Up-bow
Draw the bow from tip back to frog — often for weak beats and pickups
Related
Up-bow, marked "V", means drawing the bow from the tip back to the frog. It is the reverse of the down-bow and is often used for weak beats, pickups and joins where the bow has to be redistributed; in continuous détaché the two directions form the basic cycle of bowing.
At the tip the hair carries less weight, so the sound is naturally lighter and more airy, which suits light endings and diminuendos. The usual mistake is "up-bow means a weak bow": it can produce a strong accent too, especially on a weak beat or when preparing a frog attack for the next stroke; dynamics come from bow speed, pressure and contact point, not from direction.
Sources
- 上弓记号与弦乐弓法分配，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Bowing"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.