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What exactly does the rosin do and why is it used?
Rosin makes the bow (hair) sticky enough to make the strings vibrate.
A brand new bow without rosin will make no noise at all.
The down side is that too much rosin will make the bow sound scratchy and also cause the strings to sound scratchy.
All rosin is basically the same material but some manufacturers add special ingredients. I recently read that one manufacturer adds tar to his mix.
Tests show that no one can reliably tell the difference if handed different bows using different rosin brands if the player is blindfolded.
Rosin is usually sold in "hard" or "soft" versions and you would have to try them out.
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Tests show that no one can reliably tell the difference if handed different bows using different rosin brands if the player is blindfolded.
Thanks Oliver,
Just want to add one detail about the differences. I experience that certain rosins make less of a mess than others. In other words they don't come off the bow as easily. This is a difference that I really appreciate.
I couldn't tell the difference if someone handed me a bow but I could tell weather a rosin is better or worse if I use it for a few days. Also, rosin is something that you don't need to buy often so you might as well get a good one.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
While you're partying with the rich and famous there are important things happening. Do you have MAGIC ROSIN ?
Unbelievable stuff and I have at least 6 or 7 other kinds I have used.
FREE FREE samples.
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Sounds great. I'll see about getting one.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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I bought some Jade rosin because it was a pretty color. The little bock of rosin that came with the violin I use seems to flake more, but besides that, I can only barely tell a difference in the two. That being said, I've been playing for a month. XD
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I've heard some great things about Jade. Apparently great grip compared to many other rosins. It appears that you made a great choice
I am using Andrea and have been doing so for the past 4 years though it may be over priced at over 30 dollars a cake. Thanks for sharing Pikachu.
How's the learning going?
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Two Magic Rosin's on their way, one violin/viola and one cello/bass.
I look forward to testing them out. 
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
I'm glad you did that because I think you will be impressed with the "grab" of this rosin. I don't think that is automatically "good" or "bad" but I like the way the violin responds to the bow.
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I snagged some of the free rosin too. It should be to me shortly! Not sure if I'll ever get to use it all, since I have 4 different types now. If it has a cute box, I'd still be happy with it.
Testing the three I have, I've come up with this just playing around with them. (All on the same bow. I'm sure a different bow or new hair for each one would be a better control. Someone with more than a month of playing would probably have more insight on the differences, so I'd like to hear other people's experiences. ):
Dark brown block freebie with the violin(It's about the size of my thumb joint and encased in wood with no name brand.): *
Dusty, tends to flake off and crack easily. There are little bits of it flying off every time I remove the cover. I have to use a lot to feel it pulling, and it builds up on the strings pretty fast in (thick and chunky!). It's the easiest to apply, but the bow hairs get caught in the rough wood edges. It sounds a little screechy if I apply some and spam the open E and A strings. The lower strings are okay.
Super Sensitive (light brown, also encased in wood, but no rough edges): ***
Not as dusty, but it still cracked before I got it home from the store. The shop clerk went out of her way to pick a perfect one for me too! (So far only a little bit has broken off, but I think the wood will keep the cracked pieces in place) I can apply a little to make a nice sound, plus less dust and build up on the strings. I don't feel the same pulling, but it still makes a nicer sound if I spam the E and A. I actually like the gliding feeling it give more.
Jade: ***
Pretty green color, and comes as a mini-bagel sized cake wrapped in a cloth. I find it harder to apply, and always get some on my fingers or have my bow slide off the cake. I can feel the pull against the strings a lot more, and I don't have to use as much. While the other two had kind of chunky dust and build up, Jade tends to be more fine powder like, and I don't have to scrub as much to remove it from the strings.
>__> The no name rosin sounded great when the band store setup my violin. Maybe the no difference thing is related to experience level?
I'm afraid that I do not know the rosins you are using but the first one ( in wood ) is probably what is called "student block" and is not a great choice.
