All:

I'm a new player: I'm having difficulty determining how much rosin to put on the bow. The bow *seems* to work ok on open notes but on notes with fingers, the tone is thin and the bow feels like it's not grabbing enough.

I've rosinned extensively. I've even wiped off to be sure there was not too much. How much rosin is too much? And how much to put on in the first place?

Thanks,

Tim

Is the bow new? or re-haired? If it is then you load it on. If not, which by now you probably have played enough that it has enough rosin to skip the new part, but I rosin until it "sings" if you will. I don't know quite how to explain it, but it feels smoother when your adding the rosin when you have enough on and it doesn't feel or sound rough. I hope that helped at least a little for ya! It was probably a bit confusing.

It is new so I'll try "loading it up". Didin't quite understand your last sentence - do you mean put on rosin until the bow feels smooth? Because now, the parts that have the most rosin feel rough.

Thanks,

Tim

Meaning when you are applying the rosin, there comes a point when it feels like it is applying smoother. Since it's new, don't be afraid of clouds of rosin when you play. Be sure to have a piece of cloth to clean the rosin off from your violin. I know for me it took a little while t get used to how much to put on. Experiment with different amounts of rosin, see/hear/feel what one plays the best and get used to how much rosin is applied. I hope that clarifies a little bit.

<Added>

I also found this, it seems a lot better to understand than my attempt.

http://www.8notes.com/f/31_1630.asp

Both were helpful - thanks!

try not too touch the bow hairs, it ruins them.

also, the sound coould be coming out weird also based on quality of the violin and how long you;ve been playing.