Cello Bow

Apparently I am a magnet for bad luck this week. First, I lost my cello bow. Then my car got hit while it was parked in front of my house, and the guy didn't pull over. Hit-and-Run. I do not think my insurance is going to cover it because I drive an old car, and I just had liability. I am bleeding money at the moment. So to bolster my spirits, I went shopping for a cello bow today.

I think the process of buying a bow is the closest humans will get to purchasing a wand. So in the spirit of magic, here is a short excerpt from "why buying a bow is like purchasing a wand:"

They are both made of wood. Woods have different levels of densities, thicknesses, and levels of stiffness, and each person has their own individual style and preference. You have to try them all out before purchasing one. Do you prefer slender and whippy? Or dense and heavy? Bouncy or smooth? Octagonal or round? Although you can effectively use someone else's wand or bow, it will not be as effective as the one that chooses you.

Although I cannot vouch for wands, I would imagine that like bows, they are expensive.The bow I lost was a lightweight $300 octagonal bow. I was at the music store for 90 minutes and my decision came down to two bows, the one that I really hoped to buy ended up being too light for me and more expensive. So I'm kind of glad the "cheaper" bow I chose actually produced better sound on my instrument than the more expensive one. Let's just say it's a minor investment. The bow I just bought is cool looking. It is Brazilian. The frog (bottom of the bow; where you hold it) is made of snakewood, so it has cool markings--sort of like tiger-eye rocks. This bow has a tan leather grip, and gold binding. Normally, the grip is black and the binding is silver. This bow is heavier than my last one (although I've discovered that almost ALL cello bows are heavier than mine was) but it produces really good tone on my instrument. I'm excited. So the next time you see me play, you can tell me how good it sounds.