Bowed instruments; the bow....

- strings -

Hello, all - a little late this evening with today's post.... had to visit the hospital on account of some mangled cartilage in and amongst my ribs. Long story, but everything's cool, no worries ^_^

Okay, on with today's post....

For experimental instruments or for those professionally made unique items, there is a very simple and easy resource for bow strings - be they for violin, huqin, or any kind of bowed, stringed instrument.

Dental floss.

What? Yes, that's what I said. Dental floss.

Hear me out here for just a mite.... while horse hair is widely used for this, it is the common belief that this is due to the ridged, or tooth-like quality, of these hairs - that it is this, which, when dragged across the instrument's strings, micro-plucks said strings to make the vibration, and thusly, the sound. For more older types of folk instruments - those that use no rosin - this is true.

However, for the more modern types, it is the rosin (refined tree resins, such as those from pines) which creates the sound. How so? Well, it is a somewhat sticky substance, being made from tree sap, and so it sticks to the strings of the instrument, pulling them, and letting go - then sticking again, pulling, and letting go - then sticking again, pulling, then letting go.... a jillion micro instances in a row, as you draw the bow across the instrument's strings. It is this that creates the vibration, and thusly, the sound. The ridged quality of horse hair is simply exceptionally good at holding the rosin onto the bowstrings.

But it should be noted, that yes, it actually *IS* the ridges of the horse hair that does this on bows that use no rosin, as in some bowed folk instruments.

Anywho, back to dental floss - it should be the non-flavoured variety, and cotton. The weave of this also serves quite well at holding rosin. As an experimental piece, or one you might utilize to bow some strings on a few projects as they are being made to check for sound, try this;

Take a wooden dowel (or willow shoot, or long twig/branchlet, if you are good at whittling and feeling a little adventurous), and cut a slot into both ends - take a few strands, 5-7 or so, of the dental floss, a couple inches shorter than the dowel, and knot at both ends. Bending the dowel carefully, so as not to break it, place each end of the floss bundle into the slotted ends of the dowel, so that the floss bundle's end knots hold it in place. Finally, rub some rosin onto the bow.

Based on this crude example, we can learn how and why a violin bow works the way it does.

That's all for today's post - seeya next time!

- Falls-Down-Laughing ^_^

- strings -