down-bow

American  

[doun-boh] / ˈdaʊnˌboʊ /

noun

Music.

1. (in bowing bow on a stringed instrument) a stroke bringing the tip of the bow toward the strings, indicated in scores by the symbol (up-bow ).

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down-bow British  

/ ˈdaʊnˌbəʊ /

noun

1. a downward stroke of the bow from its nut to its tip across a stringed instrument Compare up-bow

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Etymology

Origin of down-bow

First recorded in 1890–95; down ¹ + bow ²

Example Sentences

Every bow movement, from delicate nudges at the tip to slashing down-bow accents, produced a flawless tone, fine-drawn and luminous, made mellow but not ripe by judicious use of vibrato.

From Time Magazine Archive

A quick down-bow follows with an immediate release of the string.

From Violin Mastery Talks with Master Violinists and Teachers by Martens, Frederick Herman

In cello music the down-bow sign is sometimes written .

From Music Notation and Terminology by Gehrkens, Karl Wilson

In music for stringed instruments of the violin family, the sign indicates down-bow and the sign up-bow.

From Music Notation and Terminology by Gehrkens, Karl Wilson

Artists of the German school are more apt to begin a phrase with a down-bow; the French start playing a good deal at the point.

From Violin Mastery Talks with Master Violinists and Teachers by Martens, Frederick Herman