Rosin

[Jeff Tranauskas]

I put this post up to start a discussion about Rosin.
Currently I am using POP'S. I have also used Clarity-Winter.
It would be good to hear from others on this topic.

[Jim Gullen]

Greetings!

I've been using Nyman's for years. I've had hit and miss results with the resurgent Oak medium. Sometimes I think it's fantastic, other times it doesn't grab as well as the Nyman's for me.

I'm called by the siren song of Oak soft, but I've rehaired bows for number of guys that use it and man it gums up the strings! It's a bit of a mess getting the old hair out!

I haven't gotten up the guys to order it and keep using the Nyman's. :-)

Best regards!
Jim

[Ken Smith]

Mainly I have used Kolstein Rosin either Soft or All Weather. I also have used Pops as I was given a cake two times by two different people. I think the Pops when new grabs good but makes a mess. When is gets old, a year or more, it seems to be less effective but the mess has not at all decreased.

One day at Arnold's he had some extra Oak Rosin so I bought a Cake and have been using it as well. It seems very similar to the Kolstein Rosin so I will use it as well. When the Oak is finished I will probably stick with the Kolstein as I don't see much of a difference for me except the price as the Oak is a bit more $.

[Jack Vogel]

I have Kolstein's and Oak as well, its funny, I was really liking
the Oak, then one week my teacher starts on this tirade about
how our local luthier convinced her to buy some and she just
HATES it

In spite of her I still think the Oak is more delicate than Kolstein
and find myself using it more. I've tried Pop's and like Ken thought
it was too messy. Also have a cake of Nyman's that I've found
usable.

I don't find any rosin to be so spectacularly better than anything
else that I would get religious about it.

[Trevor Bortins]

What about the application of rosin to the hair? Any particular methods people use and find more effective? What about applying rosin to good bows vs. applying rosin to bad bows?

-Trevor

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Kontrabass Violin

What about the application of rosin to the hair? Any particular methods people use and find more effective? What about applying rosin to good bows vs. applying rosin to bad bows?

-Trevor

I always and only make down strokes from Frog to Tip and not back and forth like you might with the 'powdery type' Violin or Cello Rosins.

Things that matter in this order (maybe) are a Good Bow, Good Hair and Good Rosin. Rosining old worn hair needs re-rosining more often. Using bad or ineffective Rosin is pointless. Trying to learn or play with a Bow less than your ability or needs is also not a good thing and I always tell people to get the best Bow they can afford and then some.

I played for 20 years professionally in NY doing just about everything BUT playing in a regular Symphony Orchestra doing all the classical works. Now that I have been playing in a two Orchestras for about 5 years or so I see now that Orchestral works are the most demanding Bow playing one can possibly do. I have learned more about Bows, Rosins and Bowing in the last 5 years then I did in my 20 years as a NY Pro. Even though I studied with 2 members or the NY Phil., I never got the chance to use all of what I knew until now. Within the last 6 months I have talked with both my former teachers to let them know this and I am sure it was good news to their ears.