Bows

Ringing Strings Bowed Psalteries

handcrafted by Rick Long

Clinton, Tennessee

(865) 660-4026
psalteryman@gmail.com

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Bowed Psaltery Bows

6-4-13 Updated

2-27-13 I have added lots of new bows to the site today. Scroll down to see all of them. There are even four matched pairs, for double bowing, all the way at the bottom.

12-26-12 New Bows are now listed. Scroll down to see them.

This page lists some of the psaltery bows that I build. There will always be a wide variety of woods they are made of. I make two types of bows. For psalteries with plain steel strings, I build a bow that is strung with white synthetic hair and is non-adjustable. For psalteries that have wound strings, I build bows that can be strung with either white or black horsehair and are adjustable for tension.

I have built and played the bowed psaltery for over thirty years now. I have experimented with a lot of different bow types and the materials to use for hair. Here's what I have concluded.

The brand of synthetic hair I use is best for psalteries with plain steel strings, most soprano psalteries fit into this category. Very smooth sound and no adjustment of the hair needed, because it is a synthetic. Very good string vibration and overall just a good material. These are a little over 14", though the actual usable length of the bow hair is right at 13".

For psalteries having wound strings, I use black horsehair. It is a coarse hair and is just right for the best sound on those rough wound strings. This being said, I have noticed the black hair will smooth out over time, so they will work with plain steel strings, if you would prefer horsehair. These bows are a little over 15", but the usable length of bow hair is about the same as the synthetic haired bows, at 13". That extra length is for the sliding piece I use to adjust the tension on these bows. Horsehair will react to humidity changes and will also stretch over time. This is why the adjustment is needed. I have also started using some white horsehair. I actually don't hear or feel a lot of difference between the white or black hair.

So you see, the playing length of the hair is the same on the two types of bows. That 13" may sound pretty short to you. A common misconception is that you need a longer bow to hold out the long notes or drones. That falls back to using the proper technique while playing. Rushing through the bow stroke is never a good idea. Any note you hold out, the bow stroke should be fairly slow and controlled. It is time well spent, to work on your bowing technique.

My bows are also extremely light in weight. A lighter bow is much easier to maneuver around on the bowed psaltery strings. A violin bow is heavy, but that is needed on a violin, you stay more in contact with the strings all the time you are playing. On a bowed psaltery, you are constantly lifting and moving to the various notes you need. A heavy bow will slow you down.

The key things are to have a lightweight bow, not too long, and the proper hair to give you the best sound.

My bows are designed for playing a bowed psaltery. Some folks say a fractional violin bow is good for playing the psaltery. The problems I have found are that they are not comfortable to grip, except at the base. That round shaft is not friendly to any kind of comfort when gripping it. A violin bow is designed to use it's weight to keep the hair in contact with the strings. The opposite is needed for playing a psaltery, unless you are planning on playing the same note, you must lift the bow to move to the next notes of a song. Depending on the tempo of a song, that could happen very quickly. My bows are designed to have a nice flat area, that extends to about half the length, to give you an easy and comfortable gripping surface, in many different places along the length. Google search this phrase "violin bow makes my hand hurt" and see all the hits from folks that are experiencing pain from playing the violin. It's a poor design and choice for playing the bowed psaltery. There's no need to ever be in any kind of pain or discomfort when playing your psaltery. If there is, you aren't going to want to spend much time playing.

The wide surface of bow hair, on a violin bow, is not ideal for playing the psaltery. That extra width causes you to make an extra effort to be accurate, and that extra effort can have an effect on playing tunes at a faster tempo. You only have a small area between each hitch pin to bow the string. In trying a violin bow, I quickly found out it is very easy to end up with the hair split between two pins. You never want that to happen. Some folks will also try to say a violin bow will give you better tone or volume. This is simply not true. The rosined bow hair is causing the friction needed to make the string vibrate. Varying the pressure with the bow is how you regulate the volume, and is one of the best things to learn when developing your bowing technique. Using this technique to range from a feathery light touch to the max volume your psaltery is capable of. How a psaltery is constructed will be what determines the final output of tone and volume. Mastering that technique is well worth spending the time to practice. A fractional violin bow will be heavy, even the 1/16 size is heavier than any of the bows I build. That weight works against you, when your skills develop into playing faster tunes. It can lead to your playing sounding sloppy. In playing a violin, you mostly stay in contact with the string. On the psaltery, you are constantly required to lift the bow to move onto the next notes of a tune. A lightweight bow shines here.

