Rosin, also known as colophon or colophony, is a solid resin produced from pine trees and is used for its friction inducing properties.
Violin players rub rosin to their bow strings to make them sticky. The stickiness allows the hair of the bow to ease gently over the string, producing audible sounds.
There are lots of different rosins on the market, with darker rosins being softer and stickier, than lighter colored rosins.
Alongside piano concertos, violin concertos are amongst the most loved pieces of classical music of all time.
Whether is be a classical concerto by traditionalists, like Beethoven or a romantic soiree by Tchaikovsky, music fans worldwide will have a wide range of musicians on their list of favorites.
Violinists and classical music fans will frown at the thought of having to narrow down their favorite pieces of violin music to just 7 of the best.
Whilst this is undoubtedly true, there are millions of people out there who are eager to learn more about violin music and others that may be converted, if they heard how good classical music can be.
The best quality violins come with the best strings possible but even the best strings in the world will need replacing throughout a violinist’s playing career.
The strings of a violin are the most integral part of the violin, if they are the wrong length or tension your are not going to make good music.
Playing violin is most often a skill learned in childhood and is carried on into adulthood, where seri-ous violin players may venture into a career as a violinist. Playing violin at the highest level requires years of dedication and practise and only the best will succeed at the top level.
There are many beautifully skilled violinists playing in orchestras around the world and thousands more playing simply for enjoyment. Here, we take a look at the top 10 most prolific violin players in the world, both past and present.