You will find Magic to be very sticky and I can assure you that you do not need to use very much !
I have Magic #2 also but I did not try it yet.
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Thanks Pikachu,
That is a nice review. Happy that you took the time to test and report to us.
I guess we will soon be 3 fiddlers reporting on the new Magic Rosin.
As far as the Jade not having a wooden guide, there is a good technique to applying rosin to a bow. With the round rosin cakes you need to use your left hand fingers as a guide on the stick only. Also you need to rotate the cake to avoid getting a groove in one spot. I suppose it doesn't matter much if you get the groove but if you don't, the rosin will last practically forever or until you feel like it is too old before ever runnig out.
I had a teacher that was so proud of his rosin that had worn to about an eighth of an inch without ever chipping an edge. He would show it to everyone. 
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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I guess I better join the club and get some too.
I've had the same rosin for as long as I can remember. Pirastro Gold Rosin. Suits me great, don't need much and it doesn't leave too much dust on the belly.
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My magic rosin arrived yesterday. The samples were smaller than I expected but I totally understand. They need to get people hooked and then sell the finished product.
I still haven't tried it but will do so when I have time to carefully analyze the differences. Loads of Easter gigs at the moment.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Mine arrived yesterday as well. I ordered two of the Magic Rosin #1, since I'm clumsy and will undoubtedly shatter one before the month is out. They're light yellow-brown and magically made it through shipping without a crack. (They arrived in a padded envelope)
They seem to be a smidgen bigger than the "Super Sensitive" stuff that is standard at my local music shop, but maybe 1/5th the size of the Jade Rosin, so I can actually fit my hand around it.
Both had different cover art for the tins and a (very) small cloth, which was a nice touch. The downside is that it's a bit hard to get them out without touching rosin. I ended up dumping them onto a another cloth and using that.
I seem to have quite a collection of rosin now ^_^;;. Since I have so many, how should I store them to keep them "fresh?"
I think the hole in the bottom of the container is to allow you to raise up the rosin for taking bow swipes. However, I think the piece of cloth is a pain because I wipe the cloth with the bow also and this drags off some rosin.
Do you notice any difference in how the Magic plays or sounds ?
Storage should be no problem. Rosin is basically tree sap and as such is bullet proof. Using a jar with cover should be pretty safe storage.
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Mine two don't have holes at the bottom of the tin, so I ended up dumping one out onto my rosin duster cloth and wiping my bow back and forth across my cupped palm.
It's not as grabby as Jade, and is a bit less dusty. With Jade, I have to force the bow a little bit to get past the resistance. With Magic, I can feel the resistance, but don't have to put as much additional effort. It may be just me, but the stings sound like they ring a bit more, whereas Jade has more of a richer sound, with a less bell like quality. I make more squeaky notes with Magic though!
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I started using mine today. Haven't noticed any difference yet but I still have old Andrea rosin on my bow. It doesn't seem to dust too much. Not noticing a difference is already a plus since my Andrea rosin costs 30+ dollars and this one is probably not going to exceed $10. We'll see though. Will continue to report on this rosin through-out the week and summarize when I am through testing.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
I've read reports of Magic for around $4 but I wasn't really looking at the time. Will post if I can find it again.
PIKACHU - I just realized that you may have the sample rosin which may not have the hole in the bottom ? I bought mine direct from AMAZON so maybe that is a different package .... not that it makes much difference.
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The Magic Rosin was directly from the magicrosin.com website, and was free. It's probably the sample size, but no regular size was available for purchase. It's small and in the "click-clack" packaging....it really shouldn't be different if they're listing it as the regular magic rosin, with a discount:
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Shipping for two was: $7.98 (a bit much for something small -- $1.71 was what was on the envelope -- no other packaging but the standard bubble mailer, but they might be padding "handling" price a bit to make up for giving it away.)
Right now, the magic rosin on Amazon is $6 for either kind ie=UTF8&qid=1303433489&sr=1-1
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