Viola, Cello and Violin Bows, Bow Bugs and Bad Hair Days

Tiny, bow hair-eating bugs really exist and they can wreak costly harm to violin, viola and cello bows. Save yourself aggravation and money by following these preventive steps.

Almost all decomposition is actually the work of small bugs and microorganisms. That includes the unfortunate destruction of the hairs of cello, viola and violin bows, the work of millimeter-size bugs known as dermestidae or “skin beetles.”

You’ll know them by their “work” - the evidence of a bow hair bug infestation is when bow hairs on violins unaccountably break. This can happen to the hairs of viola and cello bows as well. It’s not that these types of bugs (there are between 500 and 700 separate species worldwide) are music haters. They simply prefer to eat dry organic material, from plants and animals, which includes skin, animal hair, feathers, and natural fibers. That includes horsehair, the material used in most bows of string instruments (lower quality bows use nylon or other synthetic material).

Unfortunately, their food source on instrument bows isn’t limited to bow hair. The same bug has been known to damage the frogs on fine bows by consuming both tortoiseshell and ivory. They can also eat whalebone wraps on the bow grip.

You will naturally turn to your local violin shop for advice if this happens. Unless you know how to string horsehair yourself, you have little choice but to have a skilled craftsman do that for you. But that’s addressing a symptom, not the problem - and it will happen again if you don’t find the little bugs and banish them to as far away from your bow as possible.

The facts are that these dermestidae find violin cases a perfect home. It’s a dark place most of the time and evidently the horsehairs provide them with a delicious meal.

If your violin “lives” most of its life in a human-occupied home, it’s almost inevitable they will find their way into your violin case (our homes are host to thousands of species and billions, possibly trillions, of bugs and other microorganisms, many of which are beneficial).

Fortunately, there are a number of relatively easy steps one might take to keep them at bay, protect your bow, and reduce the number of visits you make to your preferred violin shop:

1. Breathing and sunshine exposure - Air and light, sunshine in particular, are what the bow bugs fear most. So open up the case, remove the bow and violin and allow each a few days of exposure.

2. Vacuum your case - The bugs leave their larvae (offspring) in nooks and crannies that might escape the air and light. But a good nozzle vacuuming will remove most if not all of them.

3. Repair/replace your bow - If your bow is already suffering from bow bug damage, it will be necessary to replace the bow hair. Your violin shop will or should be able to recognize when a repair or replacement is due to bow bugs.

4. Replace the case? - Particularly if it’s an old case that hasn’t been opened in a while, it might be a good idea to start over (while having the bow repaired) with a new case. But be forewarned, there are always bow bugs looking for new places to inhabit.

5. Store the bow outside the case? - In a situation of uncertainty about bow bugs living in your case, it might make sense to store the bow in a light, airy location until you can resolve what’s happening inside the case.

6. Kill them with sweet scents (not pesticides) - Essential oils such as rosemary oil, cedar oil, or cedar wood and cake of camphor, can be placed inside the case to repel bow bugs. Mothballs are believed to be harmful to human health, and pesticides might hurt the instrument.

Perhaps one additional piece of advice is simply to play long and often. Making music with your stringed instrument brings more light and air to the instrument overall. The fiddler on the roof knew what he was doing!

Bow Rosin: How to Choose the Right Rosin for You

The friction created by rosin is essential for playing all bowed stringed instruments such as violins. But the choices of types and brands are varied and vast.

There are quite a few questions - and unresolved matters of opinion - on the technical matter of rosin use on violin, viola and cello bows. It’s common for beginning, intermediate and advanced players to ask, “Which rosin is right for me?” Unfortunately, there is no single or simple correct answer.

The reason for this is there are too many variables. A concertmaster from Helsinki might need entirely different rosin for performing in Havana - because of the effect of temperature and humidity on the substance. A violinist may be comfortable with one type of rosin early in their training then switch to a different rosin later because he or she discovers they get a different, richer sound as a result of the new rosin.

