Abstract: A violin bow guide has a rod (38) which is attached to the back of a bow (58). The rod (38) travels through a rod guide (36) which is held in place over the strings of the violin on a support (11) which attaches to the body of the violin. The rod guide (36) is pivotally mounted to permit the bow (58) to play on all the strings. Means are provided for adjusting the height of the rod above the strings, the position of the bow between the bridge and fingerboard of the violin, and the amount of resistance to movement of the rod through the rod guide. The rod guide (36) can be locked at a selected height above the strings or permitted to float freely up and down.