Which bow hold difference exists between bass/cello and violin?

• A. Pinky on the dot
• B. No pinky on the dot
• C. Thumb on the bow
• D. Pinky wraps around the stick

Answer: (B)

The difference comes from how the right hand is balanced to handle a heavier bow on bass and cello. On violin, the pinky is typically placed on a specific part of the bow to help stabilize and control the bow stroke. For bass and cello, that same exact pinky placement isn’t used—the pinky isn’t resting on that small dot on the bow. Instead, it sits more loosely or behind the fingers, helping keep the hand relaxed and the wrist flexible so you can manage the longer, heavier bow without extra tension. So the key distinction is the pinky not resting on the dot in the bass/cello bow hold. The other aspects of the grip (like the thumb coming to the bow and the general curved shape of the fingers) are part of the grip across string instruments and aren’t the defining difference here.