Musicians who play instruments with a bow know how important rosin is. A bow without rosin will muster a weak sighing sound — if any at all — when pulled across the strings. But what, exactly, is rosin? Where does it come from, and how?
Well, rosin comes from resin, one of the most fascinating substances on the planet. And the resin we use comes from trees. The coniferous kind. Ever heard of the bristlecone pine? These squat, twisted little trees live for thousands and thousands of years enduring storms and natural disasters. Their longevity is due, in no small part, to their dense and resinous wood which not only resists the intrusion of pests, but refuses to rot. It erodes as if of stone!
Resin has been used by humans since ancient times. Frankincense and myrrh are both resins that were highly valued in ancient Egypt. Resin was used as incense in religious rites, for therapeutic and medicinal purposes, and as decoration and jewelry in the form of amber (which is fossilized resin). It was used to seal boats, food containers, and mummies. Resin’s usefulness has only increased with time: athletes use rosin bags to improve their grip on sporting equipment, resin or resinous derivatives are often used as an ingredient in varnish, incense, perfume, inks, art, adhesives, soaps, pharmaceuticals, food glazing agents, etc. High-resin content often equates with high-quality.
Resin is generally harvested from less august pines than the bristlecone. In order to make rosin, resin is gathered from a wound in the tree and then treated and processed until it becomes a solid which varies in color depending on both the age of the tree from which it was extracted and the temperature at which it was distilled. It is melted with several other ingredients to create the unique types of rosin we rub on our bows. Lighter rosins tend to “grab” less than darker ones. Those used for violin, viola, and cello are quite similar, but double bass players generally use softer rosins to better grip those thick strings.
Regularly applied rosin gives your bow the necessary friction to vibrate your instrument’s strings and create sound.
Happy playing!