Column #3

Jeff Campbell

June 27, 2007

The magic--and mess--of rosin

If you’ve ever watched a gymnastic event, you’ve probably noticed that just before gymnasts mount a balance beam, pommel horse, or set of parallel bars, they rub their hands with a powdery substance called rosin. Rosin helps baseball pitchers attain better ball control and ballet dancers create greater friction on their shoes. Chewing gum, varnishes, adhesives, soap, and sealing wax all are made in part from rosin. At room temperature, rosin maintains its shape and viscosity. However, when heated, rosin turns into a gooey, sticky puddle that resembles molasses.

Rosin is also used by violinists, violists, cellists, and bassists to create greater friction between the horsehair on their bow and the strings on their instruments. Frequently, before an orchestra concert, you’ll see the string players move their bow across a small packet of rosin. After a concert, you’ll notice the string players wiping the rosin off the strings and body of their instruments.

Rosin used by violinists, violists, and cellists comes in a small cake and is generally light in color, fairly hard, and powdery. Rosin used by bassists however, is often darker, much softer, and gummier. As a younger bassist, I used to keep my rosin in the front pocket of my bass case. The only problem is that when I put my bass into my hatch back car, the sun shone through the window and melted the rosin in the case. When I opened up the little plastic rosin container, I would find a hot, misshapen, melted mess. To remedy this, I would take the rosin out of the case and put it on the passenger seat. Well, you can imagine what happened next. The rosin got hot, tipped over, and melted on the seat. For years, my poor old Toyota Tercel was covered with splotches of rosin in various locations.

Now I’m much wiser; I put the rosin in plastic cup in a Ziplock bag and keep it in the back pocket of my bass case – away from the window. If the rosin gets a little hot, at least it stays within the confines of the cup and the bag. No longer do I find it on my tuxedo, suit, or dress shirt.

There are many manufactures of string instrument rosin and each has its own trade secrets and recipes. Some put flakes of gold or silver to increase the amount of friction. Others use tone-enhancing secret ingredients to create a “unique and illustrious” sound. Regardless, rosin is sticky stuff.

This week at Birch Creek, you’ll have the opportunity to see and hear the results of rosin as it works its magic on the bows of our fabulous violinists, violists, cellists, and bassists. Ask them to show you their rosin, but don’t get any on your clothes – it’s a mess you don’t want to clean up.