Related Articles
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.
Rosin is an essential accessory for any string instrument. Unfortunately, there are so many variables to rosin — each of which materially impacts sound quality — that finding the best violin rosinis exhausting at best.
Rosin varies widely in form, color, and purity, and manufacturers are as secretive about their formulas as any winemaker could be. By the time they reach professional status, most seasoned violinists will have developed a certain amount of brand loyalty.
Made from resin extracted from pine trees, rosin provides the friction between the string and bow, which creates the instrument’s sound. Without it, you’re not going to have much luck eliciting actual music out of your strings. Apply too much, however, and you get nothing but a sticky mess.
What You Need to Know Before Buying Resin
With so many factors to consider, it’s essential to narrow it down to the most important points, or you’ll be scrolling through options and reviews all day.
Form:Rosin comes in two forms: cake or boxed. Boxed rosin is a universal rosin, so it can be used on all stringed instruments. It is also generally recommended for students using non-horsehair bows as it tends to stick to the bows better, and is more durable than cake rosin. By contrast, cake rosin is higher quality and more pure than boxed.
Color: Rosin comes in light and dark varieties, which can affect the instrument’s tone. While almost any type of rosin will work for any string, lighter rosins tend to suit high-string instruments like violins and violas. The color resin you use will also depend on the type of strings you’re working with.
Precious metal: The addition of precious metals like gold, silver, or copper to rosin formulas is pretty common because they also change the sound. Gold is said to produce a warm, clear tone (ideal for soloists), silver get you a brighter tone, and copper delivers an almost velvety quality.
Allergies: Some people find they’re having an allergic reaction to resin, which is a bummer for obvious reasons. Switching to an all-natural formula might help, as could having the instrument professionally cleaned.
Climate: Rosins can change consistency when exposed to different temperatures, thus also changing sound quality, so some musicians use different rosins for different seasons.
