Guide to tightening your bow

Quantum Bass Center's Guide to Tightening and Loosening Your Bow

Is your bow hair the right tension when you play - and loosened when you put it away? How to tell...

Adjusting the tension of your bow hair is simple - see below for the essentials. We're always here to answer any questions about your bow, your instrument, or playing in general!

To start, when you first take your bow out to get ready to play, the hair will be loose. The frog will be all the way forward, nearly touching the leather.

Here, the bow hair is at proper playing tension (violin/viola). The space between the stick is no more than the thickness of a pencil.

- Don't make it too tight! It makes it harder to play, and can actually break the stick.
- If the hair won't tighten this much, it needs to be shortened or replaced. Bring it to us!

Bass bows, as you can imagine, have more space between the hair and stick, but, when tightened, the stick should still have its inward curve (camber). If the stick is completely straight when you tighten the hair, playing will be more difficult, or the stick is too weak, and you should have a stiffer bow.

When your bow hair is loose, it should be near the stick, and have no tension, but the hair ribbon should be straight and even. If the hair is so loose it's unevenly falling around the stick, it needs adjustment or replacement - bring it to us at QBC right away!

Bass bow with the hair loose. As you can see, it is near the stick, but not sagging.

If the gap between the frog and leather is more than this when the hair is tight, it changes the balance of the bow. It will be heavier at the tip, making it harder to play. As the hair wears and stretches over time, this gap increases, and your bow becomes increasingly difficult to handle. When you see a large gap here, it's time for a rehair.

Did you know? Here at QBC, our rental customers are provided with high-quality carbon-fiber or wood bows - an upgrade from the fiberglass bows usually given to beginners. Carbon-fiber bows are more responsive, making it easier for our customers to make progress in their playing. Good gear makes a huge difference!