Hill Premium Rosin for Violin, Dark, Box of 6, HL-2065

Technical data

Features

• Premium rosin for violin, dark
• W. E. Hill & Sons, London; the accessory line is made in England by the Hidersine Company

In practice

• The cake sits in a solid maple holder. It guides the hand securely and protects the cake if it is ever dropped.
• The maker rates the grip at 7 out of 10 and aims the line at advanced and professional players.
• Apply sparingly. Players who re-rosin every session almost always use too much; for most, a few strokes every four to five playing hours is enough.
• After playing, wipe strings, top and bow stick with a soft dry cloth. That keeps the varnish free of dried-on deposit.

Sound and physics

Rosin (the residue left when turpentine is distilled from conifer resin) raises the static friction (the friction between two surfaces that are not yet sliding against each other) on the bow hair. The bow therefore carries the string along until the string's restoring force prevails; the string then slides back and grips once more.

The difference between static and sliding friction, to which rosin contributes, helps set the minimum and maximum bow force (the pressure of the bow on the string) between which a steady note forms. Within this range the string breaks away exactly once per vibration (Helmholtz motion), and the tone contains the complete series of harmonics (the whole-number multiples of the fundamental).

Frequently asked questions

Why does a bow need rosin?

Rosin raises the static friction between bow hair and string. The bow only carries the string for as long as that friction exceeds the string's restoring force, and the bowed tone grows from this alternation of gripping and sliding.

Where does the name colophony come from?

From the city of Colophon in Asia Minor. Colophony, or rosin, is the residue from distilling turpentine out of conifer resin.