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Glite Dictionary
down-bow

down-bow

8.8
A bow movement from the part near your hand toward the tip when playing a string instrument
  • noun
  • /ˈdaʊnˌboʊ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : golpe hacia abajo
  • The musician demonstrated a smooth down-bow technique while playing the violin.

Examples

  • Plays alternating down-bows and up-bows simultaneously on the D and A strings at a slow tempo.

    Academic text (2015)

  • During the lesson, the teacher showed the students how to perform a proper down-bow stroke.

  • For the piece, she needed to master the down-bow motion to create a rich sound.

Synonyms

downstroke
vsdown-bow
  • Specialized
1 6.5

A downward movement made in writing, playing instruments, or machines

is the specific downward stroke from heel to tip used on string instruments

Antonyms

up-bow
  • Specialized
9.3

An upward movement of the bow from tip toward the hand when playing violin or cello

Surface Forms

down-bow singular
down-bows plural

Morphology

down-bow = bow (transparent) = down + bow

The term is a straightforward combination of 'down' (direction) and 'bow' (the instrument implement/action), directly indicating a downward bow stroke. [Postprocessing: moved 'down' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Down-bow comes from the simple English parts down and bow, where down means 'toward the tip' and it names the bow stroke that moves from the base of the bow near your hand to the tip. That's why a down-bow often makes a strong, accented sound in music.