How to choose the right bow

For choosing of a bow (violin bow, viola bow, cello bow, double bass bow) there are many criteria. The bow is as important as the instrument (violin, viola, cello, double bass) itself. So one can say it with the famous words by violinist Battista Viotti: "The violin, that is the bow". Also the selection of the appropriate rosin plays an important role.

The most important part of a bow is the rod. It can be made of wood (wooden bow) or carbon (carbon bow). The rod at the wooden bow is usually octagonal (8-square), but they can also be round. Usually, the rod is made out of brazil wood or pernambuco. At the carbon bow the rod is produced out of the modern material carbon.

It is important that the tip and frog of the bow of a violin are in line. This should not change even when drawing the bow.

The grain of the rod should be continuous and have no flaws, as this could be a breaking point.

In the relaxed state, the rod of the bow should be nicely curved. When the bow is stretched, the rod should still be curved and not straight. Only then the bow has the necessary tension to bring the sound of music to the strings.

The power of the hand is to be transferred well measured on the strings. Therefore, the bow must not be too light, then it jumps erratically. If the bow is too heavy, then it acts unhandy. Mostly a wooden bow for violin weighs approximately 59 – 60 grams. A viola bow weighs about 68 - 69 grams. A cello bow should weigh about 80 – 84 grams and a double bass bow about 130 – 140 grams. A good bow is well-balanced in weight, so that it lies easily in the hand. A carbon bow should come close to the weight of wooden bows for the various stringed instruments.

A key point is of course the stringing of the bow with hair, usually made of horsehair. The hair layer must not be too thin. On the hair there are small barbs. At these barbs rosin keeps sticking. If the bow was played for a while, you have to replace the stringing. This can be done by a professional. The bow hair should never be touched with your fingers, because then it greases. Then the rosin can no longer get stuck. If once in a while dirt and grease are stuck near the frog, you can clean the bow hair with some special cleaning products.

Sometimes the bow is already treated with rosin at the time of purchase. It is important that you use yourself a good rosin. What rosin is right, can not be said generally, as everyone has slightly different ideas about sound.

Then the play with the instrument is only perfect if you paid attention to three key points:

Do I have the right bow?

Do I have the right rosin for my bow?

Do I have strings which really suit my stringed instrument?

Bow, rosin, strings and instrument as well as many accessories are all available at Paganino, Your online-shop.