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Looking after your bow - bow care 101

by Bows for Strings on

A good bow makes all the difference to realising the full potential of your instrument. And just like your instrument needs to be looked after, so too does your bow.

In this blog we discuss our tips for caring for your bow. 

Note, for young students less than 10 years of age parents may need to be the primary bow carer.

The most important aspect of bow care is making sure you know how to tension the bow ready to play and always loosening the bow after practice. This is taught by our team if you pick up your bow in our showroom, and you will also be educated by your teacher.

Bows are at their most fragile when wound up under tension. Dropping your bow onto a floor will likely break the bow at the head.

Dangerous places for a bow:

  • On the floor,
  • Lying on a seat,
  • Leaning up against furniture or walls.

    When placing your bow in your case, be careful to make sure the bow is secured by the bow spinner so it is not free to scratch the violin when the case is closed.

    Rosin:

    Apply rosin on the bow as shown by your teacher or by our team if picking up your bow in our showroom.

    Applying too much rosin to your bow will show rosin dust on and beneath the strings on your violin. While getting rosin on your strings in small amounts is unavoidable, rosin on your violin should be carefully removed often with a craft cloth specific to the task.

    And lastly, remember that whilst Rosin looks like toffee, it definitely doesn’t taste like toffee (the mistake has been made before)!

    We wish you a long happy relationship with your bow!

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