What is the Best Rosin in 2019?
If you’re a string musician, you will have no doubt used bow rosin before. If you’re new to your instrument, chances are you’ve never had to put much thought into rosin.
Whatever your experience may be, rosin can be somewhat of a mystery – seen everywhere but not fully understood.
We aim to give you all the necessary information on rosin: What is it? Why use it? Which rosin is best? You’ll even learn “how to rosin” like a pro!
What is Rosin used for?
Rosin is used on the bows of cellos, violins, violas and double basses alike.
The rosin is applied to the bow in order to cause the right friction on the instrument strings. The friction from the rosin causes vibration between the bow and the strings. Essentially, the rosin on your bow grips the strings and makes them speak, creating a pleasant tone. It is a key part of producing a good sound.
What is Rosin?
Rosin is a vital part of the inventory of any stringed-instrument musician. It comes in different colours and sizes, and almost looks like a hard-boiled sweet – it certainly won’t taste as good though! You can see this vital accessory being applied to many bows in concert halls or before a musician starts practising.
Boxed rosin will come in a small box while cake rosin will usually be connected to cloth to make application easier.
What is Rosin made of? How is Rosin Made?
Rosin comes from coniferous trees in particular, and the sap is extracted from trees that are predominantly grown for paper pulp. It is usually mixed with sap from other trees like fir trees and a mix of ingredients. Many manufacturers like to keep their ingredients a secret to maintain their “recipe”.
After the heating and mixing processes, the liquid is left to cool in a mould or rosin press where it sets and forms the rosin that all stringed instrument musicians are familiar with.
So now you know what rosin is made of, but do you know how to use it?
How to Rosin a Bow
The next step is knowing how to apply rosin to a bow. Follow the simple steps to apply rosin to your bow correctly.
- To begin, tighten the bow so there is a larger surface to meet the rosin.
- Hold the rosin in your left hand, and the bow in your right hand.
- Cupping the rosin in your left hand, run the bow along with the rosin, making sure to cover the whole length of the bow. It is best to slide the bow along with the rosin rather than rub the rosin against the bow because this allows a more even coat and faster strokes.
The first time you rosin a bow, you will need to apply several strokes to get enough coats to set the bow up properly to play.
From there onwards, you should only need to apply about 5 ‘strokes’ along with your bow.
You need to apply an even coat of rosin along the whole length of the bow. Too little and the adequate friction won’t be there, too much and you will see unwanted residue on your instrument and dust-like particles in the air. The hairs on your bow will also become too sticky if you apply too much. If you’re unsure, it is best to be cautious and apply too little rather than add too much as it is more difficult to remove.
How often should you Rosin your bow?
There is no black or white answer to this as it depends on how much you play your instrument. As a general rule of thumb, we would recommend applying rosin to your bow every 3-5 hours of playing. It doesn’t need to be done constantly as too much rosin will cause your bow or strings to be sticky and will take up valuable practising time!
Rosins will dry out after about a year, especially if not kept in an airtight container. It is best to change them when they become less effective.
How to choose Rosin
The main types of rosin are Light Rosin and Dark Rosin. The principal differences being that light rosin is less sticky and slightly harder whereas dark rosin is softer and stickier. Therefore, dark rosin is not the best option in hot climates. Light rosin creates a smoother sound while dark rosin leads to louder, heavier sounds. Softer rosins are often used for Cellos and a special formulation for double bass as they can easier grip the strings and create those hearty sounds.
Rosin allergy?
Sometimes, people can be allergic to rosin because of its pine wood properties. If you are an allergy-sufferer, rosins from Larsen, Clarity or Kolstein are best suited to you. These hypo-allergenic rosins are usually melted in a vacuum with no oxygen in order to eliminate most of the allergens typically found in rosin.
Best Rosins for stringed instruments
Although opinions differ on whether cellos, violins and violas require different rosin types, most manufacturers will provide rosins designed either by recipe or size for each instrument. It is usually agreed that violins and violas need harder, dryer rosins while double basses need softer, stickier rosins. Cellos come in the middle of that range.
Our best-selling cello rosins come from Pirastro, Artcraft and Hidersine all of which are available in different colours and offer different textures. For slightly softer cello rosin, choose the Pirastro Cellisto Rosin, and for a more standard, durable texture, opt for their classic Cello rosin.
We’d also recommend Andreas Sanctus Rosin, which is high-end rosin appreciated by many musicians worldwide. Available in one size for violin, viola and cello, it is a unique combination of two sophisticated rosin formulas in one high-quality rosin cake.
Lastly, the type of strings on your instrument is an important factor. An instrument with steel strings is usually easier to play when hard, dry rosin is used. Synthetic strings and gut strings respond better to slightly softer rosins.
Where to buy Rosin
As experts in our field, it won’t come as a surprise that we supply a quality range of instrument rosin. You can browse the full range or get in touch with us to ask for our advice.
Feel free to come into our store in Banbury, where our friendly and experienced staff can help advise you on what’s best for you based on your budget, playing style and ability. whether it is rosin, a metronome or a music book you are after. If you’re not able to pop in, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us or browse the website https://www.caswells-strings.co.uk/.
If you have any further questions regarding purchasing or learning the cello or another instrument, email sales@caswellsstrings.com or call 01280 707140 to speak to the Caswell’s team today. For in-store visits, our opening hours are 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, Monday – Friday.
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This article was checked by the director of Caswell’s Strings, Lance Tunley who is an experienced purveyor of stringed instruments and accessories with over 30 years of experience in the field.
