Possible New Violin Bow and Forgetting My Pants
I have been on the look out for another general purpose Baroque violin bow for a while now... I have a really nice one that I got about 25 years ago... and at that time, it was supposed to be in a risky condition due to a small crack and a misaligned screw head... but apart from needing to redo the screw eye every five to ten years at a random time of the bow's choosing... it has stayed alive and done everything that I have asked of it! In that time it has paired with about 5 different violins... and it has worked perfectly with all of them. Fast, agile, clear, and resonant... well balanced for my taste in the hand, it fits my desires perfectly! It is the longer bow in the violin section in the photo above...
... but the feeling that each concert could be its last is starting to get to me... but it is really hard to replace with something that is at least equally good as a general purpose bow. And what do I mean by general purpose... well, something that is pretty damn good for most types of music from the Baroque and early Classical eras. I do have some more specialist bows that are better for some specific types of music... but that isn't what I'm after.
And I've had other people try this bow... and they have universally loved it! Or at least, that is what they say to my face!
Anyway, I have recently had a few bows shown to me... and there is this particular bow (the one above my one...)... made in South America, Brazil I think, it is a slightly shorter bow, and equally fast in response and clarity. It is a touch lighter (a few grams at best...) ... but due to the size difference, the balance is slightly more into the hand which gives it more agility at the cost of being able to hold the string easily.... I'm up in the air about that (ha ha...).... anyway, the sound quality of the bow is definitely what I'm after... so, this might be a keeper.
I'll test it against a few more bows that I'm trying from the same maker as my own one... these things can vary quite a bit... so there is no guarantee that these other bows will be the same as mine... there are three.. two seem to be a similar model with similar fluting of the stick... and the other is completely different.
... I wonder if my wife will let me walk away with more than one bow?
And when I packed for this tour... I stupidly did the packing in two sessions on either side of a family dinner. Which meant that when I went to double check for my concert clothes this morning... well, I forgot to bring my jacket and pants. Sigh... those are sort of necessary... well, the jacket a little less so, but the pants are quite desirable.
... I could ask to borrow some, but I'm small and it is just easier to go down into the city and get myself some cheap ones from Uniqlo. And at least I'll be able to reuse them... but I fear that my wife will say that it is coming out of my bow fund... boohoo!!!
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What makes different bows better for different kinds of music? Is it just the strings or some other aspect? Good luck finding some pants!
Heh... where to start... everything alters the way it "drives" and sounds! Different music has different demands, and although it is definitely possible to do anything with any bow given enough training and skill... well, the right tools for the right job always makes things a lot easier!
On the physical construction side: different wood types, cambers in the bending, width of hair, type of hair, different styles of construction (fluting or not), different methods of fastening the hair (screw or clip)...
On the "finished" side: different weights, different balance points, different distribution of weights through the bow length, the exact method and application of carving and bending....
That's just off the top of my head! Each bow is quite individual in sound and response, even if they are the same maker and otherwise very similar with every other quantifiable measure... little things aren't exactly the same (down to the wood graining) and that alters things enough for someone to notice in the hand!
That makes a lot of sense! Very interesting!
excelente post, se nota que sabes mucho de tu instrumento. es dificil remplazar un arco que te a acompañado por 25 años pero ese que mencionas parece una gran opcion, ojala no te descuenten los pantalones del fondo para el arco jaja.. mucha suerte en el tour!
Excellent post, it's clear you know a lot about your instrument. It's hard to replace a bow that has been with you for 25 years but the one you mention seems like a great option. Hopefully they don't deduct the pants from your bow fund haha. Good luck on the tour!