For years, every teacher I studied with told me the same thing:

“Your bow control isn’t good enough.”

“Use more bow.”

“Relax your pinky.”

“Reach the frog.”

“Your right hand is too tight.”

And they were all amazing teachers — truly great musicians and mentors.

But no matter how hard I practiced, I still couldn’t feel what they meant.

I could play lyrical pieces decently, but whenever the music required real power and support from the bow, I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t win orchestra auditions. I couldn’t win competitions. And eventually, because of the wrong muscle use, I even started to feel pain in my shoulder blade. At one point, I almost gave up playing the violin.

Then, I was lucky to meet my graduate advisor. He told me, “I went through exactly the same thing when I was your age.”

That gave me hope.

He said, “Then I’m the right person to help. Let’s practice the Ševčík 40 Variations, Op.3 together. You’ll gain so much from it.”

And that was it — the turning point of my entire playing career.

Working through the Sevcik system changed everything about how I understand and use the bow. My tone, control, and comfort completely transformed.

Now, I feel it’s my mission to share this method with more people — especially young violinists who struggle with tension, just like I did — and help them find freedom and confidence in their playing.

When students struggle with bow shakes, unstable tone, or tension, they don’t just need “more practice”—they need a teacher who understands the root cause.

A Teacher Recognized internationally

Dr. Xu has taught and performed internationally in: Canada, United States, China, Thailand, and Australia.
He is regularly invited by top universities and festivals to teach the Sevcik bow method.

A Lineage That Matters

Most teachers explain bowing verbally.
Dr. Xun "Richard" Xu teaches from a system that has been passed down for over 120 years, originating from Ševčík himself.

Ševčík’s method → refined by Prof. Peter Marsh & Scott Willits→ taught through Prof. David Neely → now carried forward by Dr. Xu.

This is why students move from tense, shaky sound to stable, resonant tone—fast.