Difference between French Bow and German Bow?

[Adam H]

I just started to take lessons in college for double bass, and my teacher specifically told me to get a french bow instead of german bow. I forgot to ask him why, so I'm asking you TBers.

[reedo35]

Most probably he plays french also, and feels more comfortable teaching you that.

[Bass Barrister]

Originally Posted by Adam H

I just started to take lessons in college for double bass, and my teacher specifically told me to get a french bow instead of german bow. I forgot to ask him why, so I'm asking you TBers.

So . . . you want us to tell you why your teacher "specifically" told you to get a french bow instead of a german bow. . .

Please accept this humbe suggestion:

ASK HIM

[Busker]

This is a guess.

If its a French bow its more likely to be handmade and better quality. If its German, more likely to have come out of a factory or cottage industry, and possibly lower quality.

I don't know much about double basses and bows, but with violins (vintage ones I mean), the French violins and bows are very hard to find. At least in my neck of the woods. German-made violins and bows are everywhere. IOW, they've been cranking them out on a large scale for a long time.

[ClassicalBass]

Originally Posted by Busker

This is a guess.

If its a French bow its more likely to be handmade and better quality. If its German, more likely to have come out of a factory or cottage industry, and possibly lower quality.

I don't know much about double basses and bows, but with violins (vintage ones I mean), the French violins and bows are very hard to find. At least in my neck of the woods. German-made violins and bows are everywhere. IOW, they've been cranking them out on a large scale for a long time.

No. When referring to German and French bows on bass, we aren't referring to where they were made. French bows have a smaller frog, but usually a slightly longer stick than German. The French style most closely resembles the way a violinist holds the bow, whereas the German style is bass-specific. German style has a wider frog, and usually a slightly shorter stick (though not always). The two are not held remotely similar.

Most likely your teacher plays French and is more comfortable teaching that style. There is also the possibility that he thinks that German will hold you back in serious orchestra ensembles in the future (which is an old way of thinking that is slowly dissipating).

[Busker]

OK, thanks. I knew I shouldn't have posted on something I knew nothing about. I'm a plank spanker. I do not belong here.

[Adam H]

Originally Posted by Bass Barrister

So . . . you want us to tell you why your teacher "specifically" told you to get a french bow instead of a german bow. . .

Please accept this humbe suggestion:

ASK HIM

Yar, I forgot to ask him, and only realized this the next day...

I was overwhelmed by the lesson and how little I knew about playing.

Thanks for all the feedbacks though. They help.

[Phil Rowan]

I was once told (if I remember correctly...it was so long ago) that with the French bow, you have a few extra inches because your arm isn't as close to being as straight as it is when using a German bow. In the end, though, it all depends on an individuals' preference and which feels the most comfortable. I started on French, dabbled with a German, and eventually went back to French because it worked best with me... and yes, I'm talking about bows here.

[PocketGroove82]

Please...call them FREEDOM Bows..

[Bass Barrister]

OK Adam, in reviewing my earlier reply, I probably sounded a bit harsh. I did not mean to sound like I was bustin' your chops here. Starting out a new venture like DB can get a bit overwhelming at times.

You are on the right road in having a teacher. You should never be afraid to ask any teacher why he/she is asking you to do something. To my way of thinking, it recognizes your interest in what the teacher has to say and, hopefully, stimulates the back and forth communication that is vital to a good student/teacher relationship.

Recently, my teacher suggested that I switch from a german to a french style bow. This was after we tried a couple of bows of each type. Both he and I found that I sounded better and bowed better with a french bow. Maybe this has something to do with my having played cello for some time in the '70s and early '80s, and maybe not. He told me he had no preference as to which style I used BUT I did sound better with the french. So, I play french, at least for now.

That's what teachers are for.

Good luck to you.

[Dave Muscato]

It's easier to play faster across strings on a French bow... depending on the kind of music you play, you might prefer one or the other. My guess is that he uses a French bow and prefers to teach what he knows best.

[xphoenixinflame]

Gary Karr said to a friend of mine, "People argue French bow vs. German bow because it's something to do instead of practicing."

[damonsmith]

Originally Posted by Adam H

I just started to take lessons in college for double bass, and my teacher specifically told me to get a french bow instead of german bow. I forgot to ask him why, so I'm asking you TBers.

Many US orchestras want French bows. The grip is harder to learn and less natural than German, so it is good to learn first.
If you are not pursuing a classical career and find the grip difficult, you may want to switch to German.
Once you have control both bows are more or less equal, but they each lead you to different things.

Originally Posted by ClassicalBass

No. When referring to German and French bows on bass, we aren't referring to where they were made. French bows have a smaller frog, but usually a slightly longer stick than German. The French style most closely resembles the way a violinist holds the bow, whereas the German style is bass-specific. German style has a wider frog, and usually a slightly shorter stick (though not always). The two are not held remotely similar.

Most likely your teacher plays French and is more comfortable teaching that style. There is also the possibility that he thinks that German will hold you back in serious orchestra ensembles in the future (which is an old way of thinking that is slowly dissipating).

Actually, German bows have a tendency to be longer than French bows (and also lighter) and the underhand grip is also used by all viol players.

[Ludwig]

The over all length of the german bow type is usually longer, but the length of the hair you play with is shorter. The french type ends with a short screw, the german type has a long extention to it.

[shostkontrabass]

Originally Posted by xphoenixinflame

Gary Karr said to a friend of mine, "People argue French bow vs. German bow because it's something to do instead of practicing."

Yeah, it's most likely that your teacher is a French player and would rather teach that than the German style. As you said, though, you are just starting, so I guess you could go either way.

Originally Posted by PocketGroove82

Please...call them FREEDOM Bows..

Haha! I remember when we went through that whole Freedom Fries thing.........

[nickbass]

If you play standing up, German is much easier to start with, as the bow sits more firmly on the string. I found French very hard to learn standing up and switched to German for this reason. Now I play sitting down as well, I'm not so bad with French.

[ClassicalBass]

Originally Posted by Ludwig

The over all length of the german bow type is usually longer, but the length of the hair you play with is shorter.

Sorry, that's what I meant.

As for the Gary Karr quote on here, I really like it. I've heard that when somebody complained to him that you can't produce Karr-quality sound on a French bow, he immediately picked one up.....and there was no difference whatsoever.

I believe the two to be complete equals. I remember I once went through a faze where I seriously considered switching to German. Despite the fact that my teacher played German, I stayed with French - and haven't thought of changing since.

Originally Posted by Ludwig

The over all length of the german bow type is usually longer, but the length of the hair you play with is shorter. The french type ends with a short screw, the german type has a long extention to it.

Are you sure, because I recently compared my French bow to my German bow and both the hair and the stick of my German bow are longer. I've never heard that German bows generally have a shorter amount of hair.

[jimmyduded]

i think he was reffering to usable hair, but if he wasnt, it varies from bow to bow and you really cant say a universal length