Bored Friday post - HOW does a bow affect sound?

[Ajoten]

I have only ever played with one bow (and don't know what I'm doing with that) so have nothing to compare with. Now, I don't deny different bows make a different sound, but I don't understand the physics of why that should be.

(I am considering getting a new one ONLY because mine looks a bit battered and is a decades old ex-school freebie item. Which makes me fear it's rubbish, but I have no evidence why that should be.)

[geoffbassist]

All I would say is that I agree they do sound different. I can understand how they have different playability but I'm not sure what causes the differences in sound except the materials used to build it. The weight and stiffness of the wood will certainly impact things. I'm also assuming the way it's made and design will impact the sound, but I have no idea of how it all works. Bows are a bit of a mystery to me, but when you play a good one you know it!

One big thing you can do to improve any bow is to re-hair it with quality hair. I bought a bow on Ebay for about £40 and spent £60 on a top quality re-hair, it made a big difference and the bow has a great tone and is easy to play. Without changing the hair, not so much.

[steve]

If you're still bored look up "slip-sticking" which is the action of a bow on the strings (and the reason why the bow needs Rosin)

[Grangur]

I know nothing about uprights, but I would imagine the friction of the hairs, flex of the wood and... dare I suggest it; tonewood?

[ikay]

I know nothing about bows but found this article interesting - [url="http://stringsmagazine.com/a-guide-to-buying-a-bow/"]http://stringsmagazine.com/a-guide-to-buying-a-bow/[/url]