This video goes over using Pop's rosin for the Double Bass. If you have questions about other bass techniques, leave it in the comments, and I'll try to make a video for you.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thanks Seth, these are my favorite type of youtube videos. Clear and concise instruction. Right to the point and stayed focused! You must be from another planet! ( and no music playing in the background, haha )
Thank you so much for your videos! They've been really helpful to me as a 40-something beginner to bowing the bass (been playing pizz for 20 years but just started bowing).
This stuff seems to behave differently depending on where you live. In a very dry/cool climate (Calgary, Canada), Pops doesn't flow quiet as freely. I've had no issues taking the paper off mine and it takes more than 3 strokes to get much of it on. In the winter especially, it turns into a bit of a rock. Interesting stuff. Didn't know the down-bow only technique. That helps. Thanks!
I live in the Atlanta area, and down here in the summer it can get almost as soft as play-doh. It hardens up in the winter and behaves a bit differently. I like better a little softer, so in the winter I'll usually put it in my pocket for a few minutes before I use it to warm it up to the consistency that I like.
@@sethgamba2840 I first learned using Pop's, and it seems so much softer and stickier than other rosins even in cold dry weather, that my entire bowing technique had to change after I started trying other rosins. It was great as a beginner though because it really gripped the string well and was relatively easy to get a full rich tone out of it. Also I left a nice puddle of it permanently adhered to my mom's nice music stand some time in 6th grade or so.
I did learn something new! Im a music Ed student and I’m doing my student teaching now and yesterday I had to teach my first bass lesson. Turns out the school didn’t have any rosin so had I to buy some yesterday. Cello is my main instrument so I found this video very helpful!
Very informative I've been playing electric bass for years but newly have gotten an electric stand up and I bought a French bow. I'm trying to approach the instrument optimally and to me this is an outstanding introduction to rosin. I have some experience with the violin but this is more a specialty interest type thing on my most comfortable instrument being the double bass. I'm learning the nuances and this helped me a lot.
I have an electric upright that I use sometimes. It's a little different approach. I don't bow it at all, though. I think it sounds like total garbage bowed. The pickup system really brings out the harshness of the bow friction on the string.
Found the squeeze-y way by myself back then :D So glad that the professionals actually do that too (if they stumbled upon one). I live in SE Asia, and that thing really flows lol Love it tho'.
Thanks great info! Just bought this rosin for my son from a local music store (they had no clue how to use the rosin either). I think our warm Queensland (Australia) weather is too much for the pops rosin - I can’t peel back the cup at all (the rosin just stretches with the paper) so I’m going to try popping it in the fridge to see if it firms up! 😂
@ Double Bass - What you mention is exactly the reason that some people like to take the paper completely off. If that's what works for you, then go for it. I know others who like to let their Pop's sit for a year before using it. It becomes a harder rosin and isn't so runny. Personally, I like mine fresh and soft. I usually throw it out after a year, but again, it's whatever works for you. I've known people who keep a fresh one and an old one and switch between them based on the weather. I live in Georgia (Southeastern United States), and it gets pretty hot and humid here, but I've also lived in Indiana and Oregon (Northern United states) where it's much colder and drier. In all of those climates, I've ended up liking Pop's the best.
Hi! Thank you, this was thorough and informative. I know that someone use to recover an old pop’s can of rosin using microwave, do you suggest it? Could you link an official site for buying rosin? Also the Hamburg number 3
Ultimate Pop's Rosin Kung Fu Elegant Excellence. Ditch the paper cup. Cut down the sides of any common 2 mil (0.002") shopping bag ( IMPORTANT !!! your choice of color), and open it out flat. Put your rosin on the bag with a generous area around it. Put the rosin in the pop's rosin container with the bag up around it and twist the bag a little. Using scissors snip most of the bag off about 1.5 to 2" above the container at the twist. Push the short twisted piece of bag down over the rosin to close the lid. DONE !!! When you use the rosin the bag will easily pull away and there will be a raised edge because the bag twist puts a dent in the middle.
I've found that the bow hair is more likely to get stuck in the rosin going upbow and it is more likely to break the hairs. I had others tell me that they've seen the plug that holds the hair in the tip can get pulled out when rosining upbow with Pop's. I've never seen that happen myself, though.
