Bow Grip / Bow Speed, Pressure, and Sounding Point / Detaché / Legato / Bow Changes / Collé / Martelé / Staccato / Spiccato / Sautillé / Ricochet / Chords

Martelé

mar-te-lé: hammered

Learn the secrets of sophisticated bow attacks, accented strokes, and great projection!

Definition

Beginner

Press the bow hair onto the string.

While you start the stroke with very high bow speed, release the bow pressure at the same time.

At the end of the stroke, rest the bow on the string without pressure.

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Advanced

Every martelé stroke starts with a collé attack:

Prepare the collé attack.

Release the collé and play the stroke with the fastest possible bow speed.

At the end of the stroke, the bow rests on the string without any pressure from the index finger.

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Exercises

Beginner

To play a martelé in the upper half:

Place the bow in the middle of the string, exert pressure with your index finger, and release the pressure with a clean click at the beginning of a very fast stroke.

Intermediate

End each stroke without pressure.

Each string requires a different degree of right arm extension.

Reaching the tip on the G-string requires the largest extension.

Practice this in front of a mirror to ensure a straight bow.

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Advanced

Change your sounding point for every stroke.

The lower strings require a sounding point closer to the fingerboard.

The upper strings require a sounding point closer to the bridge.

The bow stays straight and parallel to the bridge.

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Master Classes

Rode: Etude No. 1

Practice martelé at the tip.

Before the trill, lift your bow at the tip.

Throw the up bow from the air with a ricochet to emphasize the trill.

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Vieuxtemps: Violin Concerto No. 5

Cross strings immediately after the stroke; the string crossing motion is part of the old stroke.

In a faster tempo, throw the bow onto the upper strings at the tip.

Maintain martelé on the bottom note.

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Performances

Sibelius: Violin Concerto, 3rd m.

Violin, Charles Yang

Piano, Ina Ham