Darf Ich and a bow to try

First of all, I'm bad bad bad by not maintaining the blog. Of course I practiced the violin during all this period and most importantly, I played again with some very good friends and fellow musicians. I should bring back this blog to a current state.

Today I went trying some violin bows at a local music store. I created a checklist and had in mind a price range. I was isolated in a room with around 10 bows (wood and carbon fiber). I didn't ask for the price tag beforehand neither the maker's name. I tried them one by one comparing them to the best bow I own. The third bow I tried was the one that stood out from the others and remained, in my opinion, the most interesting bow in terms of sound clarity, penetration and weight. It's around 60 grams actually. At some point I was alternating my bow with the "chosen one"; it's a Marco Raposo bow made in Brazil. I terms of strength, flexibility and ability to play, the bows are the same. However, the Raposo has definitely a better projection. The sound is strong in the lows and penetrating in the highs. I finally brought it home. Let me be clear: I did NOT buy it YET! But I could bring it home to try it. So far, I'm very pleased by how the sound has improved but I'd like to try ricochet, staccatos and other techniques so see if there is REALLY a difference when played. By the way, the bow doesn't actually look beautiful, it's an ugly round stick with bright wood but it's nice to hold and is so far giving good results. I have the bow for a week so I'll certainly have an update next week ;)

Tonight I listened again to Darf Ich by Arvo Pärt for violin, a bell and strings. I actually knew Pärt's composition but Darf Ich was introduced to me by a good friend and I fell in love with this piece. There's something very deep in Arvo Pärt music that touches the soul.