Below are the listings of the bows I have available. Pricing is basically $20 for a plain wood on a synthetic hair bow and $25 for a black or white horsehair bow. I add $5 for the bows with figured woods. The matched pairs are double the price of a single, but I won't split them up to sell one of the pair. They have been cut and shaped side by side from the same board. This way the color, grain, shape, and weight all match. The pairs are great if you are getting into double bowing.

I will mark them as SOLD when someone buys them. There may be a time when two folks will contact me about the same bow or bows. I will sell to the customer with the first email or phone call letting me know which ones they want.

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Scroll down to the bottom for the listings of the bows that are available

Item Number - B138

Wood - Figured Maple

Price - $25 SOLD

Synthetic Hair

Could also be termed as curly maple. Extremely beautiful and really shows off when viewed in bright light.

Item Number - B150

Wood - Cherry

Price - $20 SOLD

Synthetic Hair

Local American cherry. Love the color. Sweet smell when sanding it.

Item Number - B140

Wood - Blistered Maple

Price - $25 SOLD

Synthetic Hair

This blistered maple is a very rare grain pattern in hard maple. I have only seen two boards of it. It's almost like extremely fine grained quilted maple. Very beautiful.

Item Number - B151

Wood - Curly Spalted Buckeye

Price - $25

Synthetic Hair

These are some of the first bows I have made out of buckeye. Lots of interesting character in the grain of this wood. Extremes in both color and figure.

Item Number - B152

Wood - Cherry

Price - $20 SOLD

Synthetic Hair

Local American cherry. Love the color. Sweet smell when sanding it.

Item Number - B111

Wood - Blistered Maple

Price - $25

Synthetic Hair

This blistered maple is a very rare grain pattern in hard maple. I have only seen two boards of it. It's almost like extremely fine grained quilted maple. Very beautiful.

Item Number - B113

Wood - Maple

Price - $20

Synthetic Hair

Item Number - B147

Wood - Walnut

Price - $20 SOLD

Synthetic Hair

The rich color of walnut seems to be a customer favorite. I agree, what's not to like?

Item Number - B105

Wood - Maple

Price - $20

Synthetic Hair

Maple is a very strong and stable wood. Light color and used quite a bit in instruments made from wood.

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Item Number - B148

Wood - Figured Maple

Price - $25

Synthetic Hair

Could also be termed as curly maple. Extremely beautiful and really shows off when viewed in bright light.

Item Number - B149

Wood - Walnut

Price - $20 SOLD

Synthetic Hair

The rich color of walnut seems to be a customer favorite. I agree, what's not to like?

Item Number - B139

Wood - Wormy Chestnut

Price - $20 SOLD

Synthetic Hair

This chestnut was salvaged from a structure in the Asheville, NC area.

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Item Number - B146

Wood - Cherry

Price - $20 SOLD

Synthetic Hair

Local American cherry. Love the color. Sweet smell when sanding it.

Item Number - B145

Wood - Blistered Maple

Price - $25 SOLD

Synthetic Hair

This blistered maple is a very rare grain pattern in hard maple. I have only seen two boards of it. It's almost like extremely fine grained quilted maple. Very beautiful.

Item Number - B144

Wood - Curly Spalted Buckeye

Price - $

Synthetic Hair

These are some of the first bows I have made out of buckeye. Lots of interesting character in the grain of this wood. Extremes in both color and figure.

Item Number - B143

Wood - Walnut

Price - $20 SOLD

Synthetic Hair

The rich color of walnut seems to be a customer favorite. I agree, what's not to like?

Item Number - B142

Wood - Spalted Curly Buckeye

Price - $25

Synthetic Hair

Item Number - B153

Wood - Blistered Maple

Price - $25

Synthetic Hair

This blistered maple is a very rare grain pattern in hard maple. I have only seen two boards of it. It's almost like extremely fine grained quilted maple. Very beautiful.

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Item Number - B115

Wood - Maple

Price - $25

White, Black, or Synthetic Hair - Please Specify

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Item Number - B116

Wood - Douglas Fir

Price - $25

White, Black, or Synthetic Hair - Please Specify

This is another first time wood for the bows I make. Very strong for it's weight. Wonderful vertical grain quartersawn. The board this came from was rescued from the Habitat for Humanity Thrift Store in Oak Ridge, TN.

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Item Number - B118

Wood - Quilted Maple

Price - $30

White, Black, or Synthetic Hair - Please Specify

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Item Number - B119

Wood - Wormy Chestnut

Price - $25

White, Black, or Synthetic Hair - Please Specify

This chestnut was salvaged from a structure in the Asheville, NC area.

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Item Number - B121

Wood - Figured Maple

Price - $30

White, Black, or Synthetic Hair - Please Specify

Could also be termed as curly maple. Extremely beautiful and really shows off when viewed in bright light.

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Item Number - B123

Wood - Walnut

Price - $25

White, Black, or Synthetic Hair - Please Specify

The rich color of walnut seems to be a customer favorite. I agree, what's not to like?

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Item Number - B124

Wood - Figured Maple

Price - $30

White, Black, or Synthetic Hair - Please Specify

Could also be termed as curly maple. Extremely beautiful and really shows off when viewed in bright light.

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Click on the picture to the left to enlarge it. You can see more detail and also have a good idea of the size of the two types of bow I make. My bows are really light in weight, they range from 1 to 1.3 oz each, depending on the wood. A lightweight bow is desireable for playing the psaltery. Your movement needs to be efficient. A heavy or long bow can hinder that and cause sloppy technique.

The bow on the left is my adjustable horsehair bow, you can have either white or black horsehair. There is a slider in the notch at the large end, just slide that back under the hair to increase the tension. The bow on the right is my synthetic hair bow. No adjustment required, the tension will stay put on it. The synthetic hair isn't affected by humidity.

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Item Number - B125

Wood - Douglas Fir

Price - $25

White, Black, or Synthetic Hair - Please Specify

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Item Number - B126

Wood - Curly Spalted Buckeye

Price - $30

White, Black, or Synthetic Hair - Please Specify

These are some of the first bows I have made out of buckeye. Lots of interesting character in the grain of this wood. Extremes in both color and figure.

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Item Number - B128

Wood - Curly Golden Raintree

Price - $30

White, Black, or Synthetic Hair - Please Specify

The Golden Raintree is an ornamental

tree that grows here in the Southeast.

This wood had been cut and split for firewood, until someone saw that beautiful

tight curl and color.

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Item Number - B129

Wood - Wormy Chestnut

Price - $25

White, Black, or Synthetic Hair - Please Specify

This chestnut was salvaged from a structure in the Asheville, NC area.

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Item Number - B130

Wood - Walnut

Price - $25

White, Black, or Synthetic Hair - Please Specify

The rich color of walnut seems to be a customer favorite. I agree, what's not to like?

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Item Number - B131

Wood - Curly Spalted Buckeye

Price - $30

White, Black, or Synthetic Hair - Please Specify

These are some of the first bows I have made out of buckeye. Lots of interesting character in the grain of this wood. Extremes in both color and figure.

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Item Number - B132

Wood - Figured Maple

Price - $30

White, Black, or Synthetic Hair - Please Specify

Could also be termed as curly maple. Extremely beautiful and really shows off when viewed in bright light.

Item Number - B134

Wood - Walnut

Price - $25 SOLD

White, Black, or Synthetic Hair - Please Specify

The rich color of walnut seems to be a customer favorite. I agree, what's not to like?

Item Number - B135

Wood - Curly Golden Raintree

Price - $30

White, Black, or Synthetic Hair - Please Specify

The Golden Raintree is an ornamental

tree that grows here in the Southeast.

This wood had been cut and split for firewood, until someone saw that beautiful

tight curl and color.

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Item Number - B136

Wood - Blistered Maple

Price - $30

White, Black, or Synthetic Hair - Please Specify

This blistered maple is a very rare grain pattern in hard maple. I have only seen two boards of it. It's almost like extremely fine grained quilted maple. Very beautiful.

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Click Picture to Enlarge

New information added 1-4-13

Item Number - B155 Matched Pair

Wood - Quartersawn Sycamore

Price - $60 SOLD

White, Black, or Synthetic Hair - Please Specify

Quartersawn sycamore is a beautiful wood. You find this grain only in a quartersawn board. Most of what you find is not this deep orange/pink color.

Item Number - B154 Matched Pair

Wood - Fancy Curly Maple

Price - $60

White, Black, or Synthetic Hair - Please Specify

This curly maple is extreme in both color and grain.

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Click Picture to Enlarge

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