For the most part, finding the rosin for your stringed instrument bow is a matter of trial and error - and, personal preference. A rule of thumb is that the larger the instrument, the softer the rosin; so the rosin for a violin bow would likely not be ideal for a cello. At most violin shops - brick and mortar or online - you will find rosin made specifically for specific instrument bows.

Consult first with your teacher, and second with your local violin shop, if you are a new violinist or are unhappy with the rosin you are using. They should be able to provide specific ideas for you to try, depending on your instrument and the sound you wish to produce.

That said, understanding the very nature of rosins is going to make you better able to understand what to expect from what is essentially tree resin. Called colophony or Greek pitch, rosin is a sap derived mostly from conifer trees.

As a product of nature, it comes with variations. Rosins from Indonesia, China and Vietnam - where the majority of rosins originate - are from Pinus massoniana and P. Elliottii (Masson’s Pine and Slash Pine, respectively). Rosins sourced in the Americas are from Pinus palustris (Longleaf Pine) and P. taeda (Loblolly Pine). Mexican rosin is likely from one of several pine varieties. European rosin is from P. pinaster (Maritime Pine) or P. sylvestris (Scots Pine) or P. halepensis (Aleppo Pine).

The point to be made regarding these different sources is that with so many different types of conifer trees, differences between one tree and another, and one season from another, the product is not unlike grapes to the winemaker. There will be subtle differences even within one rosin manufacturer’s brand.

Some instrumentalists will opt for “all natural” rosins, although that’s slightly misleading in that there are no absolutely “pure” rosins. Some have additives (including tiny amounts of gold, silver, essential oils, powders, and gums). But even those without additives have naturally occurring impurities.

In some cases, the violinist or cellist might have an allergic reaction to the dusty nature of rosin. Antihistamines are a way to fight that; for the medicine-averse, frequent hand washing and cleaning of the instrument is recommended.

Bottom line: Get to know which rosin works best for you (with objective assessment from your instructor). And if traveling to a different environment, where humidity and temperatures can be different, plan to spend a day or two in advance of performing to test out rosins that other players there recommend to you.

Student Instruments: When You Should Rent, and When You Should Buy

Studying a stringed instrument like a violin, viola or cello can be pricey. The decision to rent or buy largely depends on the student’s age and commitment.

Adults who enjoy being musicians by and large were enthusiastic about studying their instrument as children. They may not stay with the instrument they started on - how many bassoonists started with the clarinet, or percussionists with the piano? - but for the most part it was exciting to start the process of learning how to play.

For every confirmed instrumentalist, however, there are a multiple of dropouts. This is a major reason why parents are hesitant to invest in a musical instrument, at least in the beginning stages of study. When it comes to violins that is even more the case because violins come in nine graduated sizes, starting with the 1/8 size for arms 16 inches long; the largest (adult) size, the 4/4, is for arms 23 inches in length. This is a practical necessity of playing, as the size of the instrument has to be easy and comfortable for the musician.

Still, even those student size violins can be costly. As with children’s clothing, they will outgrow it in a year or two. Cello, viola and violin rentals are usually available at most local violin shops, which also provide instrument sales for students and beginners.

If the beginning player is a child, it probably makes sense to rent, particularly if the violinist-to-be is not yet committed to the instrument. Rental violins are typically used instruments maintained by the local violin shop. Enlist a professional - either a local violinmaker or the child’s teacher - in choosing an instrument that will inspire the student to enjoy study, practice, and performing.

It’s important to note, however, that higher quality instruments - those crafted with higher quality wood and fitted with better accessories - sound better and are easier to play than cheaper instruments. For a young violinist, then, once his or her commitment to the violin is confirmed, it makes better sense to invest in a better sounding, higher quality violin.

Though some violin shops may encourage parents to “rent through the sizes,” it may not make financial sense to do so. In many cases the cost of purchasing can be at about at par with the cost of renting for about a year. Even smaller-than-full-sized violins hold their value and those parents that purchase smaller violins for their growing and developing player have the option of trading in smaller violins for larger violins, lesser quality violins for more fine instruments.

This is a time, after all, when a love for music and playing can be very strong for the student who has proven they have the discipline, talent, and heart for it. Therefore, it’s a time to get serious about committing to an instrument as well. It needn’t be a new instrument. In many cases, used instruments properly set up by the shop, can sound excellent and come with an excellent price tag.

