using a bow unconventionally

joninc · Post by **joninc** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 10:05 am

i don't really know where to post this but i thought some of you might have some thoughts on this. i got a bow for christmas and wanted to use it on cymbals and glocks, guitars etc....

any tips?

i bought some rosin last night but it really doesn't seem to "grab" or make any sound on guitar or glock right now.

what are the techniques for making things ring out more?

(i have no violin/cello string background)

smalldrums · Post by **smalldrums** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 10:25 am

ive been experimenting with bows and you have to really slap on a lot of that rosin shit on to get it to "grab" well. dont be afraid to apply a ton of it. also if you are using it on guitar it is a good idea to use covers on your pickups so the rosin doesnt get stuck in them.

ubertar · Post by **ubertar** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 10:25 am

For starters, try putting flatwound strings on the guitar. With cymbals and the like, you may have to rosin the hell out of the bow, and give the bow a bunch of passes on the cymbal for enough rosin to build up. You may need to try more than one type of rosin. Good luck!

Brett Siler · Post by **Brett Siler** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 10:31 am

Make it kinda tight when bow cymbals, a least thats what helped me. usually bow upward toward the ceiling is easier to generate the intial sound from cymbals, it sounds really creepy and cool.

With guitar you can only bow the two E strings or full cords, can't get any other individual strings. Use lots of rosen, or it will be hard to get a sound. It will make your strings kinda gummy though..

Bass guitar, same thing. It sounds very cello like!

joninc · Post by **joninc** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 1:14 pm

the rosin i have seems to be like a pretty hard little lump and i can't really tell if it's getting on the strings - i have been applying it for quite a while and seems to make little or no difference at all.

do i need a different type? should it feel tacky to touch? or are they typically hard?

JGriffin · Post by **JGriffin** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 1:19 pm

Bowed cymbals are a staple of horror-movie sound design, btw.

djimbe · Post by **djimbe** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 7:00 pm

I've had some better luck with bass (it was an MIJ P type) than any guitar. The rosin amount? You'll see it build up on strings, or see the powder on the pickguard. It's usually pretty hard stuff, rosin. Bow tightness and technique are a big part of making it work. I found it much easier than getting any useful sound out of a real violin, but I'm just a damn drummer so that don't mean much.

The tracks I did had the bass on an ironing board. They were mostly drone pads under the real songs. While I found getting a sound not that hard, the lack of an arched bridge made definition a challenge for a guy who's used to hitting his instrument with a stick.

We have a cowbell I made one midnight turn when I was learning how to weld. I was and always will be a crap welder. So the weld on this bell failed eventually. Now when you bow it, that cracked weld gets to vibrating and clapping together and it makes all sorts of cool overtones. Almost the Tuvan throat singer version of a cowbell.
So that's cool...

vorian · Post by **vorian** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 7:43 pm

Fresh rosin takes a while to start really getting on the bow. When the bow is rosined up well it should leave a little bit of dusty grit on whatever you're bowing. You'll be able to tell. It can take half an hour to an hour to break in the rosin. You can accelerate this somewhat by roughing up the surface by scraping, sanding, etc, but any way you cut it it'll take a while.

goatboy · Post by **goatboy** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 2:13 am

joninc wrote:the rosin i have seems to be like a pretty hard little lump and i can't really tell if it's getting on the strings - i have been applying it for quite a while and seems to make little or no difference at all.

do i need a different type? should it feel tacky to touch? or are they typically hard?

Once you break in the rosin it will work better. You can tell if it is on the bow as you should have enough that it you flick it, there will be a smoke of dust comes off.

Scodiddly · Post by **Scodiddly** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 5:30 am

If it's a new bow it'll take a more rosin than usual, too. Generally when I rosin up my bow (for upright bass) I'll go until until the sliding gets grabby and slightly sticky. Doing it fast helps warm up the surface of the rosin so it can transfer more easily.

Jay Reynolds · Post by **Jay Reynolds** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 6:43 am

Am I crazy, or have I seen people warm up their rosin with a lighter?

davepinkham · Post by **davepinkham** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 7:36 am

vorian wrote: You can accelerate this somewhat by roughing up the surface by scraping, sanding, etc, but any way you cut it it'll take a while.

a larger coin, like a quarter, is perfect for this. having flashbacks to middle school orchestra!

Colorblind · Post by **Colorblind** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 9:31 am

I was having trouble getting the rosin onto the bow, so I broke a tiny piece off, crushed it inside a folded sheet of paper, and applied it that way.

C

signorMars · Post by **signorMars** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 11:55 am

scratching it with a key works pretty well too.

GooberNumber9 · Post by **GooberNumber9** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 1:58 pm

InvalidInk wrote:With guitar you can only bow the two E strings or full cords, can't get any other individual strings.

Unless you have an LP or a similar guitar with a huge neck angle and high bridge. Or if you have a Steinberger with hardly any body. On most guitars the body gets in the way of angling the bow, on a Les Paul you can pretty much play all the strings indivdually with some practice and left-hand muting.

I always scratched up my new rosin with the metal bit on the bow that clamps down on the horsehair at the frog.

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using a bow unconventionally

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