Double Bass Bow length

[Andy Mopley]

What are the relative merits / disadvantages of a shorter bow, specifically a French bow?
From what I can gather their range is 60 cm (24") to 75 cm (30"). The one I have is 72 cm.

Thank you

 

[Eric Swanson]

What are the relative merits / disadvantages of a shorter bow, specifically a French bow?
From what I can gather their range is 60 cm (24") to 75 cm (30"). The one I have is 72 cm.

Thank you

Not an expert, but what I gather is that "shorter" makes it easier for us to cross strings, because we are waving around less bow. "Longer" can seem appealing for getting out a lot of notes per bow, or playing long tones, but after a certain point, can make fast crossings harder.

Of course, length is just one of many factors; a short, badly-balanced bow would feel more awkward in string crossings than a longer, well-balanced one, etc...

 

[groooooove]

i can't say specifically what it is about a short bow..

the best bow i ever played on, was an unmarked french stick that my first teacher owned since the 50s. it was quite heavy, and very short. pulled a huge sound and felt great. now i play on a metropolitan- i love that bow for all the obvious carbon fiber reasons, but would jump at the chance to buy any well balanced shorter bow with weight to it.

i always feel like i'm a small minority with this bow preferance, though.

 

[Andy Mopley]

Thanks - I actually tried a shorter bow at the weekend which kind of felt somewhat more "manageable", and easier to bow. There may have been other influencing factors, as noted by Eric, but the difference in length was, at face value, the most noticeable...

 

[Jon Stefaniak]

All other things being equal, shorter bows will tend to be easier to control (being shorter also makes the bow lighter than it would have been). Longer bows obviously have more playing hair length.

I think it is much harder to make an unusually long bow that plays well at the tip. Some players have a preference for these longer bows. František Pošta used very long bows by Milan Oubrecht. I am not much of a German bow players but I found the Oubrecht bow I tried to be strange, and the added inch or so of hair didn't make up for the way the foreign feeling in the upper half.
I've also played a comically short Peccate, and while it was awesome for staccato notes, it was far to short for a lot of the playing we do now.

I say, if you are shopping, don't venture too far outside of the normal dimensions.
For French, 66-68cm (stick not counting the button) and between 130-140g. This range could be extended to 125-145, but you get the idea. You don't need to get out a tape measure and a scale when shopping, just know your own bow for comparison.
I would warn against getting something really long, or short or light or heavy. You should be looking for a good compromise of features that will be usable and help you grow as a player without getting in the way.

 

[Jon Stefaniak]

I would add that there are superb bows out there that fall outside of the norm. The best bow I ever tried was a Vigneron that weighed around 150. I think Hal Robinson's Lipkins bow (named "Weapon") is close to 150g. I tried Sue's own bow that was about 150, and it sounded great. In his video, Rabbath says not more than 135g for control and spiccato.
The wonderful Sartorys I've seen tend to be on the short side. My teacher preferred longer bows.

I don't know how helpful this is. Play for a while on a bow that's too short or too heavy etc. And you will understand the drawbacks for yourself.