the bow be maintained, especially in
rapid _forte_ passages. Then the inner fingers come into play and
hold the bow firmly against the thumb. The two outer fingers then are
solely concerned with regulating the pressure and preserving the
elasticity of the stroke, which is lost in a firm grip only.

These slight differences of action in my opinion can not be
_practised_. They are the outcome of years of grind. They come, and
when they are firmly established we can analyse them. To gain the
mastery of the bow one must begin at the bottom and be content to
work gradually up to the topmost rung (or thereabouts!) of the
ladder. I often meet with amateur violinists who try to begin at the
top. The consequences of this proceeding are distinctly more certain,
for when starting at the bottom it is not always assured that much
upward progress will be made, whereas, by the opposite method the
descent will be certain and considerable!

Nothing is more hopeless than the attempts some amateur violinists
make to acquire certain styles of bowing simply by mentally mastering
the various actions by which it is produced.

_Sautille_, one of the easiest forms of bowing, suffers most from
this sort of thing. It is no uncommon thing to see an amateur
diligently practising the action of lifting the bow off the string
and putting it on again after each note, thinking that if he keeps on
long enough--say ten minutes a day for a fortnight--that he will
acquire a perfect mastery of this much desired effect. To practice
_Sautille_ in this manner is the way _not_ to gain it. It is the
outcome of the perfect action of the entire arm. When that is
attained you will have the _Sautille_. Then, and then only, will a
little specialized practice help to perfect the movement. Some pupils
I have had who possessed the _Sautille_ by nature and never
understood the difficulty experienced by others who had to wait for
it. The best way to acquire this as the result of a perfect bow arm
is to practise the following:

[Illustration: Musical notes, etc.]

Try it first on the D string. Use whole bows, freely and firmly, for
the semibreves, slightly less for the minims, the middle third for
the crotchets, and an inch or two for the quavers, reducing it still
further as the pace increases. The pupil must abandon all thought of
_making_ the bow jump, also he must avoid pressing it on the string.
The whole action must be free and bold and the tempo for this
exer