The Strum Bowing Method: How to Groove on Strings

By: Tracy Silverman

Narrated by: Tracy Silverman

A new pedagogy for the total violinist.

You already know how to play the violin. You play confidently in the orchestra and in your quartet. So why is it that playing jazz, blues, rock, pop, or Latin feels so uncertain and sounds so stilted, so inauthentic? The likely answer is your bowing; simply put, the conservatory method that is so effective for performing our beloved and melodic classics was never designed for the rhythmic demands of non-classical music.

Fortunately, we now have Tracy Silverman's strum bowing method, a clear and comprehensive approach for string players to easily learn how to play and teach the grooves in contemporary popular music. This groundbreaking and bold new work has been quickly and enthusiastically embraced by today's leading contemporary string artists and educators, such as Darol Anger, Rachel Barton Pine, Christian Howes, Bob Phillips, Daniel Roumain, Mark Wood, David Wallace, and Mimi Rabson, among many others.

Like all pedagogy, the foundation of The Strum Bowing Method is based on real-world experience. Strum, or "chop", bowing is not new, yet is has been used by non-classical players for decades. Tracy Silverman's years at Juilliard did not prepare him for playing non-classical styles, so he had to develop his own techniques. Fortunately, others helped him along the way.

After 30 years of honing these techniques and conducting his clinics, Tracy decided it was time to dedicate himself to clarify the pedagogy of strum bowing with an audiobook for all players and teachers. Employing "A Simple, Unified Approach", the audiobook is divided into two major sections: "The Strum", which is horizontal bowing mastery, and "The Chop", a rhythmic vertical approach with the bow. Each section relies on the basic element of "The Groovon", the rhythmic least common denominator of "Strum Bowing". This element is the basis of developing the required rhythm.

©2020 Tracy Silverman (P)2020 Tracy Silverman