I've tried a few different rosins, but I keep coming back to Pop's. Nothing else seems to really grip the way Pop's does. I do use Hidersine #3 bass rosin as a hard rosin to mix with the Pop's sometimes. I find that it can help with the sustain after the attack, but I don't have to put the Hidersine on too often for it to help. When I get new hair, I usually rosin really well with the Hidersine first before putting on the Pop's and I like what it does.
hi seth very useful tips i have a question putting the rosin all way down and up doesnt create heat on the hair and destroy it? wouldnt be ok to rosin the bow doing smaller moves and not all the way up down?
astrofos1901 I've never had any issues or heard of anyone having any issues with heat from rosining. I would think that if heat were going to be an issue, it would crop up with the constant motion of the bow against the strings, and this definitely does not happen. I will typically rosin the whole bow a few strokes and then test it out. If I find certain parts of the bow that aren't responding the way I like it, I will follow up with smaller strokes in the areas that need it. There have been some people who have theorized that there is a micro-heating phenomenon that causes the unique grab and release quality of the bow against the string, but as far as I know that is only a theory and has not been verified. This a really good video of a slow motion violin string that clearly shows the bowed string motion and the Helmholtz vibration that results from it - th-cam.com/video/6JeyiM0YNo4/w-d-xo.html
Just started playing arco but having trouble w/ bow skating. I'm using a jar of Pop's but there is no telling how old it is. May it have hardened, making it too hard to get a good tug on the strings?
jookeyman I find that I like to get a new one every year. If you don't feel like you're getting a good grip, then you should order a new one and give it a try. Bow skating can also be a technique problem. If you haven't yet, take a look at my bow hold videos. I have ones specifically on the bow hold for French and German. I also have videos on applying the bow to the instrument while sitting or standing to play it.
@@sethgamba2840 Thank you! I'm using an old Horst Schicker French bow. I'll order a new jar of Pops and see if it helps. I have been working on technique w/ better results but still not 100%. Not getting a firm grip on the string w/ the bow like you do in this video. I'm hoping it's just a rosin problem
Pete Harrison It shouldn't be actually sticky to the touch. In the winter, it will normally harden a bit with the colder weather. If you warm it up a bit, you should be able to squish it a little, but it should take some significant force. Sometimes I put the can in my pocket for a few minutes before rosining if I want it a little softer. Have you tried to rosin your bow with it yet?
its nice to have tips to use bass rosin even though im a violin player- my parents didd t understand the different and just got me bass rosin so i only really have access to it, and i couldnt find out how i was supposed to use it-
Using Pop's rosin on a violin bow will ruin it! The rosin is too thick and sticky for those thin strings. You'll end up with a scratchy sound and the rosin will never work itself out of the bow hair.
I'm afraid you might just straight away breaking any of your violin strings (especially the thinnest E string) with just one stroke of bow with bass rosin on your violin bow! Bass rosin is like 50 times stickier than normal violin rosin LOL
@@JoanKSX well luckily, i'm not playing the violin anymore, and i had swapped my rosin with a bass player and was gifted actual violin rosin by a friend when i was playing. Suprisingly it didn't break anything when i was using it
I've used Kaplan dark rosin for my violin and I like it. I don't know if they have a bass rosin. I would not use Pop's on a violin bow under any circumstances.
@@sethgamba2840 Pops rosin is rosin alright, and it works with all bowed instruments. Kaplan rosin is just synthetic rosin. Isn't pop's rosin too sticky for a violin bow?
@@RockStarOscarStern634 Pop's is way too sticky for a violin bow. That's why I would not use it. You need the grip for the thick strings on a bass, but for a violin, it will be too grippy. You'll get a lot of scratch in your sound and your bow hair will be gummed up forever. The violin strings won't be able to offer enough resistance to get the Pop's out over time the way bass strings do.
I wipe the strings, the end of the fingerboard, the top of the bridge, and the top of the bass when I am done. Every few sessions, I will also wipe down the stick on my bow as well. This is really important! The Pops rosin dust will build up and then melt into a sheet on the top of your bridge and bass if you let it. Keeping it from building up is easy if you clean every time you play. It is really hard if you let it build up.
And what kind of cloth is best for this? Do you wash that cloth or simply toss it and use a new one? I've been practising for only a few days and indeed, there was a buildup of rosin on the strings, that needed quite a bit of rubbing to pull off completely. Thank you for all the answers on these most basic things.
