Rosin is a sticky substance that goes on the bow so the bow hair will grip the string to make the string vibrate and make a sound. Without any rosin on the bow, the violin won’t make any sound. Rosin is made from tree sap. It is sold as a small solid block, and when it is rubbed on the bow hair, it turns in to a powder, which makes the hair look white. Eventually a violinist will be able to tell how much rosin is on the bow by the way it feels when the bow is pulled across the string. Until this feel is developed, a good way to tell how much rosin is on the bow is how white the hair looks. Keep the hair looking white. While playing the violin, a little bit of rosin dust will come off onto the strings and violin wood. If no rosin is coming off the bow then there probably isn’t enough rosin on the bow. But if too much rosin is on the bow then there will be a lot of rosin dust on the strings and violin wood and get caked up on the strings. Be sure to wipe off the strings and violin after use. If left on there too long it could ruin the varnish on the violin wood, and the rosin build up on the strings may result in an undesirable tone.~Jason Theiste
