Just in case some of you have tried far more of these rosins than I,

Does any one here have a preference to a certain type of rosin for a particular type of string make.

I'm using pirastro T's and Hindersine rosin and was wondering if it actually makes any difference what type of rosin I use, Would the Pirastro rosin be better suited to those strings. ?


Lib

Hi Lib, don't know the answer to your question but just wanted to say:

I have just bought the 'liebenzeller gold' rosin (it's called larica gold now) as with my new bow purchase I wanted to try it out, I've heard so many good things about it and yes, they are all true, it's REALLY GOOD! (I know it's expensive at over £20 but will last for AGES).

Hey, have you decided on a bow now Jo?

Libitina - I don't honestly think rosin brand makes that much difference as long as the rosin you have does its job and you're comfortable with how it feels.

I use Kaplan artcraft and really like it - it does it's job well and a little bit goes a long way. However, I chose this because it was one of the rosins which my luthier sells (the other being the lighter Hildersine rosin) and it is much better than the cheap (99p!) orange stuff available locally.

.....almost......
Have decided to play with bow 4 only until tomorrow then pick up bow 3 and if it hadles less well I'll buy bow 4 if it handles same or better will go for 3. Decided not too worry about the sound of it....

I use Pirastro Goldflex and honestly it's the best I've tried by far. I wanted to try the Liebenzeller but it was between companies at the time.
I used Hidersine for years just because..it was there!
The Artcraft was okish, and there was one called AB something that was awful.
My daughter uses Eudoxa with her Eudoxa strings and really likes it because it matches! It is a nice one.
I think having tried a few, it does make much more than I originally would have thought.
Therefore it probably means it's another thing down to personal taste

So I may actually try a couple of others as I get this kind of dry rasp sound after playing for about an hour which I'm hoping that something a littler better will disappear.

thanks all

Lib

I thought that 'you fiddlers' love your dusty coat of rosin on your fiddle and you 'wear it with pride'

I use Laubach GOLD rosin

Its about £15 from the string zone and last ages.

The 2 main reasons I was attracted to this was 1) I read in strings magazine that gold rosin was considered the best (however I suspect that does depend on strings & bow used) 2) hardly any dust comes off.

But, surely if you've spent a slightly silly amount of money on your rosin, and it has 'gold' in its name, it must be improving your playing?

And, just in case it sounds like I'm making fun of any other poster in this thread, I use Laubach Gold rosin . I really do like it, but I also think some of the effect just might be down to my imagination.

and even if it's 'your imagination' I guess no harm done, placebo effect feels just as good as the real thing
I love my liebenzeller gold rosin, I now sound like a new player (erm I wish! but I do like it, sounds good, minimal/no dust, easier to clean violin)

Absolutely! I think the other big attraction is that it's really the only cheap(ish) thing it's possible to experiment with. Strings, bows, set-up work - all too costly for me. But rosin, well, I can keep buying different brands until I come across the one that really does make my playing sound like gold .

In short, some rosins are better suited to certain types (cored) strings than others.

Dark rosin tends to be quite sticky - good for (wound) gut core strings since they 'speak' slower than synthetic cored strings - while light coloured rosin offers a little less stick - better for 'fast speaking' steel cored strings.

Pirastro do a range of rosins to match their strings and it's not just a marketing ploy, buying Oliv rosin for Oliv strings for example will give the best grip and develop the best tone - assuming of course the hair on your bow is also in top condition If the hair on your bow is worn out, then no amount of any type of rosin will improve it.

That's the one I use - I agree it's fab

Thanks all,

very very helpfull.

Lib

I dont think Rosin can improve your playing but I do think certain rosins can give you a nicer/warmer/brighter sound (depending on what you are after)....

Saying that, if a certain rosin gives you a fantastic sound (placebo or not) then that in itself can make you more confident and in turn a better player...

No, I dont expect it to make me play better, I just expect it to play when I do. I've found that the rosin I use has a tendency to slip every now and then and no note is generated, plus it's quite powdery, so I thought of trying something new.

Lib

Not entirely so.

Pirastro still stick (if you'll pardon the pun) with the darker rosins in their range being softer and the slightly harder as light coloured. I know because I've got several of their rosin cakes (recent ones, not old) - of different colours - and the darker ones are most definitely softer.

Whichever Rosin you buy, its also how you apply it to the bow that can make a difference.

If you "rub" it on in short fast strokes, the heat from the bow causes it to form "crystal chunks" on the bow - only tiny little ones.

Whereas if you apply in long, slow strokes, that when it coats the bow correctly and you will get dust fall onto the violin when you play.

You may already know this but thought I would post as no one told me till a couple of weeks into playing.

Thanks I didnt realise that this would make a difference.

Hmm, Neither did i actually, but used long strokes anyway.

Lib

Please forgive how i write this but it's the first thing that came to mind now it's done.