Experts will tell you that there is a psychological advantage of purchasing an instrument for a child rather than renting one. A student who owns his or her own violin, viola or cello is more likely to practice and take lessons and commit to study long-term knowing the instrument is their very own.

Let us never forget, an instrument may take the player to college and beyond, or simply be the instrument they will cherish the rest of their lives in playing for special occasions, holidays, and friends. How much the instrumentalist and their family will or should pay for the instrument is a function of the degree of commitment and available resources. There is certainly a point when the price-value of a violin to the student becomes clearer.

The promising violinist may need to spend several thousands of dollars for the violin that matches his or her ability and ambitions. Before buying, do some talking: to teachers, to luthiers, and to other violinists. They may be able to offer good advice - and perhaps a lead on what you can afford or a violin financing plan that fits your budget.

Violins, Tuning Forks and 440 Concert Pitch

Being “off pitch” is more often a metaphor for poor communications. But with violins, oboes, and concertmasters, it hits on the science of music.

In a modern world, we expect everything to be standardized. With a few exceptions - the inability one encounters trying to plug American electrical devices into European outlets being one of them - a globalized economy and culture have more or less made the vast majority of tools and instruments interchangeable according to universal agreements and standards.

Another one of those exceptions might be the tuning of notes in Western culture music. Music is, after all, quite global. And yet going back decades and up to today, finding that perfect Concert A is elusive. Strike up a conversation on this topic in a violin shop populated by six people and you may well get six different viewpoints.

First, there is a scientific way of determining pitch, which conventional wisdom says is 440 hertz for the Concert A. That sounds pretty standard, right? Except the Concert A for non-transposing instruments (violins, violas, cellos, harp, flute, piano, and yes, the marimba, among others) is actually a different note for transposing instruments (double bass, piccolo, B-flat clarinet, contrabassoon, French horn, B-flat trumpet and, of course, the glockenspiel, among others). This is mostly a matter of semantics, but it also hints at the complexity of a single musical note.

That said, with the invention of the tuning fork, and standardizing it to sound waves (the 440 Hz), at least musicians, conductors and full orchestras could at least know what that standard pitch would be - right? Well, not exactly. Science and art rarely meld perfectly. You could say they aren’t in concert. The disagreements or inconsistencies of tuning forks go back almost 100 years, possibly more:

• Invented in 1711 by British musician John Shore, the tuning fork produced the first pure tone (technically superior to a stringed instrument because it has much less of an overtone that would override or muddle the perception of the fundamental note). The forked shape, with parallel tines, converges at the base while the handle is connected to a resonance box, which amplifies the sound. But air temperature can affect the frequency, so its use is set at 68 degrees F, or 20 degrees A. Which doesn’t necessary hold for outdoor July concerts in the Hollywood Bowl.

• The standard 440 Hz setting of tuning forks doesn’t get full agreement with everyone. Reportedly, the Boston Symphony Orchestra is set to 444 Hz, the New York Philharmonic to 443 Hz, and the Berlin Philharmonic 445 Hz. Some solo violinists intentionally tune at a number above the orchestra’s 440 Hz, around 442 Hz for example, to create a slightly brighter sound.

• And which instrument tunes to the tuning fork before tuning the entire orchestra: the concertmaster violin or the oboe? In a concert band/wind ensemble, the absence of all strings defaults this responsibility to the oboe, the principal (first chair) clarinet, or sometimes the principal flute or saxophone. But in an orchestra, it is not uncommon for the concertmaster violinist to cue each section to its Concert A. Still, the oboe is more often than not the instrument by which all others find their pitch.

Alas, the familiar metal tuning fork itself is slowly giving way to electronic versions thereof. The most accurate of these, the strobe tuner (using stroboscopes) is nonetheless expensive and temperamental, with moving parts that tend to require service and repairs. Only the luthiers making and repairing the finest instruments have access to these.

