How To Take Care of a Viola Bow

As I promised last week, here are some of my favorite bow mportant and absolutely worth repeated reading:
​care tips that I’ve learned from my amazing bow maker - Peg Baumgartel.

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Now, I know that you’ve seen these before, but they are super important.

1. Always listen to tension on your bow when you're done playing
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2. Always listen to tension on your bow when you've shipped the bow or traveled by air with it: your bow will be extra loose (and your string tension will be loosened as well). This is because of the extremely dry air on airplanes.
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3. Use a washable, microfiber, or other soft cloth to wipe your bow stick, frog, and button each time you're done playing. This protects the pearl and other finishes from moisture and rosin buildup. Pearl is becoming a scarce commodity so it's easily preserved for far longer with that simple practice.
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4. As soon as your thumb leather is worn down to the stick, replace it immediately. This way you don't wear a divot in the bow's handle. Deep thumb divots in bow handles structurally compromise the bow.
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5. Don't mix various rosins on the same hair as not all rosins are compatible (like metallic salt rosins with regular rosin.) If you do, you may end up with gritty sounding or slippery hair. Don’t blame the hair! It’s the rosin mixing that's at fault. Your Bow Maker will know how to wash the hair with alcohol to remove the excess rosin combos so you can start with clean hair. After that, only use a single rosin.
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6. If you break hair on one side of the bow, get it repaired immediately as uneven tension can warp a bow stick overtime.
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7. Do not allow your frog to wobble from side to side on the bow handle. This will cause the frog to crack along the channel where the thumb rest is (next to the bow's handle.) This cracking devalues and structurally compromises your bow. Ask your Bow Maker to check your eyelet adjustment.
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8. Don't applaud with your bow by tapping on the music stand. A bow's head is delicate and under tension when tightened, so tapping can lead to damage or breakage.

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Any tips that I missed? Email me at mick@theviolapro.com and let me know! I’m always learning! School is never out for the pro!