Rosin

About Bowed Stringed Instrument Rosin

Rosin is made from the resin of pines and other softwood trees and is a type of crude turpentine. Rosin is also called colophony or colophonia resina and takes its name from the ancient Greek city of Colophon, which is in present day Turkey. It is a brittle, translucent material that ranges in color from black to yellow, and has a slightly piney odor. It is used by players of bowed, string instruments to increase the friction of the bow, which in turn increases sound volume, and is applied to the bow hairs.

Other materials can be applied to rosin to alter the friction produced, and can include precious metals, tin, iron and beeswax. The diameter of the strings of bowed string instruments is determined by the diameter of the strings. Darker rosin is used for the larger bowed instruments (basses and cellos), while lighter rosin is used for the smaller bowed instruments (violins and violas). Rosin can also be used on free-floating bridges of stringed instruments to prevent the bridge from moving , such as the banjo and various Chinese stringed instruments.

Rosin has many other industrial applications and is used in soap, varnishes, sealing-wax, shoemakers’ wax, soldering flux, printing inks, chewing gum, paper sizing, lens polish, adhesives and medicines. Rosin is dissolved by numerous organic solvents such as alcohol, ether and benzene, but is insoluble in water. Commercial grades are given a letter designation with “A” being the darkest in color, to “N” being the lightest in color. The highest quality and most expensive grades are designated “W”, “WW”, “WG” and “X.”

The largest regions of rosin production are in Indonesia, southern China and Northern Vietnam. In Europe the main source of rosin in France. In the Western Hemisphere the South Atlantic and eastern Gulf states of the United States, along with Michoacán region of Mexico are also major regions of production.