Return of the bow.

 

Oops, using it on the wrong instrument!

I was practising my double bass the other day and my bow was sounding a bit scratchy. I suddenly thought of my other bow that has been sitting in my 'strings drawer' for a long while. This bow has an interesting history, even more interesting than Peter doing jury service. It was originally a French or Bottesini bow. The two frequently used double bass bows each have two names. I swapped it off my youngest sibling Daryl for a bass guitar - hey, it's a very good bow! Daryl had switched to a German / Dragonetti bow. Soon after I got interested in using a German bow too, so I took it to a luthier to get it changed over. The French bow is held much like a violin bow, but the German bow has an entirely different grip. It has a much larger 'frog' - the bit that holds the hair at one end.

I was a bit pissed off when I discovered that the luthier had designed the frog in a slightly different shape to that of a German bow. However, it turned out that he really knew what he was doing, and I was wrong. He had done some research and found that the 'weight point' on a French bow was different to a German, so he had slightly changed the design. Clever fellow!

I've started using this bow again and it sounds great! The other bow is now in the 'strings drawer'. Hey, I'm lucky to have these two bows. They're both good bows.

* * *

So, what are the boys up to?

Peter thinks he is in the Perry Mason TV show.

Robert has had to postpone his trip to Taupo.

In his post, 11 MORE ANGRY MEN, Peter gives 8 reasons why he is the ideal juror.

1) He was in 3P in 1966 and knows the term 'mea culpa'.
2) He is quite old.
3) He has sold wine and is a great fan of Cleanskins.
4) He sat in on a law class at university because there was a nice girl in the class.
5) He got kicked off a jury once before.
6) He has read a few books, as well as Playboy magazine.
7) He upset a guy at the local tennis club and often fell down a bank at golf.
8) He's trying to sell his house so that he can get out of this community.

Sounds like he's the man for the job.

Well, at least he's not having to sleep outside like Robert.

Ciao tutti.