Bow stick

What it means

The stick is the wooden core of the bow: the slender, slightly inward-curved rod that reaches from the tip to the frog and carries the hair. It largely determines how a bow feels and sounds, for its stiffness, its weight, and the distribution of that weight decide how easily bouncing strokes succeed and how much sound can be drawn from the string. Common materials are pernambuco, and in simpler bows brazilwood or carbon.

Musical use

The curve of the stick is no ornament but function: it flexes and maintains contact with the string even when the player applies weight. Bows with an outward-curved stick, as were usual before the late eighteenth century, pull back by themselves at the end of the stroke and favour a speaking, articulated manner of playing; the later, inward-curved form carries longer and more even strokes. The change proceeded gradually and in parallel with the change of the musical ideal. The stick itself is also used directly: with col legno, its wood is struck or drawn across the string.

Performance practice

Treat the stick as a delicate component. Never leave the bow strung tight, for constant tension takes away its curve and thereby its spring. Do not lay it on the music stand and not crosswise on the instrument case, because it easily breaks there. When buying, check whether the bow bounces evenly by itself in the middle third — this is a property of the stick and cannot be trained into it. For col legno, use, if possible, an older or second bow, since varnish and wood suffer from contact with the string. Clean the stick of rosin dust after playing with a dry cloth.

Bear in mind that carbon bows behave differently from wooden ones: they are less sensitive to climate fluctuations but flex differently, and whoever switches must re-establish the bouncing strokes. Try both before deciding.