Violin players often struggle with advanced technique, while the solution lies in the basics.

For beginners this module is great to learn correct bowing right from the start. Avoid future problems, save time and sound beautiful along the way.

I discovered that intermediate and advanced students with decades of experience learn a lot from this module as well.

You’ll learn:

• Motor skill exercises to learn the techniques without the violin and bow: my students are so enthusiastic about the direct impact this has on your playing
• Bow hold: perfecting your bow hold and making ik soft and flexible is a prerequisite for all bowing techniques
• Bow smoothly: learn to make fluent motions and smooth string changes, so your violin (and bow!) can resonate optimally and make a beautiful sound
• Bow straight: lots of violin players have problems, because they think they bow straight, but they’re actually not. Learn the finger, wrist and elbow movements to bow straight without looking and how this connects to your violin hold.
• Whole bow: learn to master the whole bow and be able to create a good tone on every part of the bow, no more frog fear!
• String crossings: learn the techniques to make fluent and controlled string crossings in any speed
• Refine your Basics: learn to continuously improve your bow control and fluency, so learning advanced techniques will be a lot easier

By the end of this module you’ll bow smoothly with great control over the whole bow. No more frog fear!

Learn and practice the 8 factors that produce tone on your violin,

so you know exactly how to get that sound in your head out of your violin and sound like your favorite performer!

You’ll learn:

• Beautiful sound with core: here you’ll learn the secrets to a professional sound on the violin and how I can easily distinguish an amateur from a professional in my violin studio, all with examples of etudes and pieces
• Differences per string: every string needs a specific way of bowing and I’ll teach you all about it
• Pivoting the bow: when, how, when not, what’s the difference? Learn everything about tilting the bow
• 5 Contact Points: learn all about the sounding points on the string, when to use what and how to apply switching between sounding points in your playing so you can color your tone
• Beautiful dynamics: here I’ll explain all about the 5 different ways to play loud and soft on the violin, the differences and how to apply phrasing and dynamics in general, all with examples of etudes and pieces
• Proportions in tone production: what many think is talent, producing a beautiful sound is actually a balance between 8 factors. Learn them, practice them and you have full control over how you sound.
• Solve tone problems: recognize issues in your tone and learn exactly how to correct them
• Tone and Intonation: learn how sound, overtones and intonation influence each other and how you can practice this in scales, etudes and pieces.

By the end of this module tone creation is not magic to you anymore, but a set of skills you’ve learned and are able to apply in all the music you play.

A good spiccato is the foundation for ALL advanced bowing techniques

Most is important is that you know exactly how your bow can work FOR you and what you’re supposed to do and NOT to do, so you don’t work AGAINST your bow and struggle with an insecure spiccato

• Spiccato Skills: learn how you can work together with your bow to create a controlled spiccato in any speed and with a beautiful sound, crystal clear exercises and practice instructions
• Spiccato Schedule: an exact curriculum that makes it possible for everybody to learn a professional spiccato… yes, it requires some work! It includes the spiccato schedule, the spiccato spot metronome game, the release control game and much more.
• Learning Spiccato: learn more in depth how to get a flexible spiccato you can adjust to the piece you play

Once you finished this module you can play spiccato in any tempo, apply it in your repertoire and play with confidence and a good sound.

Learn ALL violin bowing techniques

in a non-overwhelming expressive way of nuancing your sound into beautiful colors

Never doubt about bowing again in your orchestra and don’t trip over the bowing in new repertoire

• Instruction videos about that specific technique and how to practice it
• Etudes and exercises to master each technique
• Repertoire examples (scales, etudes, pieces on different levels)

This sounds like a lot and it IS a lot, but Zlata breaks it down into easy to follow steps.

She’ll explain exactly what you have to learn and unlearn to unleash your musical expression on the violin.

Master the bow learn new repertoire faster and more beautiful!

You feel so much for the music you make, but when you play it all seems to be about hitting the right notes in the right rhythm

Recognize that? This module is for you!

Your unique voice is waiting to be expressed with the violin as it’s tool and not it’s barrier

Learn to:

• Automate your Left Hand: with a left hand on autopilot, you can focus on bowing, sound and expression. You’ll play with more freedom!

• Apply the bow technique you learn in a musical context with our mini courses on etudes and beautiful pieces of different levels

• Recognize musical sentences (phrases) in music with specific exercises (yes, it’s learnable!)

• Learn ‘one buttock playing’ to go from playing note for note to telling a musical story

• 5 techniques to play phrases on the violin (bowing and more)

• 22 rules of up-bow or down-bow and 6 rules of bow division to get the best sound out of your violin at any time

• Express the emotions you feel through the violin in beautiful music

• Choose the right bowing and fingering for your new piece to make it sound even more beautiful

Concert violinists Antal, Anastasiia and Vivien and bowing coach Zlata can’t wait to teach you all about this using beautiful repertoire examples

Bronwen the Fiddle Preecher, is our breath of fresh air that takes you out of your classical comfort zone and teaches you how to get the fiddle feel and bow techniques for fiddle, rock, blues, jazz, celtic and more!

