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I'm having some issues here with the type of rosin I use. ......or at least I believe so! LOL
When bowing with even pressure and solid strokes, I don't seem to be getting that "bite" needed at times. When that happens, I'll get a bit of a "howl" until I put even more pressure with the bow. Which, in turn, makes it difficult to play quieter notes. I feel like I can only play loud at times.
I've ruled out wolf tones and bad strings (I'm the proud owner of new Zyex strings!). I've even painstakingly went through my form to make sure I was bowing properly and evenly. It just seems to happen when I try to play quietly.
The only thing I can think of is the type of rosin I use. I currently use "Sherman's Violin Rosin" which is a light amber color. It tends to leave a ton of dust though.
I've also been told that I shouldn't switch rosins once I've used one type. Is that true or can I switch rosins if I properly clean the strings and bow hair?
Any advice would be much appreciated!
PS> .........off topic, but does anybody know a good tutorial for "Granny Does You Dog Bite?" LOL That song is giving me fits!! 
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” ~Benjamin Franklin
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I've never heard that you shoudn't ( or can't) switch rosins, but that doesn't mean someone somewhere hasn't said it. By all means, try a different kind if you want.
Is this a new problem? I know my daughter was having a lot of trouble getting a good and even sound for a while. The problem improved tremendously once we got her a better quality bow.
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Gosh I hope you can switch rosins - cause I have twice already, lost one and then the grandson tried to eat the other and it ended up in a crumbled mess....I never have seen rosin on my violin......I just dust off the strings and violin every few times I play. I just got a pretty green rosin called Jade or something, and started rubbing it on, it was a bit pricey but they didn't have anything else in our local store - it doesn't seem to leave any dust, but I am not a pro so I am not sure if its really great, or if my playing just improved a bit!.....maybe there should be some dust....oh boy now I'm getting worried....need a pro to advise please!
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You can switch rosins as often as you want.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Fiddlerman said
You can switch rosins as often as you want.
That's what I thought. I think the guy at the shop only had that light amber stuff and wanted to make the sale! LOL Maybe it's time to try the darker stuff and see how that works!
SaraO said
Is this a new problem? I know my daughter was having a lot of trouble getting a good and even sound for a while. The problem improved tremendously once we got her a better quality bow.
I'm not sure if it's been going on for a while. The first rosin (the cheap stuff that came with the violin) pretty much shattered in the first week I had it. I brought my current rosin shortly after as I was still learning how to bow. It may very well have been going on all this time! I may have to try another bow as well. I did try different bow tensions, but only added a little more bounce to my bowing! LOL
Mimi Aysha said
Gosh I hope you can switch rosins - cause I have twice already, lost one and then the grandson tried to eat the other and it ended up in a crumbled mess....maybe there should be some dust....oh boy now I'm getting worried....need a pro to advise please!
LOL, my cat actually went after my rosin once! It was hilarious watching him try to get the "sticky stuff" off his teeth! Thankfully, it wasn't toxic or anything.
I wouldn't worry too much. I think it was just a sales ploy that I fell for at a local music shop. I swear, that shop is worse then dealing with a used car salesman!
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” ~Benjamin Franklin
EJKiszenia said
Maybe it's time to try the darker stuff and see how that works!
Maybe it's time to try a different source for your supplie's also. Rather that violin shop.
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Fiddlestix said
EJKiszenia said
Maybe it's time to try the darker stuff and see how that works!
Maybe it's time to try a different source for your supplie's also. Rather that violin shop.
LOL, already fixed that issue! 
That was the same shop that sold me those horrible perlon core strings that cost way more then my current Zyex's! I try to use Fiddlershop as much as possible now......well....as much as my wife will let me! 
She know's I'm saving up for a pretty huge purchase! LOL I'll have to add rosin to that ever growing list!
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” ~Benjamin Franklin
I switched rosins without even cleaning. All that i can notice about that - rosin affects the sound itself but didn't notice any changigng in sound-producing things
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Mimi Aysha said
- it doesn't seem to leave any dust, but I am not a pro so I am not sure if its really great, or if my playing just improved a bit!.....maybe there should be some dust....oh boy now I'm getting worried....need a pro to advise please!
I've noticed that some rosins seem to leave a lot of dust on the fingerboard and the top of the instrument. Other rosins seem to just leave dust on the strings buy nary any dust elsewhere. Not sure why that is, probably different formulations. Perhaps some rosins are "dryer" than others.
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I've been using two different rosins lately, on two different bows. For my electric I use the Hill dark rosin that I have been using on the A. Breton bow for months now. On the acoustic, well, Shar sent a little holder of whatever kind of rosin it is that they sent out, and that is all that I have used on the Shar bow that came with the acoustic outfit. I would say the bow is as good or maybe a little better than the A Breton I bought. The Shar rosin looks at least pretty dark, but I note it also has more tiny air bubbles in it than the Hill has.
I notice some difference in how the bows play and sound. The Hill dark one is a bit raspier and grabs the string a bit quicker on a stroke. The Shar one tends to a brighter sound and works a little better for easing into notes. I can work with either one, but there are some differences, part of which is probably the bows themelves. But I don't care to mess with cleaning rosin off to try "mix and match" games between the bows. Both seem to work well, and I don't get a lot of dust from either. When something is working good, I actually prefer to leave well enough alone and just work with it.
Wiping off the strings and using whichever bow has the sound/feel I think will work better for what I am trying to do, like picking the violin that has the sound that is more what I want, I consider pretty normal, though.
The only rosin I have ever gotten a lot of dust from was the almost clear yellow brittle stuff that came "free" with the less expensive violins. I also didn't like the sound I got with that. But I have only ever tried three different brands, and one of those was the "free with an inexpensive instrument" kind, so I'm no great authority on the matter.
"This young wine may have a lot of tannins now, but in 5 or 10 years it is going to be spectacular, despite the fact that right now it tastes like crude oil. You know this is how it is supposed to taste at this stage of development." ~ Itzhak Perlman
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I live in a high humidity area and the light rosin leaves a mess but the darker rosin awesome. No mess. I have not used the light rosin since I got the dark about 1 month after I started so I can not tell if there is a sound difference.
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