This article was written by Rob Bennett from Aulos Recorders (c/o Barnes & Mullins Ltd).
When choosing the best rosin for violin, viola, or cello, the player’s skill level is an important consideration. Beginners need consistent grip for reliable bow control, while intermediate players benefit from rosins that support dynamic expression. Professionals typically favour softer rosins that enhance tone and enable greater nuance. Specialised options, including those for viola, cater to the unique needs of each instrument and player. With a range of premium formulations, brands like Hidersine and W. E. Hill & Sons offer excellent choices across all levels.
Which rosin is best for a beginner violinist or cellist?
The key for beginners is usually ease-of-playing. Therefore, you would require as predictable a level of grip as possible from the outset. Your time will be spent learning the basic techniques relating to your instrument and your bow, and for that, you need consistency with as few variations as possible.
The top 3 rosins recommended for beginner Violin and Cello players are:
- Hidersine 3VM (violin) or 3CM (cello) – a medium size light rosin with excellent grip consistency.
- Hidersine 1VM (violin) or 1CM (cello) – a large size, light rosin with excellent grip consistency.
- Hidersine 12VM (violin) or 12CM (cello) – a smaller, junior sized rosin with great consistency.
It is worth noting that Hidersine light rosins are suitable for just about any application. They will perform just as well for a beginner as for a seasoned professional. As you progress along your music education journey however, you will find that other rosins offer you a little more variation and control.
Which rosins are suitable for intermediate stringed instrument players?
As you become more and more proficient with your instrument, your need and desire for nuance and subtlety increases, plus the music that you’re playing will require a broader and more varied palette of sound types.
Imagine reading the music, noticing staccato passages swiftly followed by sustained periods of a much softer style. You’ll need the confidence and ability to annunciate sufficiently for the staccato passages yet retain the control necessary to quickly switch to playing a pianissimo legato section.
Using a slightly softer rosin, such as the Deluxe or Hidersine Reserve21 Rosins, this type of transition can be made much more achievable and accurate. However, you as the player need to exert a little more control in the process.
The top 3 rosins recommended for intermediate string players (Violin / Cello) are:
- Hidersine Reserve21 HR21VL (violin) or HR21CD (cello) – A large cake of premium rosin using British Beeswax for a low-dust, smooth playing experience.
- Hidersine 6VM (violin) or 6CM (cello) – a medium sized deluxe, dark rosin with a slightly softer consistency.
- AB Rosin 2062 (violin or cello) – a medium sized dark rosin with a well-respected recipe devised by educator Amy Birch in the early 20th century.
Which rosins are best for professional players?
Finding just the right violin or cello rosin for you and your instrument is a personal choice of course, but as a proficient player or teacher, you seek to get the very best from your instrument and bow on every occasion.
You already have your beautiful instrument strung with just the right combination of strings, paired with a wonderfully balanced bow. All that remains to find is the last ingredient. The creative substance that imparts grip and feel to the bow, and in turn, causes the strings to resonate through historic tonewoods. Using a rosin that grants as much freedom as possible is key to true musical expression. The appropriate softer rosin blends – which are often, although not always, darker in colour too – are the obvious choice.
The top 3 rosins for advanced or professional violin players are:
- Hidersine Reserve21 (Violin) - A large cake of medium-softness, premium rosin enriched with British Beeswax for the very smoothest playing experience - extremely expressive.
- W. E. Hill & Sons’ Premium Rosin (Violin) – Presented in a Maplewood holder, Hill Premium is a unique, medium rosin that allows remarkable note articulation.
- Hidersine 6VM (Violin) – A large cake of slightly soft, dark rosin for good levels of control.
The top 3 rosins for advanced or professional cellists are:
- Hidersine Reserve21 (Cello) - A large cake of medium-softness, premium rosin enriched with British Beeswax for the very smoothest playing experience. Slightly softer than the violin version, designed specifically for expressive playing on the thicker strings of a cello.
- Hidersine 6CM (Cello) - A large cake of slightly soft, dark rosin for good levels of control across the board. Again, a little softer than the violin variant, designed for thicker strings.
- W. E. Hill & Sons’ Premium Rosin (Cello) – Presented in a Maplewood holder, Hill Premium Cello Rosin is a unique recipe, medium rosin developed specifically for the thicker strings of a cello.
Is there specific rosin for Viola?
Although it has been quite common historically for viola players to use violin rosin, there are now a couple of specially created options. As the strings on a bowed instrument get thicker, the necessary rosin tends to become a tiny bit softer: a ‘hard’ cello rosin is actually softer than a ‘hard’ violin rosin. Happily, both Hidersine and W. E. Hill & Sons have an offering now specifically for violists, with a recipe that carefully bridges the gap between violin and cello, designed to get the very best from a viola’s slightly thicker overall string diameter.
The top 3 rosins for viola players are:
- Hidersine 1VAM (Viola) – Based on the world-famous Hidersine 1V for violin, Hidersine has taken tried and tested recipe and tweaked it just enough to bring out the very best from the Viola’s string profile.
- Hidersine Reserve21 (Violin) – Although designed for Violin initially, Hidersine Reserve21 rosin is unique in its use of Beeswax. The resulting smoothness suits Viola very well, helping deliver a deep and mellow tone.
- W. E. Hill & Sons’ Premium Rosin (Viola) – Presented in a Maplewood holder, Hill Premium for Viola is a newly-created, medium rosin formulation designed to enhance the natural warmth of the instrument’s tone.
Selecting the right rosin is an essential part of a string player's success, influencing sound quality and ease of play. Whether you are just beginning, refining your technique as an intermediate, or striving for ultimate expression as an advancing professional, the right rosin can make all the difference. With options tailored to every skill level and instrument, players can achieve the ideal balance of grip, tone, and control. Explore the available choices to find the perfect fit for your musical needs.