The Sevcik School of Bowing Technic Opus 2 Book 1 is probably the most systematic thought out plan for control of the bow that anyone has ever developed. On the cover page it states that it contains “systematically and progressively graded bowing exercises for the violin.”
The book is divided into the following sections:
- How to hold the bow – the colle stroke at the tip, frog and middle of the bow (works on hand shaping)
- How to Guide the bow – use of whole bow, half of bow, and the middle of the bow (changing hand shaping for each part of the bow)
- Study in Whole Notes with 57 variants – works on bow weight, speed, and contact point in various strokes
- Study in Half Notes with 75 variants – works on bow weight, speed, and contact point in various strokes
- Study in Quarter Notes with 260 variants – works on bow weight, speed, and contact point in various strokes
- Study in Eighth Notes with 214 variants – works on bow weight, speed, and contact point in various strokes
- Study in Eighth Notes in Six Eight time with 91 variants – works on bow weight, speed, and contact point in various strokes
- Studies using the bow in higher positions
- Studies using the bow for string crossings in arpeggios