Double Bass Short bow for folk music

[kolera]

Hello, I came across on a bow in the pictures. What I was wondering is, I know that there aro short bows that are used in hungarian and Romanian music that look like this, and therefore I am considering purchasing it, but I am not sure about the overall shape, since there is no usual concave shape of the stick? If anyone has experience with these type of bows any kind of info would be appreciated.

 

[jj.833]

Subscribed. I'd be interested in your experience. I've seen folk players using 'weird' bows like yours. I remember they sometimes use 'weird' holds. I never was able to understand it, but it surely is interesting, and they often achieve very good and uncommond sound.

I've seen them playing with the bow tilted tip down (so that the hair doesn't move parallel to the strings), which perhaps might be because they commonly use double stops, so they could compensate for the ideal speed/placement mismatch... or perhaps just because they never cared for teachers.

Also, they often play all hairs at once, they don't start the tone with the bow tilted towards the strings.

Sadly, I know noone to ask about it. These musicians are very rare now. If I were to start searching, I'd probably try to contact Josko Broda, who I know was recording with real-to-bone folk players from Poland, Slovakia, perhaps Hungary. But I'm sure there must be other people like this, geographically closer to you.

 

[kolera]

Thank you. I will contact him. Its not mine, so I dont have any first hand experience, but it is for sale, at really low value, so I am going to contact the seller.

 

[LouisF]

This is the style of "classical" bass bows from the 18th century etc etc; sometimes called Dragonetti bows:

Classical bass bows | David Herman

 

[Sean Riddle]

Yeah this one in particular looks a lot like a Dragonetti bow or some other old Baroque style.

I do have a nylon hair bow made by the percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani that's similar to the bow you posted about. The lack of concave makes it really good for more percussive bowing articulations and projecting more intense sounds. The spicatto and ricochet on my Nakatani bow is really great.

 

[kolera]

This is the style of "classical" bass bows from the 18th century etc etc; sometimes called Dragonetti bows:

Classical bass bows | David Herman

Thank you. Only thing is that, according to the seller, bow is 66cm long and 127 grams, which is slightly smaller and lighter than suggested classical bows. Anyway, if its truth what Riddle says about spiccato and projection, I will definitly try it.

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

That’s not a Dragonetti, whose sticks curve out away from the hair. This bow looks either homespun, or is probably a late-1800s period bow from after the “shovelhead” era.

 

[Jon Stefaniak]

Not a dragonetti bow at all. I assume the picture is under tension. And that the stick is basically straight. Still, the frog is more or less modern looking, but with brass instead of nickel-silver or sterling ferrule... No underslide. Looks sort of like an amateur bowmaker's first or second attempt. Might sound ok, I have no idea.

You can see the reason why the ferrule is necessary on this bow by the way the hair is coming out of the frog... With an open frog, the hair would float up off the frog.

I would bet you'd be happier with that bow if someone added some camber to it... At least enough to straighten it when under tension.