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Bowed guitar is a method of playing a
guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
, acoustic or
electric Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by ...
, in which the guitarist uses a bow, rather than the more common
plectrum A plectrum is a small flat tool used for plucking or strumming of a stringed instrument. For hand-held instruments such as guitars and mandolins, the plectrum is often called a pick and is held as a separate tool in the player's hand. In harps ...
, to vibrate the instruments'
strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...
, similar to playing a
viola da gamba The viol (), viola da gamba (), or informally gamba, is any one of a family of bowed, fretted, and stringed instruments with hollow wooden bodies and pegboxes where the tension on the strings can be increased or decreased to adjust the pitch ...
. Unlike traditionally bowed instruments such as violins, the guitar generally has a relatively flat
bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
radius and closely positioned strings, making it difficult to bow individual notes on the middle strings. The technique is often associated with Jimmy Page of
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
and
the Yardbirds The Yardbirds are an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band's core lineup featured vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist and later bassist Chris Dreja and bassist/producer Paul Samwell ...
, as well as
Jónsi Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson (; born 23 April 1975) is an Icelandic musician; he is the vocalist and multi-instrumentalist for the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós. He is known for his use of a cello bow on guitar and his "angelic" falset ...
of Sigur Rós. Eddie Phillips of the British group the Creation was one of the first rock guitarists to use a bow in their 1966 song "
Making Time "Making Time" is a song by English rock band The Creation, and it was released as their debut single in 1966. It was written by Kenny Pickett (lead singer) and Eddie Phillips. The lyrics portray the experience of working in a clock factory whil ...
".


