FOR TSE ---> Very interesting. Just out of intuition I was immediately attracted to the dark one. That was before I even started reading your post and learned it was the one you use. My least favorite is the one on the right. Which makes me wonder -- since like @squishysquid I know squat about violins -- what are your criteria for choosing an instrument? What puts the one on the right in the running? Why isn't it a final selection? What is the difference between the two you were offered? What makes the one in the middle "inferior" -- and is that simply a personal preference ... or is there something objectively undesirable about it?
Also, I can see how a person might have a favorite violin (or any musical instrument.) But I never thought about having a favorite bow.
To me, that seems like one of those things you'd go pick up a new one at the drug store when the old one wore out. Like you get new batteries for your flashlight or the TV remote. Clearly though, they're not the same at all. (You even refurbish / recycle / repair your old bows ... instead of tossing them in the trash. See ... I learned something by reading this post, even though I'm left with even more questions.)
So ... I have questions. You have answers. Your turn.
Phew... simple questions with complex answers!... but I'll do the best I can!
Well, each violin has a pretty unique sound to begin with... also one that isn't the same all through the complete register from low to high and across the different strings. They also all have a different response to different styles of playing and technical demands. I guess, if you compare them to cars, there are different types of cars for different situations, and it mostly doesn't have much to do with the paint job on them!
Choosing an instrument can sometimes take quite some time... or conversely very little time! I have some instruments that I fell in love immediately, generally as they had qualities that suited my style of playing quite well (tending to fast response with bright sound on the violins). Others, like the dark one in the photo, are good for me because they temper my personal playing style (it is a very dark and deep sound), in the way that two people with different strengths make up for each other's weaknesses to make a more formidable team.
In the case of this particular violin (on the right...), there were many things that I enjoyed about the instrument (it is really a very good one!), but there were things that I wasn't sure about... which might just be a fault of the set-up (different gauges and types of strings, or other more drastic measures), or might be an issue of learning the instrument (we tend to prefer things that we have much familiarity with, giving the unfamiliar an unfair disadvantage).
The one in the middle, had a very shallow sound/tone range with no ability project or to have much variety. So, it's natural sound was not good, and then there was not a good deal that you could do with it as a player... it was also sluggish to respond, which in combination with my faster style of playing tends to annoy me! Players that use a slower, heavier style of bowing might prefer this sort of response... but not me!
Whilst the violins steal the limelight, the bows are just as important. They are considered to be the breath of the instrument. The response of the bow in your hand is watch produces the sound of the violin, and the differences in sound is quite amazing if you know what you are listening for. So, I guess an analogy is the user interface for a computer. If you have ever used a great keyboard with a good layout, and then compare it to a crappy one... it doesn't matter what the screen and the CPU/GPU combination is, it just makes your interaction with the computer terrible!
The way the bow is carved and weighted (and the wood type and quality) all contribute the "sound" and "response" of the bow. It can make high overtones, which can make the violin sound shrill... or lots of lower overtones, which can tend to make it sound muffled... so there needs to be a good balance. And everyone has a different preference! Some people prefer a rapier and other prefer a broadsword. In addition, every period of music has a different type of bow (and violin, but the differences are more pronounced in the bow). Different bows (different equipment) are better suited to different styles of music due to their different advantages and disadvantages (different balance distribution, weight, length, width of bow hair....), which favour certain musical techniques. However, the "modern" Classical (probably most of what you see) ignores all this variety and just irons out all the different nuances into a single type of bow and type of violin... and irons out the complete last 400 years of different national styles into a homogeneous interpretation that has nothing to do with the original visions!
Bows don't quite cost as much as violins... but they are expensive! A repaired old bow won't be as good as it originally was... as it loses flexibility in the stick. But a good bow will still retain some of it's quality. Plus, it is a tool and partner that I will generally will have had daily contact for the better part of a decade or two... so, there is that emotional attachment!
What a lovely and complete response. See ... I learned something else from you just by reading it. Your analogies were also great. They reminded me why you test drive a car before you buy it -- and why one will be just perfect while another ... perfectly good one ... just doesn't fit your style and personality.
Oddly, your explanation about bows reminded me, too, of the fact that computer keyboards are also so different in their feel and response. Being a writer, I find this just as important to me as your violin bow is to you as a musician. There is an inexpensive little basic keyboard that Amazon puts out for $15 that I just love to type on. No kidding, it is so much fun to write on it. I can't begin to tell you why except that it is fast, responsive, comfortable ... a "partner" in the effort, just as you described. I've had other keyboards that look pretty much the same, but were just awful in practice.
This little cheapo guy even beats the expensive ergonomic keyboards all to pieces, IMO ... and, yes, if they ever stop making this design I am not going to be happy. It took me years to find this fit ... and I wear out an average of two keyboards a year ... just doing what I do.
Thanks for the time you took on this answer. Srsly. I appreciate it.
No worries, and thanks for making me think about it and how to explain it! It is the sort of thing that you take for granted as a specialist and needing to break it down to a non-specialist is a good test of how well you understand a topic!
You had better stock up on those keyboards while they are still around! They might 'upgrade' them! I have a great laptop keyboard (xps 15) that is a pleasure to type on, but the thing I love best is my Logitech MX master mouse. The scroll wheel, you can just spin endlessly with a single flick and stop with a quick tap again! It backs scrolling long pages a breeze!
Wow what a tremendously informative reply! Happy to test out if the @c-squared bot could handle upvoting a comment, looks like it did it just fine :)
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Thanks for the little surprise! I got the Gina ping about the support and feature... And I was confused! I didn't think I had written a top level post yesterday that warranted any attention... Now that I look back on this comment reply though, it is a bit longer than I expected!
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