Frog (of the bow)
The grip end of a string bow with the device for tightening the hair.
What it means
The frog is the grip end of the string bow. Players hold the bow at it, and it contains the device with which the bow hair is tightened: a screw at the end of the bow moves the frog and with it the hair. The name comes from the shape of the piece, which recalls a small frog.
Musical use
The frog is usually made of ebony, often with mother-of-pearl inlays and metal parts of silver or nickel silver, and is of different size on violin, viola, cello, and double bass. When playing “at the frog,” one bows near the end of the bow, where the bow is heaviest; this gives strong, forceful, and marked tones, while the tip sounds lighter and more delicate. The Italian term is “al tallone,” the French “au talon.”
The frog should be distinguished from the stick, the long wooden part of the bow, and from the tip at the other end. On the double bass there are two different bow forms, the German and the French bow, which also differ in the build of the frog.
Performance practice
Hold the bow at the frog loosely and flexibly, with rounded fingers and a relaxed thumb; tense fingers choke the sound. Use the frog deliberately for strong passages, accents, and marcato, and move to the middle or the tip of the bow when you want to play more softly.