound at first; you may get unpleasant sounds later. However, if you stick with it, you'll be able to get strange guitar sounds accessible to few.
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Things You'll Need
- Violin bow
- Electric guitar
- Amplifier
- Reverb pedal (optional)
- Sustain pedal (optional)
Instructions
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1
Apply rosin to your bow: Drag the violin bow slowly and evenly through your rosin approximately 14 times. More rosin is required for a guitar than for a violin because of the difference in string material.
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2
Tighten your bow: The bow should be tighter than it would be with a violin. Turn the knob at the end of the bow clockwise. The bow hairs should be fairly tight, but not so tight that they will easily snap when you start playing guitar.
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3
Set up your amplifier: Start off by playing clean, with no distortion; set the reverb and sustain as high as they will go. If you do not have a reverb or sustain option on your amplifier, invest in a second-hand pedal for one or both effects to greatly increase your success with violin bows on your guitar.
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4
Play single notes on the highest and lowest string: Playing on the high and low E strings is the best way to find out what technique will work for you. These are the strings that are easiest to get at with the violin bow. Slowly slide the bow up towards you, then away from you over these strings while you move your fret hand around the neck. Adjust the position of the bow in relation to the bridge until you are happy with the sound.
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5
Play chords by slapping: The easiest way to play chords on a bowed guitar is to slap the strings with the violin bow while you hold a power chord with your fret hand. Be careful when doing this, as the metal strings can easily damage the hairs of your violin bow.
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Experiment with other effects: Adding in distortion will change up the sound and cover up some problems you may be having with technique. Be prepared for very strange, possibly unpleasant sounds.
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7
Clean off your strings: Rosin is a sticky substance, and leaving it on your strings after you're done bowing them can make standard guitar playing much more difficult. Wipe the strings of your guitar down with a cloth to remove as much of the rosin as possible.
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Tips & Warnings
Guitars with more arch along the neck work better for bowing than flatter necked guitars.
Remember that neither the guitar nor the violin bow are meant for one another. There is literally no "right" way to play guitar with a violin bow other than what sounds good to you.