Teachers Vivien and Zlata give feedback on each other’s playing of Bach partitas and more to inspire you.

You’ll perform your solo pieces and sit in your orchestra with confidence!

Wouldn’t it be create to know exactly what and HOW to practice to keep improving your bow technique?

“The more you learn, understand and know about bow technique, the more free you are to express yourself in music on the violin.”

-Vivien Hoffman, Bow like a Pro teacher

With Ševčík’s 40 variations we’re putting all the bow techniques in a musical context, so you get the flexibility to quickly learn new repertoire without worrying about your bowing.

Students with decades of experience are surprised how much new things they can learn from the 40 variations with Vivien’s instruction. At the same time beginners can benefit a lot from the theme and first variations.

The 40 variations are a goldmine for bowing technique. Lots of players study them, but with Vivien’s tutorials you’ll know exactly how to practice them to benefit most.

Includes:

• 60+ Instruction videos about almost all bow techniques that let you discover how much you can learn from the 40 variations
• 40 Practice plans to implement this in your playing
• Piano accompaniments for all variations you can play at any speed

By the end of this module… ah, sorry, this module is endless. You will always be developing your technique and artistry with the tools we give you here.

Bonus #1: Free your Vibrato

I hear you thinking: tone creation and musical expression are more than bow technique, aren’t they?

Yes! To teach you the left hand side of a gorgeous sound, I include ‘Free your Vibrato’!

I wish I learned the things I know now about left hand technique a LOT earlier than in the last years of my conservatory training.

The teachers before that taught me the exact opposite and caused me to struggle unnecessarily with intonation, articulation and vibrato.

I don’t want you to struggle, so I’m including full program on left hand technique as a temporary bonus for those who enroll in Bow like a Pro today!

You’ll learn:

• A balanced and relaxed violin hold with which you can play comfortable as long as you want and create a good sound
• How to improve your intonation (play in tune) and get a clean articulation with a good left hand technique (this has transformed my own playing and made SO many things a lot easier)
• A lot of exercises to learn vibrato in a step by step and fun way. You’ll know exactly what to do to get a gorgeous vibrato.
• A practice plan to get control over your vibrato, so you can get exactly the sound you want when you want it
• To apply vibrato as a tool for expression in the music you love

Besides my step by step system to vibrato, I’m including:

• Concert violinist Anastasiia’s favorite vibrato exercises
• Concert violinist Antal Zalai’s tips to tastefully and expressively apply vibrato to your music
• Professional fiddler Bronwen Beecher’s tips on vibrato (and no vibrato) in fiddle music

By the end of this program you:

• Finally have that lush vibrato you dream off
• Play in tune with much more security
• Have less problems in high positions
• Have clean articulation and can play difficult runs faster and clearer than ever

Bonus #2: Bowing Basics Bootcamp

Solves the no 1 problem in violin bowing

After 5 years of running Bow like a Pro, Zlata created the Violin Bowing Bootcamp. This is a fun and short course to tackle the most common problems in violin bowing technique.

The Bowing Basics Bootcamp teaches you all the mechanics of bowing in your upper arm, lower arm, wrist and fingers step by step.

If you watch Zlata’s YouTube videos about finger action and bowing smoothly and feel that you understand the concepts, but are unable to apply them in your own playing… this Bootcamp is a game changer for you!

Bonus #3: Violin Sound Bootcamp

Get to know the sound machine!

This is a very practical bootcamp to learn all aspects of sound: weight, contact point, speed, tilt and the right way to out them together for the best tone.

This is an ideal preparation for Bow lIke a Pro Module 2.

Bonus #4: Bow Techniques Bootcamp

Learn the most common bow techniques in FUN and EASY pieces

With some well known and fun pieces like Rossini’s William Tell overture and the Sugar Plum Fairy from the Nutcracker by Tschaikovsky, you’ll learn the most common violin bowing techniques.

This is an excellent preparation to Bow like a Pro Modules 4 and 6.

Bonus #5: Bow Care Bootcamp

Never wonder if it’s you or your bow any longer!

In the bow care bootcamp Zlata helps you to test, select and buy a bow within your budget that fits you like a glove. Thanks to international brands, links and tips for each budget this applies for international students.

Also you’ll learn how to get to know a new bow and how to take great care of your bow.

Bonus #7: Sheet Music Library

including 500+ pages with

4,000+ bow technique exercises

This hand picked collection of books is used by Vivien and me for ourselves and our students

It would cost you $ 200 to $ 300 to buy all this, but as a Bow like a Pro student downloads are included and you never have to buy sheet music to follow along.

They include specific exercise books for bowing, vibrato and etude books on various levels: from beginner to pro and everything in between.