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(3 votes) 
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Great vid, more for me to work on. I really like the paint brush analogy, that makes it easier to apply. After watching it I realized how much more I need to apply more wrist action. I didn't realize how stiff my wrist was before this vid.
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Thanks guys. The whole bow smooth change is actually the same as if you get the bow changes down at every area of the bow. If you work on changes at the frog, in the middle and at the tip you will be covered Fiddlestix.
I exaggerated the movement for the video as should you all when working on this so that when you are performing, it will come naturally.
A lot of the stuff that composer mentioned, for example slowing down at the last centimeter, happen automatically when you do this type of bowing. The bow slows down when your arm starts going the other way and your fingers are falling behind like the hair of a paintbrush..... Less pressure is not really needed unless you want to mask the new entrance of the next note.
Most professionals do what I call petting the notes. They actually decrescendo and crescendo at every bow change. It can be too much at times but offers a very romantic sound when necessary.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Fiddlestix said
Nice vid, Pierre. You need some paint on those walls though.I'm not quite sure, but I'm thinking Composer may be talking about full length bow stroke's (which you didn't demonstrate) and changing bow stroke's / direction's while fingering note's.
My interpretation of a smooth bow stroke is letting your elbow, wrist and finger's flow smoothly (as you demo'd) while playing note's. I mean the bow direction change's at the precise millisecond your finger's either press down on the string or lift off the string and your bow direction change's at that ms.
Just my thought's.
Exactly...
"If you practice with your hands you must practice all day. Practice with your mind and you can accomplish the same amount in minutes." Nathan Milstein
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@scotsfiddller- I thought the exact same thing when the vid first started, paint them walls! lol (I know its a computer gen background, S.a. dies hard)
@Pierre- All things I already "knew" or thought I did, even the Karate Kid reference although wax on, wax off is the least useful for fiddle playing. (This is my trouble for reading to much and practicing too little)
Unfortunately learning the information (previously from you I am sure) and applying it are two different things for me. For instance, I never realized how much finger movement/ flexing on the bow hand there was till I watched this vid. (I trust this is brand new, never before revealed footage of the FM in action) So, once again I must add another thing to my long list of things to work on.
This is similar to my rock climbing escalator analogy, Just when I think I have climbed to the top, something else comes along that I need to grab on to and I dont think itl ever stop. (well, it makes sense in my head)
Thanks for the vid and I hope we can see more of them from you breaking down the skills even further for better understanding. That was just awesome for me.
"Please play some wrong notes, so that we know that you are human" - said to Jascha Heifetz.
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Glad you liked it Robert. Bare in mind that I exaggerated the movements somewhat for people to see what is going on.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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I've only started taking weekly lessons since last November and my violin teacher is good but then there are times that I felt his instructions on how to do something like smooth bow changes seemed a bit rigid and I, being an old dog trying new tricks, struggled to grasp the concept.
When I saw fiddlerman's video yesterday, it sank-in immediately because of just one simple remark of likening it to a paintbrush stroke. Now I get it! Just have to practice - a lot lot more, and I don't really care if my practice sounds really ugly now 
.
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EXACTLY!!!
It needs to sound ugly to sound good later. 
Also, you can practice with extra exaggeration knowing that you won't be doing that later. It will sound ugly during practice, but it will engrave the right feeling in your right hand.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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