So the violin makes the sound when played with a bow..the all important middle ingredient is rosin to provide the slip-grip-slip sawtooth type excitation of the string. And its here in this micro-nano interaction that you tone can be created or decimated. One of the important factors is the rosin you use…especially in Queensland where our weather plays havoc with bow hair through moisture adsorption and retention and the properties of rosin at different tensions as well.
When you are starting out it doesn’t make too much difference what rosin you are using even than e-bay stuff will get you by. But as you progress to better instruments, bows and make personalised string selections the rosin you choose can facilitate you tone quite a bit. A cake of rosin starts around $10 and goes up from there…and lasts a really long time – so its worth spending a bit more if it supports you sound.
Soft and sticky for pulling big tone on heavy strings (particularly cello and viola) is the order of the day, but you need to balance this with bite and crispness to get the nuance of the upper order harmonics especially in the upper registers. I keep a range of rosins that I have found work well and am still experimenting with others.
Entry level student rosin for around $10 do well (don’t buy cheaper) and above that $25-$50 has some very nice rosins with different additives that can help achieve your tonal objectives, smooth, crisp, bite or attack on a note, big projection etc. String makers like Pirastro have rosins tailored for each different string that they sell as a matched set. I suspect some of it it marketing – but there are some real differences as well. Generally I stock student rosins, Hidersine rosins as well as some pirastro and Cecilica rosins.
Personally i am currently using Evah-Oliv rosin from Pirastro on my expressive bow and Cecilia Solo for my chopping/power bow
So check me out next time you are looking for rosin.