Bowhair tension

[Michael Binder]

Hi guys.
I would like to know how much you tense your bow hair?
I saw a lot from nearly nothing to very tense.
Is it depending on which kind of strings you are using or not?
Thanks,Mike.

[shostkontrabass]

I tighten the bow enough so that the hair almost touches the stick when I put a good amount (fortissimo) of pressure on it. I think you'll find that this is the standard for most players, especially orchestral. It's tight enough to give the bow a lot of springiness, and not so loose that you are constantly playing with the hair on the stick.

[Silversorcerer]

Originally Posted by shostkontrabass

I tighten the bow enough so that the hair almost touches the stick when I put a good amount (fortissimo) of pressure on it. I think you'll find that this is the standard for most players, especially orchestral. It's tight enough to give the bow a lot of springiness, and not so loose that you are constantly playing with the hair on the stick.

+1, The very same rule of thumb was suggested by my teacher.

[MisterBeagle]

I think you'll find that this is the standard for most players, especially orchestral. It's tight enough to give the bow a lot of springiness, and not so loose that you are constantly playing with the hair on the stick.[/quote]

Is this for both German and French?

[shostkontrabass]

I play French, but most German players I know follow this rule to some degree, the difference being how far the hair is from the stick as it reaches the frog. I general: if you over-tighten, you'll likely get the "ice-skating" effect, whereas if you under-tighten you will likely not get much sound. It just makes sense to keep it somewhere in the middle, and the rule I mentioned before seems like a good one to follow.

[Don Higdon]

Originally Posted by shostkontrabass

whereas if you under-tighten you will likely not get much sound.

My experience is the opposite. I watched Lew Paer trying out a bass and noticed how very slack his bow hair was. His sound was extraordinary. Naturally, I tried the same thing when I got home, The sound on Olivs was huge. More of the hair was in contact with the string, so I could use less rosin and hear the bow instead of hearing the rosin. Much more pleasant. There are negatives - spicato is a bear, and accidental double stops can happen (for me, not for someone like Lew).