Violinmaking: Why Bosnian Maple Wood is King

Legendary violins are made of Bosnian wood grown hundreds of years ago. But can modern luthiers replicate what Stradivari had available to him?

The extraordinary sound of the fine violins, violas and cellos made by the legendary luthiers Antonio Stradivari (1644-1737) and Guiseppe Guarneri (1698-1744) is attributed to many factors. Workmanship is of course at the top of the list. So too are the geometrics of form, solid joints, scrollwork detail, symmetry, and a flush fitting bridge - to name a few critical details.

But the most obvious feature that Stradivari, et al. employed was the wood - a Bosnian maple that remains today the preferred material for fine instrument making. The characteristics of Bosnian maple - referred to as tonewoods, as is also the northern Italian spruce that is often used together with Bosnian maple - are the subject of centuries of speculation between violinmakers and their many devotees.

The Bosnian maple tree itself is native to mountainous southern Europe. A violin maker in the 17th century may have had an extra advantage at crafting a fine stringed instrument due to climatic conditions at the time - and perhaps an unwitting assist from foresters who harvested the wood.

The time period that falls roughly from the 16th to the 19th centuries is referred to as “the Little Ice Age.” This cooler period, marked by larger glaciers and poor crop yields, bore one possible benefit: the Bosnian maples, and other trees as well, were more dense, as measured by tree rings. In theory, this contributed to the enduring superlative sound of a Stradivarius instrument.

The role of the foresters might sound apocryphal (if not slightly romantic, where the brutish lumbermen are somehow collaborators with the likes of Tchiakovsky), but research conducted in 2015 seems to indicate a chemical processing of the wood contributed to its excellence. The study used five different analytical techniques to assess tiny shavings of wood from two Stradivarius cellos, two violins as well from the master luthier, and a violin made by Guarneri.

The findings were that both luthiers, who were working at roughly the same time, used wood that had been treated with something containing aluminum, calcium, copper and other elements. Why? Other wood used to build furniture at the time contains these same minerals. It appears a worm and possibly fungal infestation was affecting much of Europe at the time, and this treatment was used on Bosnian maple to ward off those pests.

There is no evidence that Stradivarius and Guarneri were aware of this. The study was published in 2016 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

With or without worms, fungi, and chemical treatment, Bosnian wood remains an honored component of contemporary violin making.

Professionals engaged today in silviculture (tree farming) may not be aware of this use. But as a horticultural industry guidebook on various tree cultivars says about Bosnian maples, “Perhaps the greatest asset of a Bosnian maple is its poise…cool green spring foliage on a vase-shaped form that would make it one of the best specimens in any garden.”

It’s not at all hard to imagine a string quartet playing Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” in such a garden. Bosnian wood has beauty in all phases of its lifecycle.

The Study: Do Modern Violins Measure Up to Strads?

Double-blind tests in 2014 found newer violins have a preferred sound, shocking many. But it’s music to the ears of violinists with smaller budgets.

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and taste is on the tongue of the gourmand, is the sound of the sweetest violin only in the ear of a melophile, or “music lover”?

Each of these begs the question on superlatives: is there a “best” for everything? And since the time of Antonio Stradivari (1644-1737), luthier of the eponymous Stradivarius, it’s been a matter of conventional wisdom that his fine violins were in fact the best of the best. But are they? Two recent double-blind tests suggest that may not be the case after all.

First, a little background: Craftsmanship, woods available at the time (density differentials, perhaps due to colder weather conditions when the source trees were growing), varnishes made of egg white, honey, and gum arabic ... all are thought to have contributed to the quality and mystique of the fine cellos, violas and violins Stradivari crafted. Most recent auctions of individual Strads have fetched in excess of $15 million. According to CMUSE, a music news and entertainment website, world-class violin soloists who play Stradivariuses include Anne-Sophie Mutter, Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Salvatore Accardo, Edvin Marton, and Anne Akiko Meyers. Famed cellist Yo Yo Ma plays a Stradivarius cello.