A soft cotton cloth works fine. You can use an old sock and cut it open or a piece of an old t-shirt. You just don't want to use anything that might scratch the finish on your instrument. I use a wash cloth that I got at the grocery store. Depending on the fabric you end up with washing works alright, but I've found that I don't have to do that very often at all.
No alcohol. Just a soft, dry cloth. If the rosin buildup is so bad that you think it needs a solvent to get it off, I would take it to a luthier to see what they recommend doing to avoid damaging the finish.
I think one of the biggest problem of Pop's is when the whether is hot, just like I am living in Asia, you may not be able to open the paper because the rosin becomes too soft and very sticky. What would you recommend?
Try Nyman. I heard Nyman is considered as 'hard' rosin and to me it's so much stickier than violin rosin when I bow on double bass string. Just like slightly harden malt syrup LOL I'm living in Asia too (Malaysia 🇲🇾)
Welcome to the bass! Don't worry too much about doing things wrong at first. That's a normal part of learning. As long as you keep a good attitude and keep trying to find ways to improve, you'll do great!
Very informative! I am amazed at the depth of your rosin knowledge.
Very informative, just the right amount of info 👍🏻 Thank you!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks Seth, these are my favorite type of youtube videos. Clear and concise instruction. Right to the point and stayed focused! You must be from another planet!
( and no music playing in the background, haha )
An interesting and helpful segment. Thank you!
Thank you so much for your videos! They've been really helpful to me as a 40-something beginner to bowing the bass (been playing pizz for 20 years but just started bowing).
Very helpful and concise explanation. Thank you!
This stuff seems to behave differently depending on where you live. In a very dry/cool climate (Calgary, Canada), Pops doesn't flow quiet as freely. I've had no issues taking the paper off mine and it takes more than 3 strokes to get much of it on. In the winter especially, it turns into a bit of a rock. Interesting stuff. Didn't know the down-bow only technique. That helps. Thanks!
I live in the Atlanta area, and down here in the summer it can get almost as soft as play-doh. It hardens up in the winter and behaves a bit differently. I like better a little softer, so in the winter I'll usually put it in my pocket for a few minutes before I use it to warm it up to the consistency that I like.
@@sethgamba2840 I first learned using Pop's, and it seems so much softer and stickier than other rosins even in cold dry weather, that my entire bowing technique had to change after I started trying other rosins. It was great as a beginner though because it really gripped the string well and was relatively easy to get a full rich tone out of it. Also I left a nice puddle of it permanently adhered to my mom's nice music stand some time in 6th grade or so.
I did learn something new! Im a music Ed student and I’m doing my student teaching now and yesterday I had to teach my first bass lesson. Turns out the school didn’t have any rosin so had I to buy some yesterday. Cello is my main instrument so I found this video very helpful!
Thanks, I just got this rosin in the mail yesterday to use on my bow for my water phone. 👌
Very helpful & concise advice. Thank you for explaining why to only use down bow too.
Once again, so detailed and helpfull. ¡Thanks!
Great tips! Thanks.
Thanks for this. Quite helpful.
Thanks for you help! 🙏🏼
Very informative I've been playing electric bass for years but newly have gotten an electric stand up and I bought a French bow. I'm trying to approach the instrument optimally and to me this is an outstanding introduction to rosin. I have some experience with the violin but this is more a specialty interest type thing on my most comfortable instrument being the double bass. I'm learning the nuances and this helped me a lot.
I have an electric upright that I use sometimes. It's a little different approach. I don't bow it at all, though. I think it sounds like total garbage bowed. The pickup system really brings out the harshness of the bow friction on the string.
Found the squeeze-y way by myself back then :D
So glad that the professionals actually do that too (if they stumbled upon one).
I live in SE Asia, and that thing really flows lol
Love it tho'.
