Arcus carbon fibre bows - Hints and Tips
We recommend a play in period of several days to help you to fully explore the potential of an Arcus bow. Most musicians discover the sound and feel within about 3 days. It is essential not to alternate with any "classical" bow during this period. If you do, it will significantly impede the development of your "Arcus technique".
To get the most from playing with your Arcus bow, we suggest you:
- Set your bow to a lower tension than you would normally use with a "classical" design or wood bow. Then vary the tension in half turn steps. Each half turn of the screw will change the feel of the bow significantly.
- Do not over rosin your bow. Use a reasonable amount of good quality rosin as too much rosin will give a gritty and harsh sound. Using a fresh good quality rosin is important for any bow. It really does help or hinder the sound a bow produces. Allyxa has her personal preferences and will be happy to answer questions from players on this point.
- Do not tilt the bow when playing. Instead use the full width of the hair.
- Experiment playing close to the tip and the heel.
- Try spiccato using more bow length and less bounce
Bow Care:
Clean the bow stick using a very small amount of fine grade oil on a cloth. Wipe the stick lightly, being careful not to touch the hair, and allow to dry.
Dirty bow hair can be cleaned using a cloth which has been very slightly dampened with purified alchol. Carefully wipe the cloth gently along the hair length and then when the hair is dry, comb it through.
Maintenance:
Arcus bows are certainly much more robust than wooden bows, but they still need to be handled correctly and looked after. We recommend that you check the following on a regular basis:
- Over time, and with changes in humidity the hair can stretch. As with all bows, if you continue to use the bow with hair that is too long, or missing hair, then this can put strain on the eyelet and screw. Once the frog has reached the end of the mortice, it can go no further! Continuing to turn the nut in the hope of tightening the hair can mean that you may break the screw. Always check and look after your bow hair - do not wait until the last minute before getting a rehair. Regular rehairs are also important for the sound you produce. Using a bow with hair that is old and worn will give a poor sound and will be more difficult to use.
- We recommend using a comparitively thick hank of good quality hair for your Arcus bow. Fine, lower quality hair will not last as long, may stretch faster and will not give as good a sound. In particular the cello bows need strong hair such as Sowden's Canadian.
- Check the bow wedges to make sure that changes in temperature and humidity haven't allowed them to become loose
- Arcus bows will withstand rougher treatment than a wood bow, but still need to be looked after!
