What Every Violinist Needs To Know BEFORE purchasing, or having their bow rehaired.
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- Опубликовано: 1 дек 2023
- What every violinist needs to know about their bow. Answers to the questions you didn't even know to ask.
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Thanks again to Brian Cool.
Horse footage: Sharon Chetrit
Appassionato: Nono, Roie Shpigler
Presto: Adrian Berenguer
How fortunate we are to have such expertise and experience shared with us. Thank you, sir.
I am speechless at how kind you are to transfer the knowledge you gained over many years almost for free :)
"almost for free?" = Does that mean that you purchased a book? If so, thank you so much, and please leave a review on amazon. :)
@@kevinleeluthier yes sir, I'll do that ASAP
@@kevinleeluthierI purchased your book but I would have loved if there was a hard copy for them.
Before terrorists wiped out my publisher and distributer, there was an embossed leather edition. I'll have to look into at least a hard cover edition. Thank you so much for your comment and pointing this out. In the meantime, did you enjoy the trade paperback? The words are still the same. :)
Please keep posted. Most greatful!
one of the best bow vids i have seen for a long time. great detail!
I always enjoy your videos Kevin.
This was the most informative video I’ve ever seen on bows and rehairing. I watched a musician repair my bow once. He followed every rule!
Brilliant!
Thank you Richard Gaspar
Thank you for doing this! I NEEDED THIS BACK IN 1969. MUCH NEEDED PLEASE KEEP UP AND RUNNING WILL REFER BACK TO THIS. THE BOW IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE VIOLIN. OF COURSE THE BRIDGE STRINGS AND SOUND POST AS WELL AS TAIL PIECE ARE XRUCIAL.😅
It truly is amazing how much difference a fine bow makes on a fine violin, and matching them up properly. = Yes, there will be a video on this in the future. Thanks for your comment.!
I certainly enjoy your videos much more than some others. There are a few "luthiers" on youtube that resemble a master butcher using only his grandfathers old worn pocketknife.
Well, a person has to start somewhere: as long as they don't destroy something precious (another maker's work) along the way. :)
amazing thank you for the information
Can you do a bow rehairing tutorial? I am planning on doing it myself and your videos and wisdom as a violin luthier are my go to resource.
I will, yet it might be a while. These videos take so... much... time..., and making violins, violas and cellos is still my highest priority. :)
Dear GOODgoyim, you can do the repair yourself. I have repaired my greatgrandfathers bow about 15 years ago. All you need is good Siberian unbleached horse hair. Sealing wax and silk thread. You will also need maple scrap wood and a tea kettle. You steam the head of the bow untill the maple wedge is loose then pry it out with needle or pocket knife. Then steam the frog in the same area. Remove the hair plug as in first procedure. Allow the frog to dry overnight. Then take your silk thread and grab the end of the hank of horse hair tie it by half hitches about a dozen wraps but remember it has to be plugged by that chunk of maple. So keep the mass low so it will mold into the maitre at both ends. Plug the tip end into its socket in the head. Remember to have melted some sealing wax over the silk half hitches Then press it into the mortise with a file tang. Repeat same procedure for frog end. Slide the wedding band over the hank end. It's called the ferrule. Wedge a chip of maple into the ferrule. That's called the were. PUT some rabbit glue into the Gagan first. The hairs should have been dampend before all this. When you get all this done gently comb it and allow to air dry over night. As the hairs dry they will get shorter and take up the slack.that in a nut shell is how to repair your violin bow. It may take several awkward trys to get it right but eventually youl get it. Don't give up its doable and satisfying. Pluss your violin will be louder and grab the strings better. Recomend book called Basic String Repairs. Out of print. Good luck! Happy violining.😅
Thank you for such an informative video about the violin bow. I noticed my violin bow has the small crack you were mentioning in 3:36. Do you think the ivory needs to get replaced? Because my recent rehair is terrible as the hair breaks oddly frequently. I don’t know if this is somehow related to the ivory crack. But my bow is a quite valuable bow made in the early 1900s so I am afraid the replacement would decrease the value
Whether to replace the ivory or not is always a judgement call best made by the luthier/archetier.
As bad as this bow looked at 3:36, because the tip had been previously glued back together and the customer had to have this bow the same day, this actually is the rehaired bow shown at the end of the video.
The determining point is usually if the ivory is loose, how much risk there is of breaking the mortise if the bow is rehaired without the full support of the ivory, time and the value of the bow.