Bowed guitar players

* Eddie Phillips was one of the first 20th century guitarists to use a bow. His bowed guitar can be heard on The Creation's "
Making Time "Making Time" is a song by English rock band The Creation, and it was released as their debut single in 1966. It was written by Kenny Pickett (lead singer) and Eddie Phillips. The lyrics portray the experience of working in a clock factory whil ...
". * Jimmy Page, of
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
and
The Yardbirds The Yardbirds are an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band's core lineup featured vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist and later bassist Chris Dreja and bassist/producer Paul Samwell ...
, is perhaps one of the most famous bowed guitar players. His bowed guitar can be heard on the songs " Dazed and Confused" and "
How Many More Times "How Many More Times" is the ninth and final track on English rock band Led Zeppelin's 1969 debut album ''Led Zeppelin''. The song is credited in the album liner to Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham, but Robert Plant was later added to ...
" from the album ''
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
'', and " In the Evening" from the album ''
In Through the Out Door ''In Through the Out Door'' is the eighth and final studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was recorded in three weeks in November and December 1978 at ABBA's Polar Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, and released by Swan Song Recor ...
''. *
Jónsi Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson (; born 23 April 1975) is an Icelandic musician; he is the vocalist and multi-instrumentalist for the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós. He is known for his use of a cello bow on guitar and his "angelic" falset ...
(Jón Þór Birgisson), the vocalist and guitarist for the
Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
ic post-rock band Sigur Rós, uses a bowed guitar extensively. * Jonny Greenwood, lead guitarist of
Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...
, plays bowed guitar live on " Burn the Witch" and "
Pyramid Song "Pyramid Song" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, released as the lead single from their fifth studio album, '' Amnesiac'' (2001). It features piano, strings, a "shuffling" rhythm and lyrics inspired by the Egyptian underworld. It was ...
" to make sounds similar to whale cries (his brother
Colin Greenwood Colin Charles Greenwood (born 26 June 1969) is an English musician and the bassist for the rock band Radiohead. Along with bass guitar, Greenwood plays upright bass and electronic instruments. With his younger brother, the Radiohead guitari ...
used to make them on double bass). * Jeff Martin of the
Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
rock band
The Tea Party The Tea Party is a Canadian rock band with industrial rock, blues, progressive rock, and Middle Eastern music influences, dubbed " Moroccan roll" by the media. Active throughout the 1990s and up until 2005, the band re-formed in 2011. The Tea ...
plays bowed guitar on some of his earlier songs such as "Save Me", from the album ''
Splendor Solis ''Splendor Solis'' ("The Splendour of the Sun") is a version of the illuminated alchemical text attributed to Salomon Trismosin. This version dates from around 1582. The earliest version, written in Central German, is dated 1532–1535 and is ...
''. * Sonic Youth's
Lee Ranaldo Lee Mark Ranaldo (born February 3, 1956) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, guitarist, writer, visual artist and record producer, best known as a co-founder of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth (guitar and vocals). In 2004, ''Rolling ...
plays bowed guitar on occasion, most notably in the intro to " Hey Joni". *
The Besnard Lakes The Besnard Lakes ( ) are a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Formed in 2003 by the husband and wife team of Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas, the band also includes Kevin Laing (drums), Richard White (guitar), Sheenah Ko (keyboa ...
also make use of bowed guitar. Avant-garde composer
Scott Fields Scott Fields (born September 30, 1960 in Chicago, Illinois) is a guitarist, composer, and bandleader. He is best known for blending music that is composed with music that is written and for his modular pieces (see ''48 Motives'', ''96 Gestures'' ...
often uses bows, including modified bows, in performance and on recordings, including "Mamet", "From the Diary of Dog Drexel", "We Were the Phliks", and "Beckett". *
Claudio Sanchez Claudio Paul Sanchez III (born March 12, 1978)Sanchez, Claudio: "The Amory Wars Sketchbook", page 30. Evil Ink, 2007. is an American writer and musician of Puerto Rican and Italian descentKitchen Chronicles: The Menna Family (New York, 2003, p.3 ...
from the American rock band
Coheed and Cambria Coheed and Cambria are an American progressive rock band from Nyack, New York, formed in 1995. The band consists of Claudio Sanchez (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Travis Stever (guitars, vocals), Josh Eppard (drums, keyboards, backing vocals), ...
often uses a bow during live performances. *
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...
's Roger Waters used a bowed
bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
on the songs "
Lucifer Sam "Lucifer Sam" is a song by English rock band Pink Floyd, featured on the band's debut album ''The Piper at the Gates of Dawn'' (1967). Music and lyrics The song is built around a descending riff, with the dominant instrument being composer Syd ...
" and " The Scarecrow". * Lee Jackson of
The Nice The Nice were an English progressive rock band active in the late 1960s. They blended rock, jazz and classical music and were keyboardist Keith Emerson's first commercially successful band. The group was formed in 1967 by Emerson, Lee Jack ...
used a bowed bass guitar on the songs "Intermezzo from the
Karelia Suite ''Karelia Suite'', Op. 11 is a subset of pieces from the longer ''Karelia Music'' (named after the region of Karelia) written by Jean Sibelius in 1893 for the Viipuri Students' Association and premiered, with Sibelius conducting, at the Imper ...
," "Hang on to a Dream," and "My Back Pages." * Tim McTague of
Underoath Underoath (stylized as Underøath or UnderOath) is an American rock band from Tampa, Florida. It was founded by lead vocalist Dallas Taylor and guitarist Luke Morton on November 30, 1997, in Ocala, Florida; subsequently, its additional memb ...
uses a bow in the songs "Writing on the Walls," "To Whom It May Concern," and "Casting Such a Thin Shadow." * English instrumentalist and composer
Mike Oldfield Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documen ...
played bowed guitar on his album '' Amarok''. * Andrew McKellar of the South African band
