i have a song where i have to switch between arco and pizzacato quite a lot and since my bass doesnt have a quiver(im pretty sure thats what it is) i have to hold the bow while i play pizz. i figure i could go out and buy a quiver (?) but i might not have one some day and i should know how to hold the bow. so.. how do you hold it?

BTW i use a french bow

thanks
basslax

You point the tip sorta towards the ceiling (to put it simply). My teacher continues his hold with thumb, first and small fingers and uses his middle and ring fingers together for classical pizz. I found it more comfortable to use my index finger. (I've watched the French bow players in the Houston Symphony use some variation of this technique) I have been learning German as well and that's a whole 'nother story. I find it difficult to really dig in on pizz while holding a bow so I use a quiver. Sometimes though there's not enough time to toss it in or retrieve it. Practice practice

You can try different combination as long as the french bow is held pointing up. I've seen every style - pizz with index alone, middle alone, index and middle together. You hold the bow with what's available.

ok...my teacher told me to hold it facing down (kind of put my middle finger between the frog and grip..to hold on like a hook), and that didnt feel right so ill try your ways...thanks for the help

I've gotten pretty good at tossing my bow forward so that it lands on the crook at the bottom of my music stand. :) Not recommended for expensive bows... and as far as I know it only works with German 'cause of the wide gap between the hair and that bow.

'lax: What you described is the way to hold a german grip bow for pizz. In you first post, you said you had a french grip.

Pointing down is the only way to do it with German bow. It also gives me a pizz angle with my index finger closer to the standard jazz pizz. I'm tending to prefer German anyway so that's an added bonus.

You may also hold French bows pointing down, though it's slightly slower getting the pinkie or ring finger in the crook, but it frees up the first two fingers for rapid or well controlled pizz sections.