Why is my violin bow hair breaking

The bow hair on a violin bow usually consists of some 150 to 170 strands, so if individual hairs become loose or tear, there is no need to have the violin bow rehaired right away. This is a normal sign of wear and tear and has no effect whatsoever on the playing characteristics of the bow.

1. What causes violin bow hair to break?
2. How do you fix the hair on a violin bow?
3. How often do violin bows break?
4. What's wrong with my violin bow?

What causes violin bow hair to break?

When the environment gets very dry, the bow hair will shorten. This is actually more hazardous for the bow than the hair being too long, because shorter bow hair puts an undue amount of stress on the tip of the bow. This, if it gets short enough or stays that way long enough, will break the tip of your bow right off!

How do you fix the hair on a violin bow?

Tips for Rehairing a Bow

1. Inspect the stick.
2. Cut out the hair leaving about 4 inches at each end.
3. Clean the metal of the frog and the button.
4. Clean the winding.
5. Glue the thumb grip if it's loose.
6. Remove the tip block.
7. Clean the stick.
8. If necessary adjust how snug the frog fits on the stick.

How often do violin bows break?

In general, luthiers tend to recommend getting a bow rehair about every six months. But what people do in practice can be quite different. Those who play a lot might get it re-haired every three months. But if it's still sounding good, others might stretch it out quite a bit longer.

What's wrong with my violin bow?

If the bow does not slide easily and produces no sound or only a faint, thin sound, then the bow hair does not have enough rosin. But if the bow is very scratchy, then it may have gotten too much rosin. ... If there is some rosin sticking to the thumb nail, then there currently is enough rosin on the hair.