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Showing results for tags 'viola bow'.
Found 4 results
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Hello, violists! I would like to know whether you play with a viola or a violin bow. Do you exclusively play with one or the other? Do you have both, and then switch according to repertoire/technique/whichever preferences? If you prefer a violin bow on the viola or if you occasionally switch, what exact differences would you say you can feel over playing with a viola bow (except weight, of course)? I'm interested to know since a luthier told me a while ago that a great number of their violist clients (mostly professional orchestra violists) mainly play with violin bows. This was after I inquired about buying a wood viola bow. I remember my father, who was a professional violist as well, at some point switching from a viola to a violin bow—however, this was after he mostly stopped playing solo and chamber repertoire and stuck to playing in an orchestra exclusively. I recently tried out my old violin bow on my viola instead of my current carbon viola bow that I usually play with, and can't help but feel I prefer the slight boost in agility. Then again, it just might be the familiarity I'm experiencing, since I'm one of those silly ex-violinists who started fancying themselves a violist...
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Hello all, I've been reading Maestronet for years, but this is my first post. I'm a professional violist. I recently got the opportunity to purchase a gold bow, relatively recent, by Sylvain Bigot, and I found a bow I liked by William Salchow, silver, which is about half the price of the Bigot. I could purchase the Bigot, which I have not yet played (!), though I'm familiar with his bows, and confident it's high quality. If money is not an issue (though of course it always is!) which one is the better investment? I have a gold bow by Thomachot that is my main bow and I love it, but I'm hoping to expand my collection.
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I am contemplating a heavy viola bow at 78g. I have a 72 g violin bow that I rather like...but it is noticabley heavy. Would a 78g bow just be too heavy for extended play? Any other drawbacks that I don't know enough about to be aware of? I use whatever bow on whatever instrument as I experiment with sound production... Thanks!
