rosin on strings

[r.t.swing]

Sorry if this seems a dumb question but as I am now making inroads into using the bow, how does one clean the rosin off the strings when done.

[uprightben]

Wipe it off with a little rubbung alcohol on a rag, don't get the alcohol on the body.

[Herbie 80's]

You don't really need to. My teacher and I let it build up on there. His strings have eight years of rosin on there. Still always sounds phenomenal.

[Andrew McGregor]

Just wipe off any loose stuff with a dry rag (off the bridge, fingerboard and top of the bass as well), leave the rest on there.

[bigolbassguy]

I never wipe it off the strings either, with the occasional exception of the G where I like to stop the string beyond recommended limits when soloing with the bow. If you're bowing below the fingerboard like you should be, keeping the rosin is actually a good thing and doesn't interfere with pizz.

[Les Fret]

Originally Posted by Herbie 80's

You don't really need to. My teacher and I let it build up on there. His strings have eight years of rosin on there. Still always sounds phenomenal.

That's strange. My teacher advises me to wipe off the rosin each practice session. He is a pro orchestral player.
I wipe it off with a yellow cleaning cloth, you can buy it in any super market.

When playing high arco harmonics beyond the fingerboard (for example in the Dragonetti concerto) I sometimes have the problem that my left hand fingers get sticky from the rosin. I don't think there is something you can do about it.

[Herbie 80's]

My teacher is a pro orchestral player too. Done gigs with Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, Toronto Symphony, etc,.

I think it's mostly personal taste. I like to have the familiar feeling of rosin already on the strings. I use to wipe it off all the time, but the bag does that for me, too.

[George700DL]

Originally Posted by Herbie 80's

My teacher is a pro orchestral player too. Done gigs with Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, Toronto Symphony, etc,.

I think it's mostly personal taste. I like to have the familiar feeling of rosin already on the strings. I use to wipe it off all the time, but the bag does that for me, too.

I clean the strings once in a blue moon...

[Herbie 80's]

Wow! That's the obvious time to clean the rosin off the strings (and instrument).

[George700DL]

Originally Posted by Herbie 80's

Wow! That's the obvious time to clean the rosin off the strings (and instrument).

I'll get to it...

[chris1125]

I like to use steel wool to clean the strings... Does the great job of alchohol without the danger of ruining your varnish

[Jluvial]

I never leave rosin on my instrument, and especially not my strings. One of the best purchases I've made recently is a pack of microfiber cleaning cloths from Home Depot. Just take the cloth and wrap it around the string firmly with your finger tips, then rub up and down strongly. As long as you do it after every session you shouldn't need alcohol or anything. Also wipe the body, neck, and bridge if there's any there.

[Don Higdon]

Originally Posted by chris1125

I like to use steel wool to clean the strings... Does the great job of alchohol without the danger of ruining your varnish

My section mate said that his teacher, Eugene Levinson, told him to use a copper 'Brillo' pad. I tried it; the copper is softer than a steel wool pad.

[JtheJazzMan]

I cant leave rosin on for even a couple of days. Even soft rosin dries and forms a residue which ruins the feel and grip for me.

[iplaybassbadly]

One of my sweaters was ruined with rosin. We put our basses away in a cabinet with a rubber floor mat on the bottom and I put a sweater in the cabinet and when I came back the sweater was underneath a bass and stuck to the mat with melted sticky rosin.
Damn those beginning strings.