What does downbow mean?
A downbow is a fundamental bowing stroke used on bowed string instruments such as the violin, viola, cello, and double bass. It consists of drawing the bow downward across the strings, moving from the frog (the end held by the player) toward the tip. Because this stroke naturally begins with greater weight and momentum, downbows tend to produce a stronger, more accented sound, which is why players typically begin important phrases or emphatic notes with one. The opposite stroke, moving from tip to frog, is called an upbow, and skilled playing depends on planning the sequence of downbows and upbows so that accents fall where the composer intends. In printed music, the downbow is indicated by a distinctive squared symbol resembling the top half of a square bracket. Though a specialist term confined largely to string pedagogy and orchestral practice, it is essential vocabulary for anyone studying or writing about string technique.
nounA stroke of a stringed-instrument bow made by drawing the bow downward across the strings, from the frog toward the tip.
- A bowing stroke on a stringed instrument drawn from the frog to the tip of the bow.
"The passage opens with a firm downbow on the first beat."
"The phrase should begin with a decisive downbow."
"Alternating downbows and upbows gives the passage its rhythmic drive."
Regular plural, used when referring to multiple strokes or instances.
"The opening bars consist entirely of downbows."
Every violinist's strongest note usually starts at the frog — that's the power of the downbow.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of downbow
The word downbow is a straightforward English compound formed from 'down' and 'bow', the latter deriving from Old English 'boga', meaning a bent thing or archer's bow. The compound arose as string technique was codified in European music education, describing the direction of the bow's travel relative to the player's arm. Its transparent formation parallels related compounds such as 'upbow' and shares its second element with words like 'crossbow', 'longbow', 'rainbow', and 'elbow'.
How downbow is actually used
A technical term used almost exclusively in music, especially in string pedagogy and performance directions. It is frequently written hyphenated as 'down-bow', and players conventionally mark it in scores with a squared-off bracket symbol (п). The downbow is generally associated with stronger, more accented attacks than the upbow.
Easily confused with downbow
A downbeat is the first, accented beat of a musical measure, whereas a downbow is the physical direction in which the bow is drawn; they often coincide but are not the same thing.