h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A traumatic day for daughter El. On Monday, she dropped her cello bow, 350 euros worth, and it broke in half. It can't be fixed. Apparently this is almost unheard of in the world of cellos. But it was a good few years old, so it's not under guarantee or anything. I may be able to claim on instrument insurance.

Today we went out to the cello shop, and she got to borrow three new bows, to try them out: a not too expensive one, an expensive one and a carbon fibre one. She brought the three of them to her cello class so that her teacher could look at them. Two minutes into playing with the less expensive bow (250 euros worth), it snapped in two in her hand.

She was in floods of tears from the shock.

Poor El!!!

She must be in...


.. No!.. I can't say it!


I just realised what I was going to write then

I can fully understand how El feels...

I have broken 2 bows, had one look more like a long bow than a fiddle bow, it had warped so badly, and have two that need re-hairing, as the glue has given up the so I currently have one half-haired bow... Not good.

Wish her well from me, and I would suggest a conventional bow rather than kevlar, as it doesn't work for me! Personal prefeence though. When I ge some money, I' back to natural!!!

Best wishes.

MMF

/~

If dropping a bow is almost unheard of, i'd guess it's because (the many, surely) people who have done so avoid talking about it.

it's painful, to be sure

We all drop bows. Mostly they bounce, but if they happen to go tip-first they can come to grief. At least it wasn't a three-thousand euro bow.

It is worth getting the best bow you can afford. It makes an incredible difference to your sound, and your articulation. It makes you cleverer in fact, more expressive, more interesting, pleasant to be with, eager to practise, everything.

Your teacher will advise you of course, but there have been enormous advances in synthetic bows recently and you may find that the best choice. Quite apart from their virtual indestructibility.

I wouldn't expect much of a €250 bow. Coming apart in your hand is about all they are good for.

By the way a break in the length of the stick can generally be repaired. It can't if it snaps straight across, but if the break is two inches long that is gluable. You have to put in a patch as well, a piece of wood inserted in a long slot specially cut for it. This is of course expensive work, and therefore only worth doing on expensive bows.

If the break is shorter than an inch and a half then that shows that the grain of the wood was unsuitable for making a bow, or that there was a fault in it. Bring the pieces back to the shop and quibble.

Dear ~gnoman, Your poor daughter, ~she must have been so u0setl. I never ralised that bows broke!!, Mind you I think that I only learnt the 'cello for abiyt 18 months and I never learnt the violin.

Go well dear friend,

Christiane and Keith.

26.11.09 17,59 GMT

The cello shop took back the broken bow and have given her four more bows to try out.