Bow rosin is a vital element of playing the violin. Made from processed pine tar and proprietary ingredients, which differ according to the manufacturer, rosin allows the smooth bow-hair to grip the strings, producing clear sound. If not enough rosin is applied, lack of friction between the bow and strings will produce no sound, or very poor sound. Too much rosin will cause build-up on the strings, causing too much friction, and dampening tone. Applying rosin is not difficult, but a few simple pointers, and a bit of experience, will help ensure the correct amount is used.
Instructions
Open a Rosin Cake for Violin Bows
1. Open the rosin cake box or wrapper, and place the cake on a flat surface.
2. Score one side of the rosin cake by making 5 or 6 shallow cross-hatches on the surface.
3. Roughen the cross-hatched area with a serrated edged coin. The goal is to abrade the surface of the smooth rosin into a powder, to facilitate transfer to the bow.
4. Tighten the violin bow to normal playing tension.
5. Draw the bow across the slightly powdered surface, from frog to tip, holding the rosin cake in one hand, with the bow in the other. New bows will require repeated applications, possibly 25 or more, while a previously used bow will require only 4 or 5 strokes to freshen it up.
6. Draw the bow across the violin strings. The single best test of rosin application will be a clear sound, with no string slippage.
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