Musicians of all skill levels progress at different rates, but one thing they all have in common is they must practice and rehearse regularly to improve. With enough practice and playing experience, learned violin bow techniques become habit, allowing the violinist to continue building up their confidence and improving their skill set.
Much of why so much time is required of a violinist to develop their playing skills is due to good bow technique requiring flexibility and consistency. There’s an aspect of muscle memory at play, which is required to become an advanced player. It’s kind of like becoming a good golfer; it looks elegant once mastered, but there’s a lot of practice time put in to make it seem so polished and effortless.
How Many Hours a Day Should You Practice Violin?
For developing violinists, practicing a minimum of an hour a day is encouraged. With deliberate work put in, and minimum downtime, much can be accomplished in that hour. For a more accelerated pace, 90 minutes to two hours of practice per day will go a long way.
For very young players, those 9 years of age or less, progress works a little differently. It’s often best for these youth to practice no more than 30 minutes a day, or at least break up an hour block into two, 30-minute practice sessions at different ends of the day.
If time is short for older players, it’s more important to practice regularly than to emphasize duration, meaning a student violinist is better off practicing one hour a day, six days per week, instead of practicing 90 minutes a day, four days per week. The playing repetition is what’s key, as the player’s fingers, wrist, and brain adjust to developmental and performance needs.
Beginning and intermediate players should put a lot of time into bowing the entire length of the bow, practicing the full range of bow strokes. Practice may not make perfect, but this repetition of motion will help build confidence and allow for focusing on other, more advanced bowing concepts.
How Long Do Professional Violinists Practice?
Advanced musicians, as you’d expect, require much more practice and rehearsal time to make meaningful progress than less experienced performers. It’s common for advanced violinists to play at least three or four hours per day, not including performances, to refine their skills.
Some professionals play even more, but there’s a balance to strike. Professionals must play with precision, but they also want to ensure they maintain enough focus to be able to play with the energy and emotion required to truly bring a piece of music to life.
More Violin Bow Technique Best Practices
Even when you’re not practicing, undergoing finger exercises is a helpful way to support your growing skill set. Making sure your fingers in both hands are flexible will help perform the finger and bowing techniques required as you advance in musical difficulty. For beginner string players, so much emphasis is placed on good posture and what’s being done with the left arm and fingers that it’s easy to overlook how important flexibility and consistency are for the bow hand and wrist. By practicing regularly in front of a mirror, you will see your bow movements and technique for yourself, making it easy to identify when adjustments are needed.
Part of developing good playing habits requires refining bowing techniques to be consistent with the type of skill level that’s aspired to. Beyond practicing and working on bowing techniques, players should remove mental and physical obstacles in order to focus. Play in a comfortable room that’s quiet. Put away the smartphone, ignore the internet, and try to play at times during the day where the brain can focus on the task at hand. With better-quality practices, it will be easier and faster to make jumps in playing ability.
Watch the video below from Violin Lounge to see effective violin bowing techniques in action.
Additional Resources for Violin Players
Looking for more violin-related content? In addition to being pioneer of the carbon fiber bow, CodaBow prides itself in offering a bevy of helpful resources to violin, viola, and cello players. Check out our blog for more helpful articles, and consider one of our award-winning bows the next time you’re in the market for a premium-quality violin bow.
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