Very helpful just started playing the double bass in school
Many thanks that’s very helpful
thank you so much for this video The music store sold me violin rosin I couldn't figure out what i was doing wrong. thanks again
Thanks great info! Just bought this rosin for my son from a local music store (they had no clue how to use the rosin either). I think our warm Queensland (Australia) weather is too much for the pops rosin - I can’t peel back the cup at all (the rosin just stretches with the paper) so I’m going to try popping it in the fridge to see if it firms up! 😂
Good lesson
@ Double Bass - What you mention is exactly the reason that some people like to take the paper completely off. If that's what works for you, then go for it. I know others who like to let their Pop's sit for a year before using it. It becomes a harder rosin and isn't so runny. Personally, I like mine fresh and soft. I usually throw it out after a year, but again, it's whatever works for you. I've known people who keep a fresh one and an old one and switch between them based on the weather. I live in Georgia (Southeastern United States), and it gets pretty hot and humid here, but I've also lived in Indiana and Oregon (Northern United states) where it's much colder and drier. In all of those climates, I've ended up liking Pop's the best.
Seth Gamba b
Thank you!!
Everyone says down bow when applying rosin. I really wondered why. Thank you for explaining.
Hi! Thank you, this was thorough and informative. I know that someone use to recover an old pop’s can of rosin using microwave, do you suggest it? Could you link an official site for buying rosin? Also the Hamburg number 3
Seth Gamba
D'addario came up w/ the new Clarity Clear Synthetic Rosin
Ultimate Pop's Rosin Kung Fu Elegant Excellence. Ditch the paper cup. Cut down the sides of any common 2 mil (0.002") shopping bag ( IMPORTANT !!! your choice of color), and open it out flat. Put your rosin on the bag with a generous area around it. Put the rosin in the pop's rosin container with the bag up around it and twist the bag a little. Using scissors snip most of the bag off about 1.5 to 2" above the container at the twist. Push the short twisted piece of bag down over the rosin to close the lid. DONE !!! When you use the rosin the bag will easily pull away and there will be a raised edge because the bag twist puts a dent in the middle.
If you don't apply the rosin down bow but more in back and forth motion does it damage the hairs on the bow?
I've found that the bow hair is more likely to get stuck in the rosin going upbow and it is more likely to break the hairs. I had others tell me that they've seen the plug that holds the hair in the tip can get pulled out when rosining upbow with Pop's. I've never seen that happen myself, though.
push from the bottom after a little push from the sides and will come off immediately.
Any thoughts on the Kolstein All Weather or the Oaks rosins by comparison?
I've tried a few different rosins, but I keep coming back to Pop's. Nothing else seems to really grip the way Pop's does. I do use Hidersine #3 bass rosin as a hard rosin to mix with the Pop's sometimes. I find that it can help with the sustain after the attack, but I don't have to put the Hidersine on too often for it to help. When I get new hair, I usually rosin really well with the Hidersine first before putting on the Pop's and I like what it does.
hi seth
very useful tips
i have a question
putting the rosin all way down and up doesnt create heat on the hair and destroy it?
wouldnt be ok to rosin the bow doing smaller moves and not all the way up down?
astrofos1901 I've never had any issues or heard of anyone having any issues with heat from rosining. I would think that if heat were going to be an issue, it would crop up with the constant motion of the bow against the strings, and this definitely does not happen. I will typically rosin the whole bow a few strokes and then test it out. If I find certain parts of the bow that aren't responding the way I like it, I will follow up with smaller strokes in the areas that need it.
There have been some people who have theorized that there is a micro-heating phenomenon that causes the unique grab and release quality of the bow against the string, but as far as I know that is only a theory and has not been verified. This a really good video of a slow motion violin string that clearly shows the bowed string motion and the Helmholtz vibration that results from it - th-cam.com/video/6JeyiM0YNo4/w-d-xo.html
thank you very much seth.
i will follow your way then.
2-or 3 strokes like u said its enough!
Just started playing arco but having trouble w/ bow skating. I'm using a jar of Pop's but there is no telling how old it is. May it have hardened, making it too hard to get a good tug on the strings?
jookeyman I find that I like to get a new one every year. If you don't feel like you're getting a good grip, then you should order a new one and give it a try. Bow skating can also be a technique problem. If you haven't yet, take a look at my bow hold videos. I have ones specifically on the bow hold for French and German. I also have videos on applying the bow to the instrument while sitting or standing to play it.
@@sethgamba2840 Thank you! I'm using an old Horst Schicker French bow. I'll order a new jar of Pops and see if it helps. I have been working on technique w/ better results but still not 100%. Not getting a firm grip on the string w/ the bow like you do in this video. I'm hoping it's just a rosin problem
I think I may have left the container open and the rosin dried so it feels like violin/cello rosin.. has this happened to anyone else??
