Most violin bows are made from hardwood.
A violin bow is made from a slightly flexible length of wood, with fibers stretched between its two ends. As the bow is dragged across the strings, vibrations are created causing a sound. Bows differ in shape, materials, strength, straightness and balance. If you are buying a new bow, then comparing these characteristics will ensure you choose the right one. You can perform some simple checks and observations to compare between different types of bow.
Instructions
1. Visit a number of music shops or specialist violin vendors to compare the different types of bows available. Take a notebook and pen with you so that you can write down the differences between them. This helps you create a log of all the alternative bow characteristics.
2. Identify the type of wood the bow is made from. Hardwood is a cheap wood, often used to make beginners' bows. Touch the wood to feel its texture, and lift it up and down to feel its weight. Compare it with pernambuco wood. Hardwood is lighter. Finally, consider bows made from carbon fiber. Note how it is more synthetic than the woods, but still durable and as heavy as pernambuco wood.
3. Assess the quailty of the bow's horse hair. Look along the length of the hair and check if any of the hair is loose or thinning. Also, press down on the middle of the fibers to assess the tension. If there is a lot of give when you press down, even after you tighten it, then it needs to be restrung. It will not be effective at holding resin.
4. Check the shape of the wooden part of the bow. Some are octagonal in shape, while others are rounded. Essentially, the shape does not matter -- only the quailty of the wood. However, make a note of this feature to compare between bows.
5. Assess the liveliness of each bow. Liveliness is how well the bow vibrates along with the strings. To compare this characteristic between bows, tighten the hair then tap the hair against your wrist. Feel how much the bow vibrates as you hold it. The more it vibrates, the more lively it is. It will make clearer spiccato sounds, for example.
6. Play a violin with the bow to assess the balance of weight between the tip and the frog (the end where you hold it). It is personal preference on how the bow is weighted at each end, however, neither end should be too heavy because it will tip. It will also be more difficult to bow with.
7. Check the strength of the bow. Compare each bow by turning the screw on the frog, which tightens the strings. The easiest it is to turn, the weaker the bow. It should be stiff so that the bow is strong.
8. Compare the camber and straightness of the bow. This is the dip in the middle of the bow that contributes to the strength of the bow. Look down the bow from the frog. If it is crooked then this should be repaired. It should be straight. Look at it front on, there should be a subtle dip in the middle, or camber.
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