How to Play Violin/Parts of the Bow

  • The Stick of the Bow is the base of the bow. Modern bows are made from Hardwood, such as pernambuco and brazilwood. Cheaper bow sticks can be made from fiberglass, carbon fiber, or simply cheaper wood.
  • The Screw is at the end part of the bow. It is used to loosen and tighten the hair. The hair actually comes from a horse's tail. The color of horse hair is commonly white, some can be black as well. Some prefer a bit of a mix of black and white, known as "salt and pepper".
  • The Tip is the sharp looking part found at the end of the stick. It's the most fragile part of the bow.
  • The Frog is the heaviest part of the bow. It is the part where the screw is located. While playing the violin, the bow is held at the Frog part when it is moving across the strings.

The Frog

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  • Most frogs on a bow have an in layer, the metal attachment with the bow hair to the left and the Frog to the right is the ferrule.
  • Most frogs on a bow have an "eye". Which is basically a white dot in the middle of the Frog.
  • The Pad and Wrapping on the stick part of a bow assists the player in playing and gives a cushion for the hand to rest when the bow is held properly.