What is Bow (music)?
[[Image:Bow Cello.jpg|right|thumb|50px|A [[cello]] bow]] In [[music]], a '''bow''' is a stick which is strung with hair. It is used to pull across the strings of a [[string instrument]] such as a [[violin]], [[viola]], [[cello]] or [[double bass]]. ==Bow construction== The wood used for good quality bows is usually pernambuco wood from [[Brazil]]. Some bows nowadays are made from carbon fiber. They are often cheaper and still of very good quality. The bow has to be slightly curved so that it straightens out a bit as the hairs are tightened (this is like the bow of ‘bow and arrow’ where letting go of the tension of the bent bow makes the arrow fly). Horsehair is used for the hairs of the bow. These hairs gradually fall out when the bow is used a lot. When a lot of the hairs have fallen out the player can have the bow re-haired. When the bow is new, or when it has just been re-haired, it will not make any sound until the hairs have been well rubbed with [[rosin]] (also called “colophony”). The rosin makes the hair grip the string as it is drawn across. Every violinist needs to keep a piece of rosin (called a “cake of rosin”) in his or her violin case. They may need to rosin the bow for a short while each time they play. There is a [[screw]] at the end of the bow for tightening the hairs. After playing, the bow hairs should be slackened again before the bow is put away. This is to stop the wood from warping (bending out of shape). The black bit near the heel of the bow (the end where the player holds it) is called the '''frog'''. This holds the hair in place. The frog may be made of [[Ebony (tree)|ebony]], but sometimes it is made of [[ivory]] or [[tortoiseshell]]. Near the frog is the grip, which is made of [[leather]] or sometimes [[snakeskin]]. Expensive bows sometimes have a tip made of [[silver]]. There are other instruments which use bows. In the [[Renaissance]] the [[viol|viols]] were played with a bow which was held with the palm upwards. Some double bass players still hold the bow i