Technical Description: Violin Bow The violin bow is used to produce sound on a violin, a stringed orchestral instrument. This description will highlight the parts of the bow and what purpose they each serve in producing the sound on a violin. Many people, including users of the bow, have misconceptions of where the parts come from and how they work like what type of wood is used and how the bowhair is collected. Clearing up these misconceptions can effect how a user might purchase their new bow or replacement hair. The violin bow is a long stick with a slight inverted curve with hair strung between its ends. The major parts are as follows:

Stick The stick is the frame of the bow that holds the hair. It also gives the musician the ability to manipulate the hair by changing the angle and pressure of the bow on the string. The stick is usually made from Pemambuco wood from Brazil, but it can also be made with other woods as well as man-made materials like fiberglass, though these materials are a lower quality. The inverted curve of the stick gives the violin bow added strength for a sustained sound as the bow is drawn across the string of the instrument. The total length of the stick depends on the size of the instrument for which it is made and the variants of individual makers. Table 1 gives approximate bow lengths for common violin sizes. The weight of the bow varies based on the length, material, and maker of the bow, but a full length weighs between 55-65 grams.

Image from: http://stq.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bielde:Violin-with-bow.png • Stick • Bowhair • Frog • Endscrew

The stick’s head is shaped like a trapezoid with a fake ivory tip attached. Older bows may have real ivory, but it is unlikely. The head is hollowed out to hold the bowhair.

While the stick is round, the end where the frog is attached is usually octagonal shaped, like a pencil, for finger placement. Just above the frog is a

thumbgrip, usually made from leather. Attached to the grip is silk or metal wrapping extending up the stick about 2.5 inches.

Bowhair The bowhair is used to vibrate the string by pushing or pulling the violin bow up or down. A down stroke starting at the frog is usually done on strong beats, while an up stroke starting at the head is for weak beats. The bowhair is usually made from tail hair from horses, though synthetic hair can be used on cheaper bows. Siberian horses are preferred because the hair is considered to be stronger due to the colder climate. The white hair used for violin and viola bows is unbleached, because bleaching weakens the hair. The black hair is considered stronger and is often used for bass and some cello bows. While some Chinese hair is cut from live horses, most of the hair is collected at slaughterhouses. The mark of good hair is its bite or grab on the violin strings as it is drawn across them.

Frog The frog is usually fashioned from ebony, a hard, sturdy that is black or dark brown in color. The unique shape allows the hair to be inserted in straight line inside a hollow block. A pearl slide or coating secures the block in place while a ferrule, a small metal sleeve used to support or strengthen the end holding a tool like the eraser to the pencil, secures the coating in place. The ferrule can be made from gold, silver, or steel.

Table  1    

Violin  Size   Bow  Length  Full     75  cm  

Three  quarter     68.5  cm  Half     62  cm  

One  quarter   57  cm  One    eighth   49  cm  One  sixteenth   42.5  cm  

Image from: http://www.kurtjacob.com.au/OrchStrings.html

The frog is decorated with round pastille or mother of pearl in the center and a silver heal strip across the heel from the pearl coating to the stick. Inside the frog is a small metal eyelet that attaches the frog to the stick with the endscrew.

Endscrew The endscrew attaches the frog to the stick through the rifled eyelet. The visible .5 inch is the same diameter and octagonal shape as the end of the stick. The bottom of it is often decorated with pastille or mother of pearl. The part that screws into the eyelet is about 1.5 inches long and about 2 mm in diameter with rifling along .75 inches of it starting .5 inch from the visible part. The endscrew is also used to loosen and tighten the bowhair for playing.

References Ebony [Def. 1]. Dictionary.com. Retrieved February 23, 2013 from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ebony?s=t. Ferrule [Def. 2]. Dictionary.com. Retrieved February 23, 2013 from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ferrule?s=t. How Products are Made, Volume 2: Violin Bow. Made How. Retrieved February 6, 2013 from http://www.madehow.com/Volume-2/Violin-Bow.html#b Klayman, Raphael (2011, November 13). Ideal Bow Weight from Violinist.com. Retrieved February 23, 2013 from http://www.violinist.com/discussion/response.cfm?ID=21302. VanClay, Mary. (1995). From Horse to Bow. Johnson String Instrument. Retrieved February 6, 2013 from http://www.johnsonstring.com/horse.htm. Violin and Viola Sizing and Instrument Size Charts. Fiddleheads.ca. Retrieved February 23, 2013 from http://www.fiddleheads.ca/shop/violin_sizes.htm.