The violin is a fantastic musical instrument that’s been around since ancient times. Nearly every opera or classical music performer now owns one. With different makes and brands, you have plenty of choices on the table.

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How much does a violin bow cost?

One of the things that learners and intermediate violin players have in mind when shopping for a violin bow is the cost of acquiring one. Size, shape, material, and brand all influence the price.  So how much does a violin bow cost?

On the lower side, a violin bow could cost you under $50, while on the higher side, it could cost you thousands of dollars.  For starters, you’d want to go for something in the range of $50 to $100 or slightly more. But if you’re an intermediate player, a bow that’s in the range of $100-300 would be a good purchase.

Fiberglas violin bows are somewhat cheap and at the lower end of the price spectrum. Beginner bows cost less than $100. In between wooden and fiberglass lies the carbon fiber violin bow, which is a great all-purpose bow. One will set you back by $50 to $300.

Wooden bows, made from Brazilwood or Pernambuco, are the costliest of the four. A cheaper one goes for roughly $100 bucks, but the best wooden bow runs into thousands of dollars.

As a rule of thumb, buy a violin bow that generally costs 20-25% of the price of your violin.

Who makes the best violin bows?

The violin market is flooded with all kinds of violin bows. This market can make it hard for you to decide which bows to buy. Luckily for you, we have done all the hard work. The only thing that’s left is for you to choose from the best violin bow makers. They can supply you with quality bows.

If you’re looking for a respected handmade bow that can serve you for several years, Fiddlerman Carbon Fiber Violin Bow should be at the top of your list. It’s crafted from quality carbon fiber. It has a balanced weight distribution and a beautiful arch, which provides a great bounce.

For the best balance of must-have features and design quality, Cecilio Brazilwood Violin Bow with Ebony Frog, which is our budget pick, will suffice. Strung with unbleached horsehair, it can serve as the best replacement bow for beginners.

In case you’d like to upgrade from your generic wooden bow to carbon fiber, Crescent Well Balanced Carbon Fiber Violin Bow is the safest choice. It’s lightweight and does the job it’s meant to do.

Sometimes you might need an excellent spare bow for practice. And none does a better job than the Violinsmart 3/4 Size Violin Bow.

Do you have kids who want to learn how to play the violin but don’t want to spend a lot of money getting them a beginner’s bow? Look no further than the Crescent 4/4 Balanced Brazilwood Violin Bow as it’s a low-cost design.

Fiddlerman Carbon Fiber Violin Bow 4/4

Cecilio Brazilwood Violin Bow with Ebony Frog in...

Crescent Well Balanced Carbon Fiber Violin Bow 4/4

For more information on choosing an appropriate bow, you may be interested in our comprehensive guide: Top Five Best Violin Bows for Intermediate Players and Beginners.

How to buy a violin bow

When shopping around for a violin, you need to keep a few things in mind so you can get a quality bow while saving time and money.

The shape of the bow: Violins are available in either octagon shape or round shape. The latter is a good shape as it is less stiff and simultaneously more comfortable to configure.

Materials: Violin bows are made from four kinds of durable but lightweight material: Pernambuco, Brazilwood, carbon fiber, and synthetic material.

Weight and balance: Each bow comes with a distinct weight and balance. A heavier bow will create a deeper sound while a lighter bow will create pure sounds with every stroke.

Violin size: Ensure that violin size matches your body size. If you’re an adult, the full size (or 4/4 size) violin might suit you. But if you have shorter arms or body, consider the 7/8.

Strength: A good violin bow should be reasonably reliable yet sufficiently flexible, so the material used should carry both properties.

Final thoughts

Your violin bow is more than an accessory, so you should give it much thought before you buy one. Get a good bow, and it will serve you right for many years. Get a poor one, and it will belt out sorrowful strokes to the chagrin of your audience.

Buying a violin bow shouldn’t be a problem if you know what you’re looking for in a violin. A good bow should cost roughly a 1/3 of the price of a violin.

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...

Sale

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.

New Strings, New Life!

Changing the strings on your violin gives it new energy and life. But you don’t want to change them too often, or too little. It is recommended that every 250-300 hours of playing your violin strings should be changed before they break.

This can be challenging to determine, but if you can feel your strings are starting to lose their sound, fray, or seem worn, it’s probably a good idea to change them. Obviously, if one or more of the strings break, then they definitely need to be replaced. If you take private violin lessons & training, it’s a good idea to check with your teacher before changing your strings.

