How To Prepare and Rosin a Violin Bow

Skills You’ll Need to Get Started

You’ll need to rosin the bow before using it for the first time, which can be slightly difficult, but will become easier. Another skill you’ll need to learn is how to tighten the bow. In this post, we’ll go through how to do both tasks.

Tighten the Bow

How to tighten a violin bow

Adjusting the tension of your bow is vital for getting the best possible performance. It can be tricky at first, but you’ll get the hang of it soon enough. How often to tighten it will depend on how often you’ll play, but it’s best to reset the tension before every session.

You have to achieve a balance between the optimal tension and tightening it so much that you damage the body. Loosen the tension when you’re finished playing as this extends the lifespan of the bow. To loosen the tension, turn the adjustment button.

How tight should a violin bow be?

It’s better to err on the side of too loose here. Over-tightening places extra stress on the bow and can cause it to snap. It will also make it difficult to play correctly. If you’re finding it hard to control the bow, it could be an issue with tension.

Over time, you’ll get a feel for the correct tightness, which is something that’s difficult to describe. It’s best to get the bow tightened by your teacher the first few times so that you know what the correct tension feels like.

Alternatively, you can use a pencil to check whether or not the tension is correct. Place the pencil between the hairs and the bow at the center. If the tension is correct, the pencil will touch both sides.

Apply Rosin to the Violin Bow

For the first application:

• Score the rosin’s surface. This will help you to get a better grip on the hair. You can score the surface using a knife or fork. Your aim is to get the cake looking a bit scuffed and to remove the gloss.
• The cake should then be applied to the hair of the bow. Make sure that your fingers don’t touch it at the same time. The oils on your fingers can prevent it from sticking as it should.
• Pass the cake all the way along the hair using a steady motion. Run it back down again. Every pass should cover the entire length of hair.
• Passing slowly is essential for even distribution.
• The initial rosin application takes a while. You will need to pass the cake over a total of thirty to fifty times. Slowly is best here as too much friction will cause heat that melts the rosin.
• You should also move the cake around a bit so that you don’t settle into one single groove.
• Expect to see a lot of dust. It’s perfectly normal. Wipe it off with a dry, soft cloth. Do this every time you play and wipe the violin down as well.

For reapplications:

As you get used to the feeling of applying the rosin, you’ll figure out how often you should reapply it. When reapplying, you’ll follow the same procedure, except that this time you only need to pass it over between three and five times.

How often should you rosin your bow?

After the initial application, re-applying rosin is something that you’ll want to do after playing for about four to six hours. It will help the bow hair last longer and will help you to get the best performance out of the bow.

According to the Suzuki Association, it might be difficult to tell by looking if you need to add extra rosin, so you’ll need to rely on other senses as well.

Examples of Good Violin Rosin:

D'Addario Violin Rosin - Cello Rosin - Natural...

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Sound harbor 2 Pack Rosin for Violin Viola and...

D'Addario Violin Rosin - Cello Rosin - Kaplan...

How do I keep my violin bow in good condition?

Keeping your bow in good condition means looking after it properly. Here are some tips to help you with that:

• Rosin the hair properly before using it the first time. Yes, it takes some time to do this, but it can extend the useful lifespan and improve the sound you get. So, make an effort.
• It makes sense to apply rosin when you feel it might be necessary. The rosin helps the hairs to move smoothly across the strings, which reduces friction and extends the life of the hair.
• Loosen the tension when you’re finished playing. You’ll need to re-tighten it before playing again. It’s essential to avoid stress fractures in the wood.
• Wipe it down after every use to remove dust.

Final Notes

It’s basic common sense – the better you care for your musical instruments, the better they will last you. Now that you know how to rosin a violin bow, you’re on your way to keeping it looking good and working well for longer.

At some stage, you’ll need to get a replacement. You’ll be able to find a good selection for beginners or intermediate players here.