Civil Twilight Twilight is light produced by sunlight scattering in the upper atmosphere, when the Sun is below the horizon, which illuminates the lower atmosphere and the Earth's surface. The word twilight can also refer to the periods of time when this il ...
also uses a bow, on their songs "Perfect Stranger" and "Letters from the Sky" when performing live (source: video YouTube). * Skyler Skjelset of
Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes is an American indie folk band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 2006. The band consists of Robin Pecknold (vocals, guitar), Skyler Skjelset (guitar, mandolin, backing vocals), Casey Wescott (keyboards, mandolin, backing vocals), ...
uses a bow on live performances of "Drops in the River" and "I Am All That I Need / Arroyo Seco / Thumbprint Scar". *
Russell Senior Russell Senior (born 18 May 1961) is a British musician and the former guitarist and violinist of the band Pulp. Senior was born and grew up in Sheffield. Whilst at University in Bath, he formed the Dada Society (also known as the New Wave Soc ...
of
Pulp Pulp may refer to: * Pulp (fruit), the inner flesh of fruit Engineering * Dissolving pulp, highly purified cellulose used in fibre and film manufacture * Pulp (paper), the fibrous material used to make paper * Molded pulp, a packaging material ...
used a bow on live performances of " Little Girl (With Blue Eyes)". * Italian guitarist Sergio Altamura t/sup> frequently uses a bow and in some pieces applies a violin bridge to his guitar for that or uses a self-created electronic bow. *
Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978. The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their own entit ...
's
Adrian Vandenberg Adrian Vandenberg (born 31 January 1954 as Adriaan van den Berg) is a Dutch rock guitarist, best known for his tenure as one of the guitarists in Whitesnake during their successful late 1980s period and the band Vandenberg which he started in ...
and
Steve Vai Steven Siro Vai (; born June 6, 1960) is an American guitarist, composer, songwriter, and producer. A three-time Grammy Award winner and fifteen-time nominee, Vai started his music career in 1978 at the age of eighteen as a transcriptionist f ...
used a bow in the song " Still of the Night" during live performance. * Igor Haefeli, guitarist of
Daughter A daughter is a female offspring; a girl or a woman in relation to her parents. Daughterhood is the state of being someone's daughter. The male counterpart is a son. Analogously the name is used in several areas to show relations between group ...
, uses a bow on the songs "Love", "Still" and "Lifeforms". * Paul Gregory of
Lanterns on the Lake Lanterns on the Lake is an English indie rock band from Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The band is composed of Hazel Wilde, Paul Gregory, Bob Allan and Angela Chan. The group's material is released in Europe by Bella Union and by PIAS in the US ...
plays bowed guitar during live performances of "Ships in the Rain". *
Cliff Williams Clifford Williams (born 14 December 1949) is an English musician, best known as the bassist and backing vocalist of the Australian hard rock band AC/DC. He started his professional music career in 1967 and had previously been in the English ...
of AC/DC played a bowed bass with his previous band, Home, on the song "Lady of the Birds". *
Mike McCready Michael David McCready (born April 5, 1966) is an American musician who serves as the lead guitarist for the rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of the band. McCready ...
of Pearl Jam played a bowed on the song "Pendulum" from the album Lightning Bolt * Aidy James Stevens, guitarist of English post-punk bands You The Living and The Murder Act uses a cello bow extensively, on You The Living's "Reprobates" and "Precipice" and The Murder Act's "Red Cow" to name a few. *
Kristoffer Lo Kristoffer Lo (born 19 February 1985 in Moss, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz musician (tuba, flugabone, guitar, keyboards) and composer. Biography Lo has redefined the use of tuba and its role in band. From its traditional role as the low-end i ...
of
Highasakite Highasakite is an indie pop and indie rock band from Norway. The band formed when vocalist and songwriter Ingrid Helene Håvik met drummer Trond Bersu whilst studying jazz at the Trondheim Jazz Conservatory. In 2010, after just six months, the d ...
was seen using a bow on his guitar during a live performance of the song "Lover, where do you live?" * Eddie Branch, working with Peter Murphy, used bowed electric bass on the track "Cuts You Up" as part of its signature refrain. * Sameer Bhattacharya, guitarist of
Flyleaf Flyleaf may refer to: *In book design, a blank leaf in the front or back cover * Flyleaf (band) Flyleaf is an American rock band formed in Belton, Texas, in 2002. The band has charted on mainstream rock, Christian pop, and Christian metal ...
, used a bow on the songs "Sorrow" and on the intro of "Red Sam" during live performance. * Marlon Harder of indie rock band Autopilot uses a bow regularly for his songs. * Þorbjörn Steingrímsson of the Icelandic black/death metal act Zhrine uses a bow on multiple songs both in-studio and live. * Rob Lyberg of the American rock band Eva Under Fire used a bow in the song "Drift". * Kris Angylus (Kristopher Fairchild) of the
drone doom Drone metal or drone doom is a style of heavy metal that melds the slow tempos and heaviness of doom metal with the long-duration tones of drone music. Drone metal is sometimes associated with post-metal or experimental metal. Characteristics ...
band The Angelic Process used a bow on the guitar for much of the band's music. * Low Roar in live sessions with the song "I'll keep coming" * Masahiro Tobita of Japanese post-hardcore outfit
Envy Envy is an emotion which occurs when a person lacks another's quality, skill, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it. Aristotle defined envy as pain at the sight of another's good fortune, stirred b ...
uses a bow on live performances of the song "Crystallize". * Muhammad Naqi Abu Bakar of Sforzando! * Jason Gormley of the
Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
indie post-rock Lifestory: Monologue.


See also

*
EBow The EBow, short for electronic bow or energy bow, is an electronic device used for playing string instruments, most often the electric guitar. It is manufactured by Heet Sound Products, of Los Angeles, California. It was invented by Greg Heet i ...
*
Arpeggione The arpeggione is a six-stringed musical instrument fretted and tuned like a guitar, but with a curved bridge so it can be bowed like a cello, and thus similar to the bass viola da gamba. The instrument is sometimes also called a guitar violonce ...


References


External links

{{Commons category, Bowed guitar
Pickaso Guitar Bow

Information and discussion for bowed guitar playersPiranha Guitar Bow - For acoustic and electric guitar
Bowed string instruments Guitar performance techniques Guitars