What part of a violin bow tightens hair?
At the very bottom of the bow, there is a screw. This screw regulates the tension of the hair (which is from a horse’s tail). When you turn the screw clockwise, the hair tightens. When you turn the screw counter-clockwise, the hair loosens.
Can a violin bow be too tight?
Making your bow too tight can cause lots of problems such as: It will be harder to control (especially as you expand your skills beyond the basic up-and-down bow strokes). Too much tension can snap the head right off.
How tight should violin bow hairs be?
WHEN YOUR’RE PLAYING WITH THE BOW… When the bow hair is tight enough, the distance between the center of the bow wood and the bow hairs will be about the thickness of a pencil. When you’re tightening, always keep an eye on the stick of the bow: the stick should always arch toward the strings.
Why should you not touch a violin bow hair?
The reason touching the hair with your fingers is discouraged is because natural oils from your fingers or skin will transfer to the bow and cause the hairs to “slicken.” This greasiness (think of how greasy your own hair gets after not washing it for days) compromises the dry texture of the hair that grips to the …
How do you loosen a violin bow?
Basically, you adjust the screw clockwise to tighten the bow hair and turn it counterclockwise to loosen. You can also use the pencil method to learn the right touch in tightening your bow.
What happens if you touch the bow hair?
Don’t touch the hair. Once kids learn that the bow has horse hair in it everyone wants to touch it; don’t allow it. The natural oils in the fingers will make dirt and oil stick and the bow will need a re-hair sooner than otherwise. Like Tony Manero says below: “Watch the hair!”
How much should you loosen your bow?
So how much tension is enough and how much is too much? A good rule of thumb that I use is a pencil width. If you tighten your bow a bit and can just fit a pencil in between the bow hair and the stick in the middle of the bow, that is enough tension.
Why won’t my violin bow tighten?
If the knot holding the hair together itself fails, what looks at first like a bow that won’t tighten turns into hair simply falling out of the bow. Either of these problems means you need a rehair. Occasionally when a bow won’t tighten it’s because the eyelet is stripped.
Are violin strings supposed to be tight?
Yes, you have to get the string to the right tension to be in tune. But you do it gently, ‘cos violin strings are at pretty high tension anyway. And if you tighten a string without slackening it first, you’re more likely to jerk and snap it.
How do I know if my violin bow needs Rehairing?
If the skin is dry on the back of your hands, check your bow. If you can’t loosen it enough to take the tension off the stick, get a rehair. (If the dry spell is temporary or help is not readily available, refer to the accompanying sidebar.)
What should you not do with a violin bow?
Here’s my list of 7 things they should never do with their bow.
- Never use the bow as a sword or light saber.
- Don’t tighten the bow until the stick becomes straight.
- Never put the bow on the floor.
- Don’t hold the bow too tight.
- Don’t put pressure on the bow, use your arm weight.
Why is my bow hair not tightening?
If the hair is simply too long, sometimes a luthier can shorten it. Often it makes more sense to rehair the bow. When the hair length is not the issue, two other reasons for a bow not tightening are a failed plug and a failed knot.
How to tighten a violin bow?
Rules for Tightening Your Bow 1 Place the end of a standard pencil between the bow hair and stick, at the bow’s center. Tighten until you feel the… 2 Until you get more familiar with this technique, keep a short golf pencil in plain sight in your violin case. It can… More
Where should the hair be on a violin bow?
The bow hair will be closer to the stick at the center of the bow, and slightly further from it at the head and frog end of the bow. Your violin bow will perform better and its hair will last longer when you follow basic care techniques. But, when you need to have your bow re-haired, don’t delay.
Why does my violin bow make a scratchy sound?
This build-up of rosin creates a scratchy sound and the old hair requires more work to use. With normal use, most bows require a rehair every 6-12 months. This feels like a fairly obvious problem and is often caused by touching the bow hair.
How much does it cost to rehair a violin bow?
Cost To Rehair A Violin Bow If you do it yourself, the cost is your time, plus the cost of the replacement hair. You can easily find good bow hair for under $10 and even extremely high quality hair shouldn’t cost much more than $20. If you don’t want to do it yourself, you can expect to pay a professional luthier around $50 to $80.