Welcome

Please take time to look over my website; the gallery contains images of the bows I make. Details of costs are indicated on the price page. Some of my clients have been kind enough to recommend my work, please view their comments. Take a look at my workshop to see some of the work in progress.

My Bow Making Philosophy

In the past, the great bowmakers made excellent bows according to their set formulae. Some turned out good and some not as good; that is why string players need to try out several bows in order to select the one they like. My work is to make bows that are a natural extension of the arm with balance, strength, tone, flexibility, and many other attriutes, making a bow that becomes a living entity with its own 'soul'.

Soul for me means that undefinable quality that works with the player's technique to turn notes into music. Soul means a player's instant realization that something special is happening after playing the first few notes. Soul means an abundance of empathy between the player and the bow.

Materials and Making Philosophy

Every element of my bows is made by me from materials of the highest quality. I use no bought-in or semi-finished parts except the adjuster screw (and bone tip when one is used). Usually adjusters are simply pushed onto the shaft (literally a case of a square peg in a round hole), but I secure them by means of a contrary thread cut into the shaft and button, and screwed home. The player's tensioning of the bow hair tends toward tightening the button onto the shaft, rather than loosening it, through normal use. I make all metal parts, including the shield inlays, from sheet silver or gold, bent and soldered in place where needed, and then hand-formed.

All this individual preparation of parts inevitably makes for a significantly longer build-time, but results in bows with originality, personality and individuality. This is especially true when they are made to specific order, as I much prefer, after thorough consultation with the player. We discuss specific requirements (which can include the need to match with a particular instrument and its characteristics), and aspirations - what it is the player hopes the Howard Green bow will help them achieve. Sometimes I may have to intuit a need from players who may be unsure of what precisely will help them; but as a cellist myself, I have the player's understanding of the complexities which a bow must handle, and as a maker the satisfaction of these (sometimes contradictory) requirements gives me my greatest pleasure.

Working to make a bow in harmony with both player and instrument inspires me; and to all the many string players for whom I have achieved this goal, I thank you for your trust and look forward to a beautiful future, continuing to make bows for great musicians, and enabling their music to resonate in our age.