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 Louré or Portato Bow Stroke

By Jamie Fiste, Professor of Cello at Central Michigan University
The louré (French) bow stroke is also known as portato (Italian). I will use these terms interchangeably in this article. In the louré bow stroke, the notes are all played in the same bow direction, similar to up-bow or down-bow staccato, but there is no separation between the notes. The notes are connected but 'pulsed'; each note receives some weight and emphasis. For each note, the bow sinks into the string. 

The overall effect of portato can be similar to separate yet legato (smooth) bow changes. The difference is that the portato bow stroke happens all in the same bow direction and each note may receive more weight than a simple legato bow depending on the musical context.

Power Originates in your Back
As with virtually all bow strokes, do not think of the power originating in your fingers. The weight or emphasis on each note in louré comes from much further up the arm and even down the back. Your fingers only transmit the power. This is a crucial distinction; power origination vs power transmission (this is beginning to sound like auto repair!).

The latissimus dorsi, that huge back muscle that looks like wings on body builders, attaches all the way down to your tail bone. It connects to your pelvis, spine, and finally to your humerus bone (your upper arm).  We use this back muscle to apply power or leverage into the string. Other muscles in your arm, such as the finger flexors in your forearm and the pectoral and rotator cuff muscles, play a significant role as well. 

The fingers are the last in the chain of power. They are only the transmitters (ET Go Home!). So when you think of these portato pulsations, don't attempt to do them by merely pushing down your index finger into the stick. This is a very weak and inefficient way to approach bow technique and will likely not have a deep enough quality of sound for portato.

Dipping of the Arm
I like to feel a dipping motion in the whole arm, supported by the back, to create the pulsations on each portato note. As the arm dips, the forearm naturally rolls into a slight pronation (optional). Pronation, by the way, is when the back of the bow hand rotates slightly to the left. The power of the arm and back are transmitted through the first and second fingers into the stick. Between the pulsations the fingers, hand, and thumb can relax a bit before the next dip into the string (tension and release).

The Beginning of the Note
As Starker used to say, 'Every note has a beginning, a middle, and an end". In portato, it is important that the beginning of the notes do not to have a 'bite' or 'consonant' attack (like a 'k' sound). If they do, the bow stroke will be more akin to staccato instead of portato. In louré the notes must begin as 'vowels'.

The Middle of the Note
After the vowel beginning, the note quickly gets weightier and the middle of the note is the loudest and deepest into the string. The louré bow stroke is like scoops of ice cream but they are not 'hand dipped' but 'arm dipped' (does that mean more ice cream?) Remember, this dipping has support from the back.

The End of the Note
We have at least two basic options; notes can end abruptly or trail off. In the portato bow stroke, the notes tapper a bit before the next note but the string always remains vibrating. It is important not to choke the string to a stop between notes. While the weight recedes some at the end of the notes, the notes remain connected. 

Different Variations on Portato
Portato can be made to have a greater or lesser amount of emphasis on each note. The pulsations can be quite weighty and deep or the bow stroke can be made to sound virtually identical to legato separate bows. It's all in the musical context.


Authored by Jamie Fiste, Professor of Cello at Central Michigan University.
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