Bows & String Accessories
Bow & String Fast Facts
The bow that sets the strings vibrating is almost as complex as the violin itself, and just as important. Originating probably in the Middle East, it consists of a long stick which holds at tension a hank of horsehair. The relationship between this and the archer’s bow is obvious. Viewed under a microscope, the horsehair can be seen to have a serrated edge. It is these teeth that delicately grip the violin strings and cause them to vibrate. The bows used today for the violin family are designed to be very flexible and versatile, enabling the player to extract as much feeling and tone as possible from the instrument. They also allow each string to be individually bowed.
A Brief History of the Bow
The modern bow is a slender, tapered stick about 28 ¾ inches (73cm) long. It is made of pernambuca wood which has been bent in a dry heat into a gently inward curve. The horsehair is fixed as a flat ribbon in a small hatchet-shaped head at the upper end of the bow and in a movable ‘frog’ at the lower, thicker end. It is this lower end, called the ‘butt’, that is held between the player’s thumb and fingers. The frog is held in place by an adjustable screw and can be wound sideways, thus tightening the horsehair. If the bow has been correctly designed it preserves its shape under every playing condition, despite the tension. This gives the player a very sensitive control over the kind of tone he produces. The present shape of the bow dates from the end of the 18th century, when it was perfected by the Frenchman Francois Tourte. Before that date bows usually curved outwards, away from the horsehair, which in practice meant that the player could not exert as great a pressure and generate as decisive and passionate a tone.
The relationship between the various parts of a
violin and its bow is an extremely subtle one. Each has a bearing on the
others, and developments in one sphere can have striking repercussions
on the way the rest behave. The modern bow and violin, though superficially
much the same as their 16th century counterparts, are in fact as different
as the music they were each designed to play. Indeed, very few early instruments
have survived in their original condition – for to be playable they have
had to be modified to suit the new kinds of stress that changing conditions
have put upon them. To get back to the original sound it is necessary
not only to make instruments and bows to the original patterns, but also
to play them in a way that uses original techniques.
The construction of the bows which are used to play the instruments
of the violin family is complex and crucial. If it is not correct, the
instrument will not be played to its best advantage, and many subtleties
will be lost. Bows originally curved outwards, but this design was changed
towards the end of the 18th century when the Frenchman Francois Tourte
produced the shape known today. He was following in the footsteps of many
bow makers such as Glaesel, Cramer, Tartini, Corelli and Viotti. The bows
of Cramer have recently been re-examined and have been shown to blend
early 18th century features and those of Tourte, the modern bow maker.
He designed a slim, tapered stick made of wood, which is bent in dry heat
into a slight, inward curve. A flat ribbon of horsehair is stretched across
the length of the bow, from the head to the movable frog at the lower
end. Horsehair is used because it has a serrated edge and the teeth vibrate
the strings when the bow is drawn across them. The hair is coated in resin
to increase this effect. The tension of the horsehair can be adjusted
by altering the screw by the frog.
View entire Bows & String Accessories Collection
Copyright © 2007
Musical Instrument Shopping Store
All Rights Reserved
