Keep in mind, the bow must be tightened and rosined in order to produce a sound on the violin. Also do not touch the hair on the bow since the oils from the skin can damage the hair.To tighten the hair, tighten the screw below the frog. Be careful to not over tighten the bow. Ideally, the distance between the hair and the lowest curve on the bow is about a quarter inch (1/4"). It may vary to every player. The hair should have a slight bounce to it. Test the bow on the strings. A new rosin cake will be too smooth to apply to the hair. To turn the rosin to powder, take a pocketknife and cut three to four parallel lines on the rosin so that there will be texture to the rosin. Sandpaper is an alternative to help roughen the surface. Hold the frog on the bow and slowly rub