I would like to upgrade the bow that came with my violin. What do all of you look for when you are choosing a bow?

Old or new?

Type of wood?

Fittings?

Brands?

It`s pretty hard to describe. I usually look for control when choosing a bow (spiccato, tremolo, quick string crossing, etc.), then I do a chromatic scale with looooooong slooooooow bows to listen for oscillations in the tone, and the tone itself.

I like a strong one!

Liz

Apart from ease of performing all the techniques, I also look for balance. Does the bow make a uniform sound all the way to the very point? My first bow was so bad: "That`s not even a bow.. It`s a piece of twig! Actually, it`s not even wood!" That was my teacher commenting on my beginner bow, I never forget it. It didn`t sustain the same volume to the point as a modern bow should, it was made of cheap plastic of some sort, painted wooden.

The bow you choose depends on how comfortable you feel with it. This "comfort" is about how well you can pick out all the subtleties, which you may or may not like. If you are experienced, you will be able to pick out a lot of them, and the bow will have been made for an advanced player, hence more expensive. If you can`t tell the difference between two bows, but one is priced considerably higher, it is up to you make the choice. Do you want to take the cheaper bow and improve on it, until you feel it is not good enough? Or do you want to fork out the extra cash for the more expensive one, and then enjoy its hidden strengths as you progress? Your teacher should be able to pick out the bow that is suited for you.


Jay