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I am going crazy and need some help. I have been trying to figure out why the bow seems to be bouncing now. I have been trying everything from more pressure, Less pressure. Loosening or tightening the bow. And I just can't seem to get it to stop. I even tried some new Rosin, the stuff I have is really old.
Here is a video of my trying to play Over the Rainbow. I know I have some inadvertant droning going and that is mostly from me trying to read the music while I play. I am working on that, but when the bow starts to bounce, I get frustrated and loose my concentration and things begin to fall apart.
Any advice or suggestions as to what I am doing wrong would be greatly appreciated.
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I don't know because I'm just a beginner myself, but your right hand looks tense. Maybe go back to the beginner hold up higher on the stick and see if the bounce improves? Just a guess...
I've learned so much from my mistakes that I've decided to make some more.
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On measures 6 through 10 and 13 should all be played on the D string. Instead of crossing strings just use your forth finger to play the A. You will find it so much easier to play that by simply leaving your second or third finger down then putting down your forth finger then just lift it put it down and lift it.
Bowing, you look very tense. Your right wrist is rock solid and your fingers on the bow made of stone. Loosen up your grip. Watch the video on holing the bow. It looks to me like your stiffness is translated from the bow to the strings causing it to bonce. Next move your elbow and wrist not your shoulder. I see your pinky finger on your right hand very stiff and over supporting the bow. Let the bow float on the strings with a slight pressure on it. more pressure at the tip and less at the frog but first concentrate on your grip of the bow.
Keep going We have all been there and you are doing great.
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I'm having the same problem intermittently. Yestrday, my teacher has told
me to relax my wrist more, keep my elbow high but imagine it feeling heavy, with the weight underneath. Seemed to work for me.
I am amazed at how old people of my age are.....
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Thanks eveyone. Some things to try. I did notice that in the video I am clentching my teeth. I didn't realize I was all tensed up. Might have to go have a cold one ( or Two or three ) and try again.
Kevin Said: On measures 6 through 10 and 13 should all be played on the D string. Instead of crossing strings just use your forth finger to play the A. You will find it so much easier to play that by simply leaving your second or third finger down then putting down your forth finger then just lift it put it down and lift it.
I have tried that, but I need lots more practice using my pinky. I find it very difficult to play the A that way. Crossing strings seem to be so much easier. But I am going to try to practice that way more often. As when I watched youtube video's of folks playing this song that is what everyone does. So I just need to get to work on it and stop taking the easy way out.
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A few basics.
Don't spread your right hand fingers like that. Keep them together and relaxed.
Curve those fingers a lot more too, it will enable you to be flexible with your bow.
Curve your pinky as well and keep the tip of your pinky on top of the stick.
Turn you hand clockwise onto the stick.
You seem to be doing great otherwise. Keep up the great work.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Hello CGBowNut! I've currently having the same problem with my bow and am recording the problem in my violin blog - fiddlerjourney.blogspot.com
I found that it helps to apply some pressure to the bow..not to press it down, but more to guide it. It helps to be conscious of your fingers, to make sure the thumb and pinky's arched and nimble. That way your wrist and fingers can help guide the bow up and down while you flex your elbow - this helps keep the bowing straight.
I noticed that the bouncing disappears once I started bowing straight.
Don't get frustrated! Listen to the tune o the violin and relax! ^^ I treat it as a form of therapy 
edit: noticed that the last post was 1 month back... How's things progressing so far?! I bet its improved now ^^
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I found my bouncing issues were due to my rigid bow hold and being to sharp in my bow direction changes. It still happens but a lot less since I put some work into my bow hold and up down bow changes.
The early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese!
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That's some great answers that should help solve your problem. I was going through the same thing. Get that pinky on top of the bow and focus on relaxing your wrist to move. Some great practice that's helping me is when I read through sheet music (I'm slow at reading music) I will pretend that I'm bowing (without holding the bow) while I read through the notes and I exaggerate my bow strokes. That way I get some practice in reading music as well as relaxing my bow hand before I play the song.
I think your intonation (finding the notes) is coming along great where normally that is my first critic on peeps. Ya just gotta relax before you play. Breathing techniques and stretching really help me too.
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I taped a few ounces to the end of my bow.....it stopped the bouncing...buts too heavy to use comfortably
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WoW! Big Thank You, Kevin!
That is exactly what i've read about! Like "play upside down" and "perpendicular to the strings". I guess i've read a discussion of this video - because it explains everything! My brains were blown by tries to imagine how the bow could be "vertically perpendicular to the strings" 
LOL!
I didin't know what colley (!?! not sure about the spelling) is. But now i guess i really do it too much. But it happens involuntarily, so i have to find the way to get rid of it! Thanks again!
Not sure about the "danger zone" - mine is far above the ballance point....
Agreed with a contact point totally. I didn't notice it, but my teacher lately says that i go too close to the bridge - now when i work on it, i really detected the bounce reducing!
Not sure about "Pencil rule" - i still think that it depends tremendously of the BOW+PLAYER combination. I heard about this rule before many times, but how practice shows - it doesn't work for ANY bow and ANY player...
THANKS, KEVIN!! Very helpful!!!
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I totally agree with you Naska about the pencil rule. Too much depends on the bow and how much tension it applies when it is at the point where a pencil fits.
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Tried those things:
1) Perpendicular to the strings (vertically LOL) - doesn't work for me - maybe not enough perpendicular.
2) Less colley (Kolle/Kolley??? Please help me - google doesn't help) motions - tried to reduce it - increases bouncing... Doing something wrong apparently...
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I wonder if Tigger bounces when he plays 
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Love your tigger Kevin.
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Bow bouncing has been my most frustrating problem, too! Thank you, Kevin, for posting that video. It was really informative and helpful, though a little daunting that so many variables can cause bouncing.
I've been able to tame my bouncing somewhat by closing my eyes while playing scales or tunes that I've memorized in order to focus on what the motion feels like when the bow is not bouncing. I found that loosing my wrist and creating a rocking motion seemed to help. It almost feels like using a paint brush.
I've also been advised to loosen my bow hold, but until I did the closed eyes thing, I think that I only loosened my fingers, not my wrist. I figure that loosening my wrist allows me to maintain more consistent pressure with the bow as it travels across the string.
When the work's all done and the sun's settin' low,
I pull out my fiddle and I rosin up the bow.
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