Violin Bow Hair
Violin bow hair is extremely fragile and can
break very easily. The most common way you break the hairs on
the bow is the way you handle it. It is always a good idea to
rehair your violin bow at a minimum of once a year; they will
wear out due to the friction of playing. You want to make sure
you rehair your violin bow in the spring or fall because hair
stretches in the summertime and shrinks in the
wintertime.
If you do not plan on playing your violin for a few weeks
then you will need to place a couple of cedar balls or herbal
moth repellent inside your case. That will stop carpet beetle
larvae from getting in the case and eating the case lining and
violin bow hair. If your bow hair ends up breaking in the
middle, it means you have carpet beetle larvae and you need to
vacuum your case out several times. This will prevent them from
returning and eating the new bow hair.
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Applying rosin will of course help to take care of your
violin bow hair. What that does it makes the hairs sticky so
they can produce usable sound when drawn across the strings. If
you do not rosin your bow, it will wear out faster and possibly
end up snapping the bow hairs.
There are several types and colors of violin bow hairs that
you can choose from, depending on what type you are looking
for. A lot of people prefer metal over synthetic or guts, but
they all have their advantages and disadvantages that make them
so different from each other. Some people like to use
horsehair, which is the most common type of hair used for bows.
Another good type of hair to use for your violin bow is the
Siberian stallion hair. It is strong and durable which is good
to use for beginners and intermediate players.
However, if you do not take care of the violin bow hair, you
will need to rehair your bow more often. So when you own a
violin, the thing to remember is the hairs are what make the
music audible and make the music sound good. So if you properly
take care of your bow hairs and string, then you will be making
music that should be on Broadway.
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