Selection Of Instrument & Bow

Instrument

Players of all ages or levels have a wonderful array of technical and musical concepts to consider every time they pick up their instruments and bows. These include fingering, bowing, rhythm, dynamics, note reading, and tone production, to name but a few. With so many variables at hand, it is extremely important that players feel confident about the capability of their instruments and bows to consistently produce sounds which are both desirable and pleasing.

For beginner students, we offer a selection of instruments with a full, rich tone forgiving enough to help players establish a sensation of control in the early development of their playing techniques. Enthusiasm for music, enjoyment of string playing, and the growing self-confidence enjoyed by successful students go hand-in-hand with trust in the consistent performance ability of their instruments and bows.

Players at the intermediate level are generally proficient at reading music, and are concentrating on the development of tone and technique. Concepts which they have been working to master since beginning to play include fingering, bowing, rhythm, dynamics, and tone production. New ideas more recently introduced might include shifting, vibrato, and musical phrasing.

We offer a selection of insruments which provide a broad range of tone colors, dynamics and technical capabilities suitable for the developing musicality of intermediate players. As with beginner players, a well-chosen instrument brings enjoyment of string playing and growing self-confidence.

Advanced players possess a mature range of tone colors and bow strokes, and are focusing on their individual musical expression and the development of a standard repertoire. In all likelihood, each advanced player will benefit from a versatile instrument possessing a full "palette" of complex tone colors, even balance, and powerful projection.

Bow

In addition to the sometimes subtle stylistic variations which enable individual bowmakers to be identified, the inspection of a group of bows can reveal a number of noticeable differences in color (not synonymous with wood quality), stick shape, grip winding material, frog material, frog and button mounting metal, frog decoration, button design and decoration, and various designs in some makers’ stamps.

Colors of new bows range from the brown of brazilwood to the orange-brown and red-brown common in pernambuco. Aged chestnut-brown and rich chocolate-brown hues are often seen in much older pernambuco sticks. Additionally, bowmakers will often color the wood according to their personal tastes. In addition to their distinct colors, brazilwood and pernambuco can often be distinguished by the tightness of the woodgrain with the brazilwood appearing more porous.

The stick shape of a bow may be either octagonal or round (but which need not always be perfectly circular in cross section). Our experience has shown us that stick shape has little significance in strength, response, or playability. The theory held by some that one shape is "better" than the other can never be truly tested since each piece of wood is unique and, once made into a bow of either shape, can not be made into the other shape without removing more wood than would be desirable.

Grip windings are commonly made of plated wire, solid silver wire, solid gold wire, plastic imitation whalebone, real whalebone (baleen from the mouths of certain whales ~ usually only found on older bows), and variously-colored threads. Wire grips, usually chosen to match the mounting metal of the frog, can slightly affect a bow’s balance point and also add a bit more weight than can the lighter plastic, whalebone, and thread grips.

The most commonly used frog material is ebony wood. Plastic may be used on some inexpensive bows for beginners. In years past, when tortoiseshell and ivory were more readily available, some bowmakers would use these materials for their more expensive bows.