With so many rosin options for violin, viola, cello, and double bass, how do you choose which rosin is best for you and your instrument?
D'Addario has a variety of options to accommodate any of your needs, no matter your playing style, budget, or current set-up.
Its unique plastic channel provides an easy grip for students and is packaged to fit nicely into instrument cases. D'Addario Natural Rosin offers premium performance at a great value.
Kaplan Premium Rosin is a high-quality rosin formula that delivers a clean, low-dust application. It is housed in a sleek, modern jewel case for easy accessibility. The cake within can be rotated for even distribution of product onto the bow hair.
Kaplan Artcraft Rosin is a classic rosin formula that works well with a wide range of instruments and playing styles. It is shaped in a traditional circular cake and wrapped in felt, offering an easy-to-use experience for string players of all genres and levels.
Rosin is simply tree resin in solid form. We heat resin under high heat to cause it to harden into rosin.
The main ingredient of rosin is tree resin from conifers, such as pine or larch trees. Small amounts of additives are then added to change the rosin properties, such as its hardness.
Applying rosin to your bow hairs adds enough stickiness to enable them to grip your strings. Your strings cannot vibrate successfully if the bow hair does not grip the strings properly.
First of all, it's important to keep in mind that rosin color can vary from company to company. Don't rely on color alone when choosing rosin!
At D'Addario, our light rosin is hard, and our dark rosin is soft.
SOFT ROSIN
Players of lower instruments (cello and double bass) generally prefer softer rosin. Soft rosin is sticker and thicker strings require more stickiness to move efficiently.
HARD ROSIN
Players of violin and viola generally prefer harder rosin. Hard rosin is less sticky and is ideal for faster bow speeds and ease of bow response.
Therefore, we suggest the following:
Light or hard rosin for violin and viola
Dark or soft rosin for cello and bass
Any high-quality rosin will coat the bow hair uniformly without creating a large amount of excess dust.
Rosin can last anywhere between 6 months to over 2 years depending on how it is maintained and stored. Rosin hardens with age and you should replace your rosin
if you notice that it drawing your bow across the cake no longer creates a trail of dust.
We suggest 2-3 swipes before every playing session.
Most players use too much rosin on their bow hair and rosin too often, resulting in a rough, gritty sound, and rosin build-up on their instruments. You can avoid this by applying only a small amount of rosin (2-3 swipes) at the beginning of every playing session. Wipe down your instrument and strings at the end of every playing session to avoid rosin build-up.