If you have never attempted this task before, this might be challenging and intimidating to try on your own. Changing the strings does not have to be daunting though; it can be fairly simple. Below are some very helpful tips and steps on how to change your violin strings.

1. Purchase New Strings

Violin strings typically come in sets that are matched to the size of the instrument. This ensures the string length will match the violin’s scale length. Strings also come in a wide range of quality. For new violinists, the best violin strings for a beginner should be a well recognized brand. As you progress as a musician, your tastes will become more refined and allow you to be more selective about your string choices.

Some fine violin string choices:

Vizcaya 2 Packs Full Sets Violin String (G-D-A-E)...

D'Addario Prelude Violin String Set, 4/4 Scale,...

Fiddlerman Violin String Set, Synthetic Core...

2. Loosen the Strings, One at a Time

To begin, first, loosen the peg. If your string is broken, you will have to remove any remnants on the peg first, which will allow it to unwind. Carefully take or unwind the string out from the peg.

Be sure that you’re holding the other strings firmly in your hand while you loosen each string out individually. The end of the string should fall out on its own easily after you’ve loosened the string enough on the top. There is an easy tutorial you can follow if you need a visual.

The bridge will fall off if you try taking the strings out all at once. It can also create a problem with the sound post on the inside of the violin if you take them all off at the same time, which can render your violin essentially useless. So the important tip to take away from this is to only remove one string at a time.

Once you take out your first string, you are ready to replace it. Make sure you know whether you need to have a ball end or loop end to your strings before you buy, so you’re replacing the correct strings. Some violins will accept either type of string end, so it may not matter the type of strings you buy to replace. But it’s important to note, as some violins may not be able to take both types of string ends.

Please take your time while doing this. It should take you approximately 20 minutes to change strings, maybe more if it’s your first few times attempting it yourself. You do not need to rush. Once you have done it enough times and have figured out the process, it becomes easier and can be done much more quickly.

3. Put in the New Strings

First, put your ball or loop end into the bottom of your violin and pull it tightly up and across the bridge. You can lubricate the nut and the bridge areas where the string will be laying against, usually with a lead pencil. The lead creates lubrication for your strings to lay easily.

Using your free hand, control the string slack by keeping tension on the string over the bridge the entire time you do this. If you don’t hold it tight enough, the end that is loose will fall out continuously, so the ball or loop will fall out, and it will become frustrating and difficult to replace your strings.

Putting the string in the hole where the peg goes is the next step. Then place the ball end in the arm of the fine tuner or tailpiece. When you adjust the peg to see the hole, then you can thread or feed the string through, and start to wind it in.

Keep the strings organized. You do not want the string to be going over the top of or underneath the other strings in your peg box. The easiest way to avoid this is when you put the peg in, make sure the hole is next to the inside of the box where you can easily see it to place the string in the space. This will help avoid having the strings mingle together so each string has its own spot.

(To help you with this, take a picture of the inside of your peg box before removing strings to see exactly where the strings need to go.) Visuals are helpful as you become more acquainted with the changing process, you can see how to change your strings like a professional.

4. Wind the Strings into Place

Wind the string in towards the peg head, while making sure that the string is wound up as close to the side of the peg box that it is on while you’re winding it.

If you’re working with the strings on the right of the middle, you want it close to the right side of the peg box, and vice versa – for strings on the left it should be close to the left side. An easy way to do this is to push the slack from the string with your free hand towards the peg that you are turning while you wind it, and push the peg in gently while you turn it.

This will wind the string against the sides of the scroll box, which prevents the peg from unwinding at all once you get it tightly wound. The harder you push the peg in as you wind it, the tighter it becomes. It takes some practice to figure out just how much you need to push your peg as you go, so be patient and go slowly your first attempts.

Make sure you have a little bit of a “tail” of the string hanging out when you wind it as well, as this will allow you to tune your string easily after you wind it in. Don’t forget to continue to keep tension on the string the entire time you are putting it back into the peg and winding it.

Guide the string in as you wind, making sure it is on the nut and the board laying across the bridge in the right place. With E strings, most of the time they have a little plastic sleeve on the bottom of the string, so you need to make sure you push that into the part of the string that goes on the bridge so that it doesn’t bite or dig into the bridge.

Make sure you don’t wind the string too tightly, leave some room so that you can tune it once you’ve replaced all your strings.Repeat this process with each string, starting with loosening and unwinding.

5. Tune the Violin

Once you have replaced the strings then you can tune your violin, using either a tuner, pitch fork, piano, or anything that can help you match the pitch to get the right notes. You are now ready to play!