Once it gets old dry and hard, it doesn’t work well and I replace it
Just got my first Pop's Rosin two says ago, but it's not sticky; it's hard. How do I fix this?
Pete Harrison It shouldn't be actually sticky to the touch. In the winter, it will normally harden a bit with the colder weather. If you warm it up a bit, you should be able to squish it a little, but it should take some significant force. Sometimes I put the can in my pocket for a few minutes before rosining if I want it a little softer. Have you tried to rosin your bow with it yet?
its nice to have tips to use bass rosin even though im a violin player- my parents didd t understand the different and just got me bass rosin so i only really have access to it, and i couldnt find out how i was supposed to use it-
Using Pop's rosin on a violin bow will ruin it! The rosin is too thick and sticky for those thin strings. You'll end up with a scratchy sound and the rosin will never work itself out of the bow hair.
I'm afraid you might just straight away breaking any of your violin strings (especially the thinnest E string) with just one stroke of bow with bass rosin on your violin bow!
Bass rosin is like 50 times stickier than normal violin rosin LOL
@@JoanKSX well luckily, i'm not playing the violin anymore, and i had swapped my rosin with a bass player and was gifted actual violin rosin by a friend when i was playing.
Suprisingly it didn't break anything when i was using it
Seth Gamba You can use Kaplan rosin too. Can't pops rosin work with the Violin too?
I've used Kaplan dark rosin for my violin and I like it. I don't know if they have a bass rosin. I would not use Pop's on a violin bow under any circumstances.
@@sethgamba2840 Pops rosin is rosin alright, and it works with all bowed instruments. Kaplan rosin is just synthetic rosin. Isn't pop's rosin too sticky for a violin bow?
@@RockStarOscarStern634 Pop's is way too sticky for a violin bow. That's why I would not use it. You need the grip for the thick strings on a bass, but for a violin, it will be too grippy. You'll get a lot of scratch in your sound and your bow hair will be gummed up forever. The violin strings won't be able to offer enough resistance to get the Pop's out over time the way bass strings do.
@@sethgamba2840 Pop's rosin is just Bass Rosin, & I think it also works well with the Sarangi from India & even a Small Bass.
@@sethgamba2840 How about Pirastro Gold flex Rosin, or D'addario Kaplan rosin, will that work with all bowed instruments?
Do you wipe the strings when you're done playing?
I wipe the strings, the end of the fingerboard, the top of the bridge, and the top of the bass when I am done. Every few sessions, I will also wipe down the stick on my bow as well. This is really important! The Pops rosin dust will build up and then melt into a sheet on the top of your bridge and bass if you let it. Keeping it from building up is easy if you clean every time you play. It is really hard if you let it build up.
And what kind of cloth is best for this? Do you wash that cloth or simply toss it and use a new one? I've been practising for only a few days and indeed, there was a buildup of rosin on the strings, that needed quite a bit of rubbing to pull off completely. Thank you for all the answers on these most basic things.
A soft cotton cloth works fine. You can use an old sock and cut it open or a piece of an old t-shirt. You just don't want to use anything that might scratch the finish on your instrument. I use a wash cloth that I got at the grocery store. Depending on the fabric you end up with washing works alright, but I've found that I don't have to do that very often at all.
Thank you Seth, would you use rubbing alcohol to remove any buildup on the strings?
No alcohol. Just a soft, dry cloth. If the rosin buildup is so bad that you think it needs a solvent to get it off, I would take it to a luthier to see what they recommend doing to avoid damaging the finish.
I think one of the biggest problem of Pop's is when the whether is hot, just like I am living in Asia, you may not be able to open the paper because the rosin becomes too soft and very sticky. What would you recommend?
simple put it in the fridge for 15min then you will be able to
I put it in the freezer sometimes and that seems to work fine.
Try Nyman.
I heard Nyman is considered as 'hard' rosin and to me it's so much stickier than violin rosin when I bow on double bass string.
Just like slightly harden malt syrup LOL
I'm living in Asia too
(Malaysia 🇲🇾)
I just started playing bass a few months ago and I did so many thing wrong already. Dang it.
Welcome to the bass! Don't worry too much about doing things wrong at first. That's a normal part of learning. As long as you keep a good attitude and keep trying to find ways to improve, you'll do great!