Violin bows are made from a number of different materials. The bow hair is generally made from horsehair, but some luthiers also use a synthetic material.

Do I want my bow to offer more resistance? In this case, I might look into using one made with stiffer material like Indian goat hair or Mongolian yak wool; these types are typically used by beginners and children since they’re easier to draw across strings than other materials may be (though some adults find them unpleasant). Materials and manufacture [ edit ] Frog of a modern violin bow (K. Gerhard Penzel) Tip of a modern violin bow (K. Gerhard Penzel) Also, do not let anyone borrow your instrument or bow. If you’re worried about germs, you want to limit the number of people who touch your instrument. Q: Can I clean my bow hairs instead of rehairing the bow?Today, with the rise of the historically informed performance movement, string players have developed a revived interest in the lighter, pre-Tourte bow, as more suitable for playing stringed instruments made in pre-19th-century style. If the hair has become discolored – If you haven’t managed to rehair your bow for a long time or perhaps have never have done it all then discoloration can happen. This is usually most noticeable at the end of the horsehair. Discoloration happens because the oils from your skin drips onto the hair as well as old rosin building up on the bow. You can tell that the color has changed easily on lighter horsehair bows . The majority of luthiers (not counting the ones that experiment or try to innovate) use either real strands of horsehair or synthetic (lab-made) strands that only resemble strands of horsehair. The horsetail hair used to make bow hair refers to the hair in the middle of the Horsetail handle, not elsewhere. High-quality Horsetail hair is pure natural long-haired fiber, which makes it strong and wear-resistant, strong in tension, and strong in elasticity. The horsetail hair has a hollow core and a scale-like structure. This structure makes it ventilated and dehumidifying. The hairy scales will also produce better adsorption force in the friction with the strings. The bow made of high-quality horsetail hair has strong pulling force, good wear resistance, little influence by air humidity, and is not easy to break. You can’t over-tighten your screwdriver or you’ll break it; similarly, don’t over-tighten the screw that holds down your hair clamp (if using one). Just make sure everything is nice and secure before moving on. Do I need to replace my bow hair?

With the development of the times, whether it is a violin or a bow, other materials can replace traditional materials, such as carbon fiber violins and carbon fiber violin bows. But after so many years of continuous experimentation, the most commonly used bow hair on the market is nylon filament, and the other is Horsetail hair. There are not many choices. And high-quality horsetail hair is undoubtedly the best material for making violin bows. Why use premium horsetail hair for bowstrings? To clean your bow hair, you simply take denatured alcohol applied to a soft cloth, place the cloth around the hair and slide it up and down a few times. Brush the hair gently with a fine-tooth comb. Allow it to dry for 24 hours before reapplying rosin.While cleaning your bow hair can significantly enhance your violin's sound quality, it's equally important to prevent your bow hair from getting excessively dirty in the first place. Regular maintenance can help maintain the condition of your bow hair and extend its lifespan. Gently slide the cloth up and down the hairs a few times until it is visibly clean. If it has been a while since your bow hair has been cleaned, then you may have to repeat this step a few times with new alcohol-soaked towels. Horsetail hair can be divided into ordinary horsetail, high-quality horsetail, and male horsetail in terms of grades. This is mainly distinguished from the diameter of the horse’s tail hair. Generally speaking, an ordinary Horsetail refers to the horse’s tail hair with a diameter between 14 and 20 wires, while the male horsetail refers to only the horsetail with a diameter of 17 wires or more. After a lot of digging, I learned that only a handful of fairly established companies have had somewhat positive results trying to replicate horsehair by using fabricated materials. Coruss, a French luthier specialist, has had the most success.

Staccato is simply stopping the bow between each note. This creates a slight space or separation between each bow stroke. Staccato can be done in any place on the bow and with any amount of bow, but is most commonly done in the middle or lower middle with small amounts of bow. However, sometimes the purse strings just won’t stretch to your violin bow hair needs, so learning how to do it yourself is key. As long as you know what you’re doing, your bow should be in safe hands. By the time you’ve finished reading our DIY guide you will know exactly how to get your bow rehaired. Let’s get started.On your bow, you can use a small cotton ball soaked (not dripping) in alcohol or pre-moistened alcohol wipes to clean a few different areas. It depends on whether you have a wood or carbon fiber bow. Here as well there is not a solid rule as to how often a violin bow should be rehaired. Professional musicians often have their bows rehaired two to three times a year, whereas amateurs can often let years elapse between rehairing. The way sound is created by a violin bow is a very complex process which relies upon the rosined bow hair causing friction on the string. The hair for violin bows is taken from the tails of particular breeds of horses; the bow hair has to have a surface structure that is well suited to holding an even coat of rosin. After longer periods of use, the microscopic-sized scales on the hairs no longer fulfil their purpose completely, which has an immediate negative effect on the playing and acoustic characteristics of the bow. For stubborn dirt spots, use the toothbrush and some additional cleaner to gently scrub the hair. Remember, the goal here is to clean the hair without causing any damage, so a soft touch is necessary. After scrubbing, use the damp cloth to wipe away any leftover cleaner.

After every time you play , wipe off the excess rosin with a microfiber cloth or soft towel. Using a toothbrush can also help to remove clumped rosin. Violin maintenance, specifically bow hair cleaning, is an art. With the right materials and a little patience, you can preserve the quality of your bow hair and extend its lifespan. Now that we have established the need for clean bow hair, let's delve into how you can achieve this. Identifying When Your Violin Bow Hair Needs Cleaning This bow is one of two bows (the other in a private collection in London) attributed to the workshop of Antonio Stradivari. [16] Other types of bow [ edit ]

We bow with the hair, but it makes a lot of difference which part of the hair you use: the whole bow, upper half, at the frog, spiccato spot… First, you will need to choose a type of hair that suits your bow. Bow hair can be stiff or flexible, depending on how much pressure is put on it when playing. If it is distinguished from the color, it can be divided into a white Horsetail and natural color Horsetail, both of which are high-quality Horsetail. After the white horsetail is manually selected and simply fumigated, there is no damage to the structure of the horsetail, and the appearance is pure and white. Natural color Horsetail refers to Horsetail hair that has not been treated with chemicals, and the color and structure of the Horsetail hair have not been damaged, but this kind of Horsetail is not as good-looking as the white Horsetail in terms of color, it will be yellowish, and it is not as good as the white Horsetail in appearance. Are you a committed, DIY type and want to learn to rehair bows on your own? We recommend buying a new, high-quality Revelle bow for yourself – and practicing the technique on an old bow, so you don’t risk doing permanent damage to the one you use for practice and performance. We also suggest using Coruss bow hair, a vegan synthetic option, designed as an alternative to horsehair to eliminate the common problems of breakage, sensitivity to humidity and temperature, consistency, and premature wear. Tips for Rehairing a Bow The side of the frog is the portion that lies directly underneath the ferrule. The side can either be made of ebony or in some cases, mother of pearl, which gives it a more decorative look.