I've cleaned my bow off and used the new rosin, and OMG, O M G . It feels like my silk stocking do ROFL.

It's glides so effortlessly, I cant even begin to imagine what a good bow will feel like compared to my £60 piece of firewood. LOL

Lib

Which one did you get?

W

I thought I'd try the Pirastro goldflex as thats the strings I use two, I have no idea if a certain make is better for a set of string just took a chance. I' just so stunned at how smooth the bow moves in comparison to the hindersine on these strings. I gave my bow a good cleaning until I couldn't feel any sticky rosin and gave a few strokes to the new one after breaking the surface on some old sandpaper I kept handy the first time.

Lib

I love Goldflex too, and have found you don't need much. I always used to break the surface if the Hidersine one but didn't actually need to with the Goldflex.
It's lovely - enjoy!

What do you use to clean your bow with please.

I used methanol (is that what is called? denaturated alcohol...or paint stripper from DIY shop), I first disconnect frog from stick by taking out screw/button then take a shallow saucer/bowl filled up with the methanol and dip bow hair in it/soak it being VERY careful not to let wood touch the alcohol or if you get any on your fingers not to touch stick with them afterwards!!
hae some kitchen towels next ready to dry most of the alcohol off after. Best to do it on a 'work bench' or outside in garden but although it sounds complicated it is really easy quick and effective!!!

above method is JUST for the hair. You can use a WHITE old cloth soaked in alcohol instead if bow hair is not too caked in with rosin.... dont use a coloured cloth as the colour will come off onto bow hair.

Thanks, my bow is quite new so at the moment I would easily get away with using a cloth on it. I don't think I would be brave enough to take the frog off

Denatured alcohol, aka methylated spirits is not methanol. You don't want to be messing with pure methanol. Very nasty stuff.
Methylated spirits is usually 90% ethanol, 10% methanol. I always try to get more expensive stuff (95% ethanol) because I worry about the methanol toxicity. This is for french polishing/varnish abuse by the way: I've never cleaned bow hair as Jo describes (or ever felt the need to do so...)

whatever is called could not remember right word for it at the time, so thank you DiscoPants for telling me the 'right one'


it's ok, if you don't take the frog off then tense the hair quite a bit before you clean, so to get hair away from stick as much as possible (without snapping the bow of course ) as you don't want to touch the wood of the stick with your cloth which is damp with methylated spirit (now I know the right word )

but really....taking the frog off sounds 'scary' but I can ASSURE YOU it is NO big deal AT ALL, just take it off and you will see what I mean, it's a 'baby's job', you just don't realise it is not an issue at all until you actually do it, I used to be frightened of this too, until I saw it done by someone else then it clicked: 'what was I worried about'

It is useful to know about the frog unscrewing since then if you ever need a fishing rod you can use your violin bow!

Also, I ordered some of this fancy rosin, so I had better be playing 'like a pro' or I will not be happy

Hi

Well, I don't think rosin actually affects how well you play.
However, some rosins last longer than others. The darker
the rosin, the less you have to put on your bow.
So my conclusion being, its more about how much money
you are wasting/saving.

Hope this helps!

Well it certainly won't magically cure those tricky bits (sorry Jacobi ), but like Lib says, the bow is sooo smooth in comparison to a cheaper rosin. It costs about twice as much, but I reckon I use under half as much, so as long as I don't smash it or lose it, it should all even out in the end!

Nail on the head there miffy, but actuall I think I would be using more like 25% of the nasty stuff in comparison to this new one. I need so little of it I cant even imagine ever getting through it in my life time.

Lib

~Update~

Well I have been using the new *gold* rosin for last three days and I think it is better

Immediately after wiping as much of the old rosin off and applying the new one to my bow, I was amazed at the difference. I was able to play all 24 Paganini's caprices one after the other with ease!

No such luck!

I can tell a difference though, and the bow feels much smoother and flowing than it did with the old stuff, also the old rosin felt a little chalky even with only applying a bit, and I could hear less bow scraping (probably only can hear it when you play it, someone listening a couple of feet away probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference.)
Also I can feel that it is a bit more responsive and gripping the string much better.

So worth upgrading it! I think the extra cost, given the amount of time the block will last is actually pretty negligible.

I've been playing viola for seven years, and nobody told me this!

Maybe they thought that being in three orchestras would mean I'd work it out...

This is just what i've been saying to my teacher before changing my rosin, I kept asking here why my bowing alsways sounds so scratchy, but perhaps standing a few feet away she couldn't hear it. I can still her it but to a much lesser degree now.

Lib

This is why I changed. I was moaning about the surface noise to someone and they suggested a change of rosin. I know everyone says it's only us that can hear it, but it's us that has to put up with it so anything that will help! It's certainly cured my irritation in the slow quiet bits!