Craft · 6 pages · 12 min

Why rosin is not optional

Without rosin the hair cannot reliably catch the string, so the stick-slip that starts a bowed note never gets going.

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From the opening

Rosin is the solid resin rubbed on bow hair so the hair can grip a string. It is not optional because bare hair is too smooth, and too easily fouled, to produce the regular stick and slip a bowed note requires. The opening covers resin supplies the missing tack, bare hair slides on the string, and the coat wears and is renewed.

The rest of the brief — the later sections and the reading notes — opens after Stripe confirms payment.

Inside

Resin supplies the missing tack
Bare hair slides on the string
The coat wears and is renewed
A heavy crust only grinds
Where the idea stops applying
A distinction worth keeping

Sources

Rosin friction in bowing
Horsehair surface and resin

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Why rosin is not optional

From the opening

Inside

Sources

Also on the desk