ABOUT ROSIN

Rosin is made from partially refined tree resin.  Without it the bow would just glide silently over the strings.  The rosin sticks to the tiny scales that line each hair as they continually catch and let go of the string.  This happens thousands of times on all of the 120-odd hairs that make up a newly re-haired bow.

 

Too much rosin can create a coarse, gritty, and uneven sound.  Reasons for over-rosining can include old hair, dead strings, a general lack of interest in tone quality, and even, in some cases, nervousness at the prospect of playing in public.  Over-rosining is usually caused by the desire to create more volume, although it can have the reverse effect.

 

A build up of rosin on the strings can be removed by applying an alcohol based fluid such as perfume or aftershave to a piece of cotton wool or soft clean cloth, and carefully wiping over the playing area.  It might be a good idea to do this from time to time.  At the same time you can also clean the rest of the string and the fingerboard to remove any dirt, sweat or grease that comes from finger contact.  As hair and strings become old they lose their quality and over rosining often follows, but what you then hear is the sound of tired hair catching in the build up of coarse rosin on the string.

 

Bow hair can also be cleaned.  Very often wiping with a soft clean cloth or carefully brushing the hair through with something like an old toothbrush will help remove a build up of old or excess rosin.  It is a good idea to remove some of the old rosin with a cloth if you are going to try new rosin.  If your hair is grey, brown, green or yellow it may be time for a rehair: it`s supposed to be white!  Bow hair can also be washed with a little detergent, but be warned.   We have had several customers who have made their bows unusable due to their inexperience and we are not recommending it.  A competent craftsman would not charge a great deal to do this for you.

 

Rosin comes in various shades of two basic colours: a dark treacly brown and a light honey.  Dark rosin is dark because it has been cooked for longer and this makes it stickier.  They are indistinguishable on the bow as they both form a white powder when applied, but they do have different qualities.  There are many opinions about rosin.  Some players think that the stickier rosins make the strings respond better, but of course rosin is just another variable in tone production along with set-up, stringing, instrument quality and bow pressure, not to mention bow quality.  The larger the instrument the softer (and stickier) the rosin used tends to be.  Double bass players often use something that looks like toffee and because it is so soft it comes in different grades depending on whether you are playing in the Arctic or the Tropics.

 

Different types of rosin will use different qualities of tree resin, be cooked for different periods of time and under different conditions, and may have various quantities of different metals or other additives put in to enhance certain properties.  There are dozens of types.  Some carry the brand name of a particular string, and these may well be worth trying if you use those particular strings, as string makers have developed them specifically to help make their strings respond.  Both Dominant and Larsen have brought out a rosin, and there are a number in the Pirastro range.  We have had customers who have tried the rosin designed for one type of string on a different make of string, and found that tone quality and pickup from the bow have deteriorated.  So don't buy a particular rosin just because someone else likes it.

 

There are now an increasing number of people developing allergies to rosin dust, and there are several rosins on the market designed to reduce allergic response.  These are generally cooked in a vacuum.  Kolstein and Geipel have been around for some time, and the new Larsen rosin also produces quite a low level of dust, but we still have customers who have had problems with all of them.  A rosin has now been developed which is entirely synthetic and produces no dust at all.  It is called Clarity and is made by the Supersensitive company in America.  It obviously comes from research in the petrochemical industry, so it won't help global warming, but it should stop your nose running when you play.  It is entirely transparent, like a Fox’s Glacier Mint, and gives a smooth mellow sound that several of our customers say they really like.  And of course you won't get the build-up of white dust on the front of your instrument.