Why Synthetic Bow Hair Deserves A Chance
By Sarah Markle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k90p0weLdls
If you’re anything like most of the string players I know, this title already has you raising a skeptical eyebrow. Horsehair obviously does the job well, so why break with a centuries-old practice?
True, it’s hard to imagine a discipline more steeped in tradition than ours. Most of the methods used by violin and bow makers were established hundreds of years ago, and their materials haven’t changed much since then. There is an inherent beauty here — so much of the appeal of live classical music is this meticulous preservation of the past. It can also mean a tendency toward stubbornness in the face of change, even the most innovative kind.
Under the scrutiny posed by tightened legal restrictions on traditional materials, however — ivory, tortoiseshell, pernambuco, various reptile skins — bow makers are exploring more sustainable and often synthetic alternatives. Despite the slow-moving nature of our industry, instrument makers have shown themselves capable of modifying their materials to meet the changing needs of our planet, as well as a new generation of more ethically and environmentally conscious string players.
As a vegan and an environmentalist, I’ve found myself asking these questions about the various elements that make up my own instrument. Whatever materials went into it, my cello was built well over a hundred years ago, has not undergone any serious reconstruction, and is thus a relatively static piece of art. My bow hair, on the other hand, changes frequently; it’s one of the few areas of my instrument’s makeup in which I have a say.
Of course, none of this has negated the simple fact that sounding good matters to me as much as it does to any other professional musician. Having spent the last several years on the orchestral audition circuit, through my masters and into my tenure with the Charlotte Symphony, I’m familiar with the crazy-competitive nature of this field, and with the level of playing required to succeed. Which is why I wouldn’t have bothered writing this if my experience with synthetic hair had been anything other than a bona fide upgrade.
There aren’t many options out there (yet) in the way of synthetic bow hair, but the relatively new brand Coruss received by far the best reviews I could find. I learned that Coruss hair was developed by the Toulouse Chamber Orchestra in partnership with the French National Institute of Engineering, who utilized their expertise in fibers and textiles to create a viable alternative to horsehair. In speaking with Claire Stefani, a Coruss representative and brand manager for Connolly Music, currently the only North American distributor, I asked about the origins of their endeavor — what drove them to take on this project?
Members of the chamber orchestra were motivated by several factors. Some were concerned with the ethics of the horsehair trade, in particular the fact that traditional bow hair is almost always a byproduct of slaughter. Some were disturbed by the sheer waste involved in sifting through pounds of natural hair, and being forced to throw out much of it due to “imperfections”. Carbon fiber bows, used by the thousands especially in school music programs, are another huge source of waste — incredibly, due to their low manufacturing cost, most of these bows get simply thrown away when their hair is worn down, a problem that would be mitigated with longer-lasting and more durable hair. Their primary concern, however, was with the finicky nature of horsehair as it behaves on a bow; since the orchestra spends much of its time touring, string players were seeking something that wouldn’t fall prey to changes in temperature and humidity while on the road.
I had Coruss hair put on my bow about a year ago and quickly became smitten. It took a few days for my fingers to adapt, but the improvement in sound, specifically clarity of articulation and overall volume, was obvious from the beginning. Embracing my inner music nerd, I even conducted blind tests with friends at work comparing the two, and the synthetic hair was consistently preferable.
Aside from the aural differences, Coruss hair also comes with a few additional perks: my rehair cost the same as regular horsehair, but is advertised to last up to three times longer, and is marketed in a rainbow of vibrant colors as well as natural white, if that’s your thing. While none of these reasons alone would have swayed me, they do sweeten the deal — and yes, I’m currently playing on bright blue hair and loving it.
A handful of my colleagues in the Charlotte Symphony have also jumped on the Coruss bandwagon. Principal Cellist Alan Black has been especially impressed by its reliability: “I haven’t lost a bow hair yet! I love the dependability of it — it’s very consistent, and it doesn’t seem like it stretches at all.”
Jeremy Lamb, another cellist in the section and proprietor of the excellently-named Lamb’s Magical Bow Rehairs, agrees: “What I like most about the hair is that it produces a brighter, more powerful sound in the lower strings, and that the response for all the strings is faster than horsehair. You hear pitch more quickly after you start the bow.” Having worked in the rehair business for over a decade, Lamb can also attest to certain advantages from a luthier’s perspective. “The cost is slightly cheaper because there is zero waste. With horsehair, you lose a certain percentage of the hair depending on where you buy it, and how selective you are, but up to fifty percent of every hank of hair is flawed in some way…so there’s a lot of waste involved.”
For my part, I’m an enthusiastic proponent of anything that can reduce our dependency on… well, dead animal parts. Whatever vaguely naive notions we had about where our bow hair comes from — “It’s just like giving the horse a haircut!” is one I hear string teachers use — the reality is far less cute, and it’s time we at least acknowledge that.
I also see a significant opportunity to cut down on the waste produced both in the processing of natural hair, as well as that perpetuated by cheap carbon fiber bow manufacturers. In this case, synthetic hair is a no-brainer; even the staunchest of traditionalists can’t argue that a room full of beginner string students playing on Coruss hair would be missing out on some crucial element of string pedagogy. Insisting that horsehair be strung on mass-produced student bows that will thrown out within months is egregiously wasteful, and I would encourage music teachers to look into synthetic hair for that reason alone, regardless of its other merits.
Luthiers and musicians living three hundred years ago did not have to contend with the modern issues of deforestation, endangered species, overflowing landfills, and the ethical implications of mass slaughter. Today, instrument makers are responding with innovative and sustainable alternatives, because the people who care about them speak up. The optimist in me sees a growing number of musicians awake to these issues, who are willing to balance our cherished traditions with an ongoing effort to make our instruments better, both for our playing and our planet. And I’d argue that, on the whole, we’re sounding better than ever — that’s a tradition worth preserving.
