Everything You Need to Know About VIOLIN From A-Z - ROSIN

Rosin (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hello, today I am continuing with my series everything you need to know about violin from A-Z. Today we are on R for rosin. Rosin is the soft sticky reddish substance that you coat your violin bow with. The purpose of rosin is to allow your violin bow hair to grip the strings causing them to vibrate and produce sound. Without rosin we wouldn't be able to play the violin, the bow would just glide smoothly over the strings producing no sound.

Rosin is made from the resin of pine trees collected throughout the world. It is taken from the tree in the same way that maple is taken from maple trees. First, a hole is punched into the tree a drip channel and collection bucket is fitted. Several grooves are cut above this bucket and resin runs out of the tree and into the container.

Other tree saps will be added to this resin the mixture is then heated purified and poured into molds. After the rosin sets it is cut into blocks smoothed polished and packed into containers. Furthermore, there are two kinds of rosin. The first kind is the darker stickier rosin which is more suited to cooler climates the second is the lighter harder less sticky rosin. Both will work equally well on any violin and you should try out as many different brands as you can in order to find the one that best suits your needs. Be very careful when applying rosin to your violin if you use too much it will drip onto the violin and cause permanent staining.

By Eric B Hill Eric B. Hill is a professional violin player and teacher with over 20 years experience. Article Source: EzineArticles

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How to ROSIN a VIOLIN Bow

Rosin is a resin collected from pine trees all around the world. It is drawn from the trees in a tapping process in the same way that maple syrup is collected. A small area of the tree's bark is removed and a drip channel and collection container is fitted, the tree is cut with V-shaped grooves which allow the resin to run out of the tree into the container. The resin is mixed with other tree saps and purified. It is then heated and melted and poured into molds. After the mixture is set it is smoothed and polished and packed into containers.

Various types of violin/viola/cello rosin (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The purpose of rosin is to make the hair grip the strings of the violin and cause them to vibrate. Without out rosin, the hair would glide smoothly over the strings and no sound would be produced.

Before you can successfully rosin your violin bow you must know about the two kinds of rosin. The first kind is called dark rosin this is also known as winter rosin. Dark rosin is a softer stickier rosin and is suited to dry cool climates. Light rosin is harder than and not as sticky as dark rosin. Both will work fine on any violin you must experiment with different kinds until you find the type that is right for you.

Applying the rosin is very easy. Simply take the rosin and glide it several times up and down the bow. Remember to use the rosin sparingly most people use far too much this will cause the rosin to drip down of the strings and stain the violin.

You do not need to apply rosin every day once every four or five times is enough after you have been playing a while you will develop a feel for how much rosin you need.

By Eric B Hill Eric B. Hill is a professional violin player and teacher with over 20 years experience. Article Source: EzineArticles

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