A violin bow must be properly adjusted to achieve the desired sound.
A violin is an extremely sensitive instrument that requires a properly adjusted bow to get the peak performance and sound out of the instrument. There are a few simple steps which should be undertaken to ensure that your bow is in the right condition for use on your violin.
Instructions
1. Tighten the screw on the bow. The screw can be found at the end of the bow; you will turn this so that the hair has the proper tautness. Be sure to not over-tighten it lest you risk damage to the bow. As a general guideline, the hair should bounce slightly when touching the strings without actually pushing the stick onto the strings.
2. Apply rosin to the bow. You will want to do this with new bows to ensure that no damage will be done to the strings. Take the bow and slowly draw the hair over the rosin cake from the frog to the tip of the bow. With a brand-new bow you will want to do this for 5 to 10 minutes, while if you are using a used bow only drag the rosin across the hair once or twice.
3. Loosen the hair when you are done playing. Turn the screw the opposite direction and make sure that the hair is nowhere near as taut as it was when you were playing. This will make sure that the hair will remain intact and increase the usage time you will get out of that particular bow.
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