Tests comparing Stradivarius violins with newer top-quality violins were conducted under the direction of musical acoustician Claudia Fritz (Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris), violinmaker Joseph Curtin of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and their colleagues. The first was with six violins, three Strads and three top-quality modern violins. It was conducted in a hotel room in Vincennes, the suburb of Paris, by two violinists who wore modified welding goggles to prevent them from knowing if they were playing old or new instruments. Fifty-five listeners rated each instruments, and the outcome favored the new violins.

The first study met criticism - too small a sample, too few listeners, in a hotel room and not a concert hall - so the researchers expanded their study with a second test in 300-seat auditorium in New York City before an audience of 82 listeners. The outcome was the same: new violins beat the Strads. This study was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (“Listener evaluations of new and Old Italian violins,” Fritz, Curtin, et al, 2017).

One point made repeatedly by the listeners was about the instruments’ projection, the loudness of the sound. The newer violins won on that score, and the ratings for projection correlated with ratings for overall sound quality.

While this may tarnish (for some) the perception of Stradivariuses, it could be otherwise seen by the vast majority of violinists as a plus. Modern violins at modest prices might not be a compromise for virtuosos.

It also bears noting that double blind tests have debunked the differences between bargain-price wines and their $100-per-bottle cousins. And top chefs have been fooled with imitation crab, thinking it was the real thing.

The German violinist Christian Tetzlaff formerly played a Strad, but ditched it (well, not technically thrown in a ditch) for a violin made in 2002 by Stefan-Peter Greiner. Why? It doesn’t perform well for “big Romantic and 20th century concertos,” he says.

For Student Violins, Violas and Cellos, Proper Setup is Vital

It’s prudent for the budding musician to begin with a student-model instrument. But progress can be stunted if the violin isn’t properly setup by a professional.

There is a great deal of difference between a student violin, an intermediate violin, and a professional violin. It has to do with craftsmanship and the quality of materials, which of course translates into a sizeable difference in price. Same with student-grade cellos and violas.

Of course, even the greatest living violinists today were once students. Did they (or their parents) purchase or rent an instrument from a skilled violinmaker? Or were their first violins lower-cost, lower-grade instruments? Quite possible it was the latter. But what each probably had in common even in the birth of their musical careers was a proper setup for their student violins.

The reason violins - and violas, and cellos - need to be setup is simple: the mass-factory-produced brands are shipped to retailers and customers on ordinary boats, trains, and trucks. This might mean there is jostling in its transportation that can actually break joints. Some pieces have a tenuous connection to other parts, such as the soundpost, which is essentially a dowel that is wedged (no glue or other fastener) inside the violin and held in place by force of the strings that press down on the bridge.

Each instrument requires attention and fine-tuning before being played. A reputable violin shop should perform those fine adjustments. That shop should have experience in setups and repairs of instruments. A high quality setup by a trained luthier can dramatically improve the tone and playability of the instrument, making violins, violas and cellos sound better and, most importantly, easier to play.

Following are the key components of a student violin setup:

Fingerboard - The fingerboard needs to be securely glued to its neck, which can become loose in transit. It also has a precise concave surface that sometimes needs to be planed to the proper curve.

Soundpost - The master violinmakers call this the heart of the stringed instruments, partly because it is delicately placed inside the body of the violin and it greatly affects the tonal response. Maddeningly, there is not a standard place for it to go, with a range of about 5 millimeters differing distances from the bridge. The decision on where (i.e., to achieve what sound?) is typically made between a luthier and the musician.

Tuning pegs - Lower quality wood allows slippage of the pegs because it has a looser hold from less friction. Students as well as professionals need to control the tautness of the strings; peg paste (or soap) can be added to ease turning the tuning pegs.

Violin neck - Alas, a professional violin neck will be made with ebony but the lower cost instruments are black-stained wood of another (cheaper) type. Aged ebony is hard and holds its shape while stained wood can warp, resulting in a twist that throws the height of the strings off-kilter. In the worst cases, the net result of that is the instrument is very hard to play. The setup process returns the neck to the proper shape.

There are several other factors to be address in a setup: the violin bridge, its finish (which affects both appearance and tone), the tailpiece, and the top nut. If all this is dizzying to the aspiring student, just remember it may have been the same for a very young Itzhak Perlman too.