Why won’t my violin make sound?!

Your first violin has arrived. Maybe you picked it up from the shop or received it in the mail. You’re so excited to set off on your violin journey. It looks so beautiful in the case, practically begging to be played. You take it out, get ready to make beautiful music, and nothing comes out!

This is a frustrating experience, but luckily, it’s an easy fix. In short, your violin bow won’t make a sound because it needs rosin. Rosin is hardened tree sap that, when applied to the hair of the bow, creates friction between it and the string, producing sound. If you purchased or rented a “violin outfit” rosin was most likely included in the pocket of your case. If you need to purchase some, Bernardel Light Rosin is great quality and very affordable (about 10 USD), but any kind your local violin shop sells works fine, too.

Before putting rosin on the bow, turn the screw located at the bottom of the bow to the right a few times.

This tightens the bow hair. Tighten it until you could fit a pencil between the hair and the stick at the smallest point. Once the bow is tightened, scrub the rosin onto the bow hair. Since your bow isn’t making sound, it needs a lot of rosin! After applying a good amount of rosin to the bow, test it on the violin to see if the sound has changed.

If it is still not making a sound, you need to scratch the top of the rosin a bit with a pen to get it going.

Hooray! After applying the rosin your violin bow makes sound and is ready to play. 😊