The Structure of the Violin
[Experiment2]Using alternative materials for bow hair
Performing a sound experiment
We used a variety of materials as bow hair instead of horsehair.
Experiment steps
- We used five strips of wood as the bow stick.
- To these pieces of wood we attached a piece of cotton yarn, fishing line, wire, a 1-cm wide rubber band, and cellophane tape.
- Applied rosin to the cotton yarn, fishing wire, and wire, and attempted to play the violin.

Results of the experiment
Cotton yarn
Fishing line
Cellophane tape
*As this was an experiment, the recorded pitches differed from the correct notes.
It was very difficult to make these various materials flat and attach them tightly to the sticks. The cotton yarn would not make any sound at all without any rosin, and with rosin, it would only produce a thin, faint sound. The fishing line surprised us by producing an unexpectedly good tone when completely white with rosin. The rubber band produced a warm crackly sound like an old gramophone. The wire produced an unexpectedly decent tone. We put some dust on the adhesive side of the cellophane tape, and we made sure that it did not stick to the strings when we tested it, but the violin made a sound as if it were going to break, so we immediately stopped the experiment.
The rubber band would catch on strings and release, creating a long wave length, so the sound it made was a choppy, padded sound like a drum. The wave length created by normal bow hair is short, so the sound is smooth and continuous. The hair must have a somewhat uneven surface and durability, conditions that horsehair fulfills perfectly.
Musical Instrument Guide : Violin Contents
Origins
Structure
How to Play
How the Instrument is Made
Choosing an Instrument
Care and Maintenance
Trivia
- The f-hole used to be a C-hole or S-hole
- Why the f-hole?
- Violinists must bow to the horse
- Steel strings or gut strings? That is the question
- Is the chinrest the unsung hero of the violin?
- Most violin varnishes are also medicines
- Violin masterpieces: Solos I
- Violin masterpieces: Solos II
- Violin masterpieces: Solos III
- Violin masterpieces: Concertos I
- Violin masterpieces: Concertos II
- Viola masterpieces: Chamber music
- Viola masterpieces: Concertos
- Cello masterpieces: Concertos I
- Cello masterpieces: Concertos II
- Cello masterpieces: Solos
- Contrabass masterpieces: Concertos
- Contrabass masterpieces: Chamber music
- Orchestral masterpieces featuring the contrabass
- What do you call the part on the bow that you hold?