However, like everything else associated with playing a violin, viola, cello or bass — rosining the bow requires some know-how and finesse. The type of rosin, the amount you apply or not and the frequency with which you apply it, all affect bowing and sound. Until you get to that more practiced and intuitive place, here are tips on how to rosin your bow. Bow hairs are smooth and slippery. Rosin adds texture and resistance. Made from the sticky resins of coniferous trees, rosin comes in a range of colors and densities.
Darker rosins tend to be heavier and stickier, better for the larger string instruments. Rosins that are lighter in color tend to be lighter in density and stickiness, more suited to violins and violas. Climate also plays a factor.
Just like your instrument, rosin responds to changes in temperature and humidity. If you live in a hotter, humid climate, you may prefer to use different rosins for different seasons. Generally speaking, it is better to apply a little more than less rosin.
You are here: How to apply rosin properly on a violin bow. How to apply rosin properly on a violin bow The violin bow can only make the strings sound, when there is enough friction between the string and the bowhair. How can you tell if there is sufficient rosin on the violin bow? Here are two possibilities:. Acoustically: you shall strike the bow across the strings as a test.
If the bow does not slide easily and produces no sound or only a faint, thin sound, then the bow hair does not have enough rosin. But if the bow is very scratchy, then it may have gotten too much rosin.
Optically: you can scrape across the bow hair with the thumb nail. If there is some rosin sticking to the thumb nail, then there currently is enough rosin on the hair. There are many different varieties of rosin. As a rule of thumb, it typically takes four or five strokes of rosin on the bow hair to achieve this. A final note on which kind of rosin is best, as well as the quantity: That depends on the ambient temperature and humidity, and the type of stringed instrument being played.
Violins and violas, with smaller strings, need lighter in color, density and stickiness rosin. Darker rosins are stickier, heavier and more suited to the cello and bass.
With higher temperatures and humidity, too much rosin can get stickier. And of course, vigorous playing will heat up the bow and strings as well. Players need to pay attention to all such conditions and how it affects the rosin and their music. A fine violin bow crafted in by renowned British bow maker James Dodd is available for examination and trial. Tragic story. The duller it is, the more likely that the rosin will apply quicker. However there is an old trick that you can use that will speed up this process quite a bit.
Simply take any sharp instrument, like a knife or a fork and gently scratch the surface of the rosin cake. This makes applying rosin to an already rosined bow quite easy. A bow that already has rosin on it, may only need 3 or 4 passes of the rosin cake to get the correct amount of rosin applied to the hair, but a bow without any rosin on it, may take passes, depending on how sticky the rosin is and the kind of hair that is on the bow.
In general, the whiter the hair, the easier it accepts rosin and the more yellow the hair, the more difficult it will be for it to accept the rosin. Often times, lower quality bows will tend to have hair that has a yellow tinge to it. Any hair that is dirty will not easily accept rosin as well and this is why it is important, to never touch the hairs of the bow with your fingers, because the oils from your hand, will prevent rosin from adhering efficiently.
The next step, is to play the violin for a little while to work the rosin into the new bow hair. As mentioned before, there will be rosin dust all over the violin and bow. Take a soft cotton cloth and wipe down the violin top and fingerboard, as well as the stick of the bow.
If you are consistent about wiping down your bow and violin every time you play, your violin will stay looking new for a very long time. When your bow gets to the point where you have to put more force on it than you like to create the amount of sound you want, it is time to apply more rosin.
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