Hair breaking frequently is almost always from the quality of the hair.
The answer to your bow isn't simple, it depends upon its value, and the crack itself. It has probably already been devalued as much as it's going to be: as long as you have a reputable shop replace the tip properly (which might require certified or mastadon ivory, or bone, etc..)
Thanks for your questions and comment.
And what type of rosin??
@kevinleeluthier in the #8 major repairs segment would you say that the bow at the bottom of the photo can actually be repaired? I just had one break in this manner and a shop told me it was not fixable.
It's considered a major repair and it costs $200++, but it's definitely fixable and valuable bows are worth it. In fact the bow shown from 4:31 to 4:55 has this exact same repair. (Done many years ago by Stanley Hooper of SLC, Utah.) = He is the luthier who originally taught me how to rehair bows.
@kevinleeluthier the same shop 'offered' me a new bow for $1500 so $200 is worth it to me. May need to find a new luthier.
Don't judge them too harshly if you have been happy with their other work. There aren't a lot of luthiers or even archetiers who do this operation. The only problem is not telling you that it could be done and putting everything in perspective. Make sure not to "play" with the broken pieces or touch the two broken surfaces. The less the pieces are handled or pieced together, the greater chance of a success when you're done. :)
I'll still use them for basic maintenence as I've known them to be dependable for many years. Going to try to find someone around Tampa for the bigger repairs (or find someone I can ship it to). Any recommendations?
Really appreciate this. I've had problems here in Reno with the bow skating instead of gripping. I'm starting to think it's the quality of the hair. They use Mongolian now instead of Siberian hair. Is this an issue?
Short answer:
Quality is far more important than breed.
Long answer:
I will make a "How to Really Rehair a Violin Bow" video sometime, but in the meantime:
Arabian, Siberian, and Mongolian hair each have their own wonderful characteristics "IF" The hair is: white and unbleached, if it comes from a stallion (mares urinate on their tails), if the tail is wrapped, washed and pampered properly while growing, and IF the hair comes from a "quality" horse (this is the most important of all because horses' tails of the same breed can, and do vary "drastically"),
AND THEN "IF" the hair is sorted properly by the luthier/archetier doing the rehair. Even the finest tails in the world need about 30% of the hair sorted out, one by one, and almost no one does except in the finest shops. Thanks for watching!
What is an archetier? And could bow hair ever come from a very long mane?
I used to be a groom in a horse barn. I never had an issue with pee in a mares tail. The horses tails were brushed daily. But pastured mares probably have a lot of urine on them!
Archetier = a bow "maker," verses someone who simply rehairs and works on bows.
Part of the reason that fine bow hair is so expensive is that it does come from very long manes
= the ends are cut in order to have the very finest portion of the tail.@@nickiemcnichols5397
What alcohol should be used and which one not when cleaning the hairs?can one clean the hairs with alcohol if it has already rosin on it?
I use denatured alcohol to clean the bow hair. It is possible to clean the hair after it's had rosin, and I've done so in an emergency, but it's never as good afterward, and unless you're really thorough, it makes the hair brittle. Thanks for watching!
@@kevinleeluthierwhat do you think about using a soft toothbrush to even out the rosin?
A soft, extremely clean, toothbrush can be used to help remove and re-distribute rosin, especially from the frog area. = Yes, I need to do a proper maintenance of the bow video. :)
Is the violin used a generel term for string instruments? I’m a cellist …
I also make violas and cellos, yet after constantly saying "violins, violas and cellos" every other sentence, I eventually gave in and simply say "violins" unless I'm talking to a cellist, like yourself = Everything in this video also applies to viola and cellos bows. Thanks for pointing this out.
@@kevinleeluthierwhere do you build violins? Do you also make bows?
My shop is located about 130 miles Northeast of Las Vegas, in the desert outside the city limits of Leeds, Utah. (as mentioned in the book "Two Trees," I only consult and/or work on master instruments, and everything is by appointment only.
hey you dint mention a good shampoo and conditioner ha ha ha lol . joking of course . sorry i could not help myself .
What's up with all this report crap?
Bow hair is gotten from poor horses who are slaughtered in colder climate countries.
🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
Yes, "Poor" horses are used for "poor" rehairs, and this is what many shops use unfortunately. Fine pampered horses tails are used for fine rehairs, and the climate is important.
Thanks for your comment!