The violin bow, also known as the bow, consists of a bow stem, bow head, bow tail, bow hair compartment, adjusting screws, and bow hair. The earliest bow was similar to the bow of a bow and arrow, so it was called a bow. With the development of violin playing techniques, the bow gradually improved until the 18th century, when the invention of using a spiral to control the expansion and contraction of the bow hair and the improvement of the bow style made it what it is today.

The violin bow is an important component of the violin and is closely related to its performance. Without a good bow, the unique performance of the violin cannot be fully realized. The bow should have the conditions of elasticity, lightness, toughness, and moderate balance, so that it can be used skillfully and perfectly express the emotions of musical works.

(1) Bow rod

The bow stem is a long, round (or octagonal) wooden rod that is the main component of a musical bow. It is often made of elastic wood such as Su Mu, peach wood, fire fruit wood, redwood, or colored wood. The bow is divided into three sections: upper, middle, and lower, with the narrowest diameter at the upper end.

(2) Bow head

The bow head is the head of the qin bow, the tip of the bow rod, and one end of the bow hair is embedded in the mortise of the bow head with a small wooden stopper. On the surface of the bow wood, there are bow pieces glued, often made of ivory, silver or chemical sheets. It is not only used for decoration, but also to prevent the bow wood from cracking.

(3) Bow tail

Bow tail, also known as bow root, is the tail end of the bow rod, which connects the bow hair compartment and the adjusting screw. The bow tail is the part where the bow is held. For the convenience of grasping and using, a metal wire or leather strip is wrapped around a section of the bow tail rod, called a handle.

(4) Bow Hair Warehouse

The bow hair compartment is connected to the bow tail, and one end of the bow hair is embedded in the mortise of the bow hair compartment. Bow hair storage is often made of ebony, redwood, or maple wood. On the side of the bow hair storage near the bow tail, screw in the nut of the adjusting screw. The decoration of the bow hair storage has high requirements. In addition to increasing the weight of the bow tail, it is mainly for aesthetic purposes.

(5) Adjust the screw

Adjusting screw, also known as bow tail screw, is a screw that is inserted into the bow tail part and made of metal, used to adjust the tightness of the bow hair.

(6) Bow hair

Bow hair is an important component of the bow, made of white, gray, or black ponytails. The bow produces sound by rubbing against the strings. Bow hair will decrease in quantity due to frequent friction with the strings, so it needs to be replaced every four to five years.