4. Which rosin is the best?
You never get a clear answer when you ask which rosin is the best, right?
Rosin is such a subtle and personal thing, you need to try it and take the time to choose the one you like, which can depend on many factors. Try to test different rosins on the same bows and instruments so you get a clear picture of the differences you perceive.
It can be dark or light or any color in between or green or even purple!
It can be applied once a month, once a week or 3 times a day depending on how much you play!
From my point of view, the choice of rosin depends on many factors; I see a lot of different musicians with different opinions on the subject and I have come to the conclusion (even though there will never be one about this topic!) that only the musician herself is able to know what she needs. Depending on how much you play, what kind of music you play, if you tend to play on the harder or softer side, what kind of rosin you have, how much you want the bow to grip the strings and what sound you are looking for etc… also what quality of hair and rehair you have on the bow, even depending on what quality of bow you are playing with and of course the instrument.
It’s a lot to think about!
I suggest that you start by choosing between dark or light and let time guide you through what you prefer as you learn and experiment. Because nobody can tell you what is best for you!
The best time to try a new rosin is when you get a new rehair so that you only have the new rosin on the bow and can get the real experience of it.
Some experienced musicians mix different rosins to get what they want, often because of season changing, and when I say mix the rosins I mean to put rosin one after the other on the hair, not cooking the rosin again! which get the solvent to evaporate and ruins it and is probably toxic!
Anyway, Im not an expert in rosin making, I’m only reporting what musicians have told me over the years and what seems to work for them individually.
I’m inviting you to contact the rosin makers to know more about it as everybody seems to wonder!
