Understanding Bows Webinar With Expert Bow Maker Bernd Müsing

In this fascinating webinar, expert bow maker and founder of ARCUS & Muesing carbon fibre bows Bernd Müsing answers all your questions about bows and more!

Please use the timestamps to jump to sections of interest:

00:00 - General Introduction.
02:20 - About Bernd Muesing.
03:51 - Introduction from Bernd - what brought Bernd to bow making.
08:00 - Designing the optimal bow.
12:05 - The importance of the bow.
13:40 - How do I know if a particular bow is a good fit for my violin?
14:55 - What kind of bow does an older violin require?
16:24 - What should a student (a few years playing) be looking for in a bow and how is the right fit determined? Plus a general chat about the importance of a good quality bow and instrument for a beginner
20:29 - Material of bow sticks / a look at Carbon fibre - the molecular structure and modern-day uses.
31:42 - Is there any better material for bows than carbon fibre?
33:47 - Fibreglass bows, are they any good?
35:31 - Resonance and damping - carbon vs wood.
39:41 - Epoxy resin in carbon fibre bows - how it affects resonance and creates damping. Bernd shows us a cross-section of a cheap carbon fibre bow vs the inside of an ARCUS bow and a CODA bow.
43:33 - Creating the perfect bow. The endless possibilities of carbon fibre vs the limits of Pernambuco and other materials.
48:24 - What is the perfect weight of a bow and why are the ARCUS bows lighter than traditional wooden bows?
50:36 - The weight bows in regard to baroque playing and how/why the bow evolved through the classical/romantic periods.
54:03 - Should you, and can you use a carbon fibre bow to play on gut strings?
55:12 - How important is the quality of horsehair on a bow in relation to the overall sound production? and why you would or wouldn’t use synthetic hair.
58:50 - How does rosin stick to a bow and how much rosin should you apply to the hair?
01:04:15 - Specifics of the ARCUS and Muesing range and how they differ from each other.
01:14:54 - How ARCUS bows are graded (models 4-9) and categorised into each series M,T,P,S - a look into bow tuning.
01:26:32 - Matching a series to a particular instrument, using cellos as an example.
01:27:20 - Why a bows responsiveness (not tuning) is more important when it comes to double bass.
01:28:41 - Why the string length of a viola usually determines which ARCUS bow will work best.
01:34:09 - Final thoughts and wrap-up.
01:37:28 - How/why an ARCUS bow can relieve you of pain in your bowing arm.
01:41:05 - Where to buy/try an ARCUS or Muesing bow.
01:41:55 - Why ARCUS bows have a 30 year warranty on their sticks.
01:45:10 - Are ARCUS bows are immune to changes in climate?
01:46:32 - Thank yous.

If you'd like to try an ARCUS or Muesing bow, please book an appointment via our website www.violins.com.au. If you live outside of Sydney, please email [email protected] for a list of distributors in Australia and New Zealand.