newbie question. How do I apply Pops rosin?

[WarsD4]

I've used the hard small bars of rosin in the past, and used a paper clip to scratch the bar to create a powder that I ran my bow over.

Pops isn't like this. Am I supposed to scratch the rosin to create a powder? This doesn't seem to work. The rosin is too gooey and soft. Or am I supposed to just run the bow over the cake as is?

Also, it came in a paper cup. I assume I'm supposed to tear away the paper? I don't see how else I could get to the rosin otherwise. Especially once it starts to wear down.

Thanks all!

[EricAlbion]

first, a paper cup? I have only seen it in the red plastic container. If you mean the paper covering inside the plastic, then yes you can peel that off, just remember to return it to the plastic case after each use.

Pops is rubbed directly onto the bow. The way I was taught was to let it sit in the pops container until the bottom molds into a nice crisp edge. The rosin will appear to be stuck in the jar, just squeeze the sides to get it unstuck. Then you want to gently, one or two times, pull a nice crisp corner of that bottom edge along the bow. You will start to create a flat spot in the rosin, and I was instructed to store the pops with this flat spot facing up in the jar, and to always go back to that flat spot.

I am an amateur myself, so please help me fill in any information I either missed or got completely wrong.

[WarsD4]

Thanks for the quick reply.

And yeah, it's in the red plastic container, I just meant the paper that came on the rosin itself...

But I'll try what you suggested, and just use a flat edge. I noticed last night that that seemed like an ideal place to use, but it was kinda tough to tell if I was getting anything on the bow. It makes a loud squeek-like sound when I run the bow directly over it, so I wasn't sure if I was doing it right.

[sirero]

1. grab and hold bow vertically
2. hold rosin(sans plastic cup) straight up and down so the edge you will be drawing rosin from is on a side that is facing up
4. bring the rosin into contact with the hair around the frog
5. Down bow with vigour
6. Go back to step 5.

[Marton]

^And be careful, Pops is sticky as hell, don't put too much or it will mess your hair.

[Bill Bentgen]

EricAlbion is right on.

Loosen the paper and fold it down so the rosin is exposed on the sides.

Draw the bow LIGHTLY on the top corner edge of the rosin from the edge towards the center of the cake. You only need to use down-bows. The rosin will even out after you play for 30 seconds.

Repeat as often as necessary. I do it usually 4 or 5 times.

You will see the rosin being removed from the cake as the friction heats it up.

Doing it this way for any rosin has the following advantages:

It keeps the rosin from chipping off.

It keeps hair from breaking off.

You can more easily regulate the amount of rosin going on the hair.

The rosin is spread more evenly on the hair.

I also just remove the paper permanently and store the bare rosin in the red plastic cup. When the rosin melts from the heat, it forms it into a nice cake instead of getting all snarled up in the paper. Just squeezing the cup breaks it free and it pops (get it?) out. You can use the cloth you use to wipe off your bass to hold the rosin cake if you're squeemish about holding the bare cake with your bare hands.

[WarsD4]

you guys rock. Thanks so much for the help....

P.S. I can already tell a big difference using the Pops over the old stuff. My bowing is more fluid and it takes less energy to produce a good solid sound.

[Phil Rowan]

The key to using Pops is to use it sparingly.. I use fresh cakes pretty often (thanks bassrosin.com!), and with 2 or 3 swipes I'm good to go.

[NevilleLeck]

Thanks so much for the help....