I still think my string experimentation shopping and experimentation spree once upon a time was far more caffeine inspired, but the current go on rosins isn't exactly decaf either. Curiosity, they claim, ended the feline's 9-run streak, and its that which has led me first to try the higher end "Superior" hand-crafted Colophane, which was supposed to be an upgrade from the Jade which I've always liked.
I then transfered the Jade to the violin, and used the new Colophane on the viola, which turned out to be a disaster. The viola bows in particular didn't react well - though they could produce a slightly better tone when at slow bow speeds, and when just the right amount of rosin was used, the bows were just careening off the highway with anything close to fourth gear. And for some reason the Jade on the violin just didn't match up to my old Bernadel.
Now here's where human nature takes away from life sometimes. The obvious thing was to go back to what I was using before, but the thing is I have a real life commitment to my viola compared to the violin, and the Jade, the so-called inferior rosin was in a plastic case while the new Colophane was in a hand-crafted wooden and magnetic case with the company seal emblazened twice. It took the viola a while to tell me in no uncertain tones not to aquit the book by its cover. And the new Colophane is working fine with the violin now, and the Jade was reunited with the viola... till I came across the Larsen.
So far so good. It's the first rosin I have tried - or for that matter, heard of - which has a version specifically for viola. It's not the same kind of bite that I hear the cello rosin has, but still, a good grip, without too much dust. We'll see how long this particular affair lasts... I think the last stop on this particular road will be the Andrea Bang. But for now, that will remain another journey entirely.
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