A Quick Starters Guide For New Violinists On How To Play The Violin

A violin is a four-stringed musical instrument that is played with the help of a bow and your fingers. It entails putting the instrument under your chin, as your left shoulder supports it in a relaxed manner.

With the help of your left hand, the sounding length of the strings is regulated by pressing them against the fingerboard, creating different notes.

Sound is produced through vibration when you draw the bow across the strings, and the bow comes in contact with the strings. Alternatively, you can also pluck the strings to create a different sound rather than using a bow. This method is known as pizzicato.

The following steps will help you learn the basics on how to play violin.

Use the correct posture

If you are standing, stand straight with your knees apart the same width as your shoulders, and relax your knees.

When seated, use a firm chair and sit straight towards the front part of the chair, place your left foot slightly forward for a more comfortable position.

How to hold the violin

Ease your hand, wrist and left shoulder. The parts of your body directly involved should be comfortably relaxed and free.

Hold the violin parallel to the floor with your elbow bended to an angle, and your fingers pointing to your eyes. Your elbow should be under the center of the violin.

Place the violin against your chin and left shoulder. Place the violin on the soft spot behind your left collar bone and rest the left side of your jaw on the violin by tilting your head slightly and carefully pressing your chin down on the chin rest.

Place one finger on each string. With your wrist gently rounded, your fingers should be positioned in a slightly curled manner, parallel to one another; the proper hand position should have a small window in between.

When curling your fingers, the thumb should be facing the index finger in a curved, backwards C position, with an open space in between the thumb and the index finger.

How to hold the bow

With your right hand at ease, turn your wrist slightly to the left. Place your thumb at the bottom of the bow with your index finger on top of the thumb creating a ring.

Then, let your other fingers drop into place. Your ring finger should be in line with the other three fingers to create balance.

Hold the violin and the bow together. Position the bow between the fingerboard and the bridge. Place the bow on the strings. This position is known as “con arco.” With your right arm bent at a 90° angle, draw the bow against the strings in a straight line.

The bow should always remain straight and parallel to the bridge, and should not bend in any direction for it to perform accordingly.

A loud sound can be produced by drawing the bow with heavy pressure near the bridge. For a softer sound, use a light bow pressure and draw the bow close to the fingerboard.

Basic finger positions

Overall, there are fifteen violin finger positions including the half tones. The basic positions are from the first to eighth positions. Note that the position changes depending on the placement of your fingers.

Remember to arrange your fingers first on the note that you want to play before drawing the bow as this is easier. Change notes using the slide technique.

• First position—This position is the nearest to the nut or the scroll end, and the furthest from your face. In this position, the hand is low on the fingerboard. Thus, on the A string, finger 1 will play B in first position
• Third position—In this position, finger 1 will move up to the location where the third finger is placed when playing the first position
• Fifth position—This position can be easily learned after you’ve mastered third position. Fifth position is placed higher on the fingerboard, close to where the body of the violin starts. This position is played by sliding finger 1 to the place where finger 3 is placed in the third position
• Second position—This position can be quite confusing since it closely resembles the first position with just one finger off. For this position, place finger 1 on the spot where finger 2 is located in the first position
• Fourth position—Located between the third and fifth positions, it is helpful when you play the third position and you want to lengthen your note range to avoid crossing strings. This is also helpful when you want to play a slightly lower note without having to change strings
• Sixth position—Has the same fingering as the second position
• Seventh position—Has the same fingering as the third position

Practice and Instruction

Like anything worthwhile, the benefits only come after the work has been put in. Learning how to play a violin is not necessarily an overnight process, but the rewards of being able to play music will last a lifetime!

A solid practice regimen will produce results faster. We recommend at least 20 minutes per day for new violinists, or more if possible.

Last but not least, getting qualified instruction and using good reference materials is key. Whether you seek private instruction, or take advantage of free violin lessons through Youtube, the best violin lessons for any individual are a matter of simply knowing what’s out there.

To get a good head start, check out our article featuring some of the best resources and instructors for online violin lessons here.