• Violin bows are made by skilled craftsmen.violin and notes on artistic table image by Paolo Frangiolli from Fotolia.com
  
  A violin bow, also referred to as a fiddlestick, is as essential as the instrument itself. Without the bow, a violin cannot produce music. Each component of the violin bow serves a specific purpose, enabling the bow to glide across the strings and create the vibrations that are the sounds of a violin.
  
  

Stick

• The stick is the backbone of the violin bow, supporting all the other parts of the bow. It is comprised of either wood or carbon fiber and designed with a slight curve to enable adjustments.
  
  

Pad/Grip

• The pad or grip is located near the end of the stick. It is a small piece of rubber or leather wrapped around the stick to provide a resting place for the thumb during play. Some bows also have a plastic or fine wire wrap next to the pad. This extra wrap provides traction to prevent the first finger from sliding around the stick.
  
  

Screw

• The screw can be found at the very end of the stick. It can be turned to slide the frog along the stick in order to increase or decrease the tension on the hair.
  
  

Frog

• The frog is the piece at the end of the bow, connecting the stick and the hair. It slides to adjust the tension in the hair. There are many theories as to why this piece is referred to as the frog, but there is no definitive answer.
  
  

Hair

• The hair used for making violin bows comes from horse tails. This type of hair is used for its durability as well as the tiny barbs located on the surface of each strand. When you apply rosin to the hair it attaches to the barbs along the surface, enabling the sound to be produced as the barbs pass over the strings on the violin. The hair should be replaced when the barbs wear down.
  
  

Tip

• The tip is the tapered top of the bow where the hair and stick meet. A clasp at the tip anchors the bow hair in place.