King Tut Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 I've started using a bow on my NS CR5 and I want to clear a few questions up - quickly if possible as I've got my first gig featuring the bow on one song this friday! First off - how do I know if I've adjusted the bow to the correct amount of tension? Should I loosen the bow off after use? How often should I apply rosin to the bow, and how much? I'm getting a build up of rosin on the strings, should I clean it off and if so, with what? Any other tips would be appreciated dudes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougal Posted April 23, 2008 Share Posted April 23, 2008 (edited) [quote]First off - how do I know if I've adjusted the bow to the correct amount of tension?[/quote] You should be able to push the bow down onto the string & only just be able to get the hair touch the bow. If that makes sense. [quote]Should I loosen the bow off after use?[/quote] Yes, but not too much. The hair still needs to be straight & not flapping around in the breeze. [quote]How often should I apply rosin to the bow, and how much?[/quote] When it needs it, three or four strokes is enough, but depends on how sticky your rosin is... Generally I find I have to re-rosin every hour of playing. [quote]I'm getting a build up of rosin on the strings, should I clean it off and if so, with what?[/quote] I use a yellow duster - wipe down the strings after use or when they get too sticky. Be interesting to see what everyone else thinks.... Edited April 23, 2008 by dougal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Tut Posted April 23, 2008 Author Share Posted April 23, 2008 Thanks Dougal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissPenguin Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 [quote]First off - how do I know if I've adjusted the bow to the correct amount of tension?[/quote] I tighten it so that when i push the hair towards the wood of the bow, it doesn't take much for it to touch.. If i have to apply a lot of pressure, then it's too tight. If that makes sense. [quote]Should I loosen the bow off after use?[/quote] Yes. I always do - And although Dougal says so it's not flapping around in the breeze, i'm very protective of my bow, so always slacken it off a lot. But that's just because i'm picky like that. [quote]How often should I apply rosin to the bow, and how much?[/quote] I apply rosin when my bow starts slipping on the strings, which is probably bad practise because it can vary everytime you play something including lots of movement on the strings. [quote]I'm getting a build up of rosin on the strings, should I clean it off and if so, with what?[/quote] A duster like Dougal said.. [quote]Any other tips would be appreciated dudes![/quote] Just a random one - I didn't know how to transport my bow for ages, 'cos i have to carry it to and from college almost every day, and couldn't find a proper bow case. The solution - One of those big long plastic tubes that artists use to store their paintings in by rolling them up! It's perfect, and i added in some foam so that the bow doesn't bounce around too much. It's also extendable, so if i get a longer bow at any point it wouldn't be a problem And i think it cost about £5! Sorry if none of that was helpful.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Tut Posted April 26, 2008 Author Share Posted April 26, 2008 Thank you miss penguin it was very helpful - although from the two replies, I'm obviously going to have to experiment with the tightness of the bow! The gig went really well, but we were running a bit behind time, and guess what number I dropped? That's right - the one that used the bow.....coward that I am!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakenewmanbass Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 (edited) All the advice above is sound. as for general tips I would suggest 3 1 Assuming you are using a french bow you need to gently hold the bow between thumb and second finger at the front of the frog this way you can achieve a useful pressure increase and decrease pivot between the front (forefinger) and back (little finger) of your hand which comes into play in point 3 below 2 When starting notes build a little tension (by pressure) into the string to start a note (like a tiny version of pulling a bow and arrow) and learn the point at which the grip of the hair is lost and the note starts. That way you get a clean front to the note, rather than the awful scratching sound that can happen. 3 Learn to apply an even pressure along the length of the bow stroke by increasing the pressure with your forefinger, this can be achieved by a gentle pivot of your hand from right to left increasing the pressure on the bow with a leverage action between thumb and forefinger. Producing long, and very certain notes is really good practice for tone. Edited April 27, 2008 by jakesbass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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