The Science and Engineering of Rosin- Part 1

A few weeks ago, I performed with the San Antonio Symphony on the Beethoven Eroica/Martin Luther King concert. The weather was cold and dry, my bow had an unusual lack of traction, and even though I rosined it, I was still having problems- so I knew I had to get my bow rehaired. But since then, I've had rosin on the mind, and have been reading and trying to get as much information on rosin as I can.

Surprisingly, there is a huge lack of objective information, at least on the internet, about the qualities of rosin that translate into tone quality and sound. Instead, there are plenty of people giving their personal rosin recommendations, but with no clear or complete consensus on ranking. I know that personally, even though I like my current rosin, I have not tried every, or even most, of the rosins on the market, because it takes so long to wear down a cake. So the past few weeks I made it my mission to get my hands on as much information as I could, put the pieces together, and bridge the gap between the information known to the music world, and the information provided by my science and engineering background.

With this series of videos (I intend to make about 3 on this subject), I hope to share the story of rosin, how it's made, and what are the actual properties that translate to an improved, more controlled sound that is unique to each musician's setup, their instrument, strings, and environment. Watch the video for more information!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1R9WzdTq9I