Rosin is a necessity for every cellist. The cello bow needs to be rosined every four hours or so of playing, so you need to keep a rosin cake with your cello at all times. Don’t know anything about rosin? Check out our how-to-rosin guide here.
There are many different brands of cello rosin out there so plan to try out different types to decide on your own personal favorite. When you try a new rosin brand you’re looking for things like:
- “Stickiness.” Does it feel like the right amount of grip, too sticky, or not enough?
- How long does it stay on your bow? Does it seem to disappear right away, or last a decent amount of time?
- Any other observations that strike you personally. Maybe it has a smell you just can’t stand!
To get you started, here are 3 of our favorite rosins.
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- Salchow Medium-Dark Cello Rosin – CelloGuide’s favorite rosin. It’s got the right amount of stickiness, lasts a long time and is just high-quality rosin! Click Here for Pricing and More Information.
- Hill Dark Rosin for Cello – A solid, well-crafted rosin. This rosin was originally made for the famous Hill family of instrument makers, which is where it gets its name. Click Here for Pricing and More Information.
- Bernardel Rosin for Cello – A slightly lighter rosin than the previous two, good for those that want a little less grip. Click Here for Pricing and More Information.
One last thing: Are you buying this for a young student, but worried that none of these come in the more protective box packaging? Don’t! Just teach them to be as careful with their rosin as they are with their cello and they’ll be fine. There is a noticeable difference in the sound and ease of playing when you buy good-quality rosin that we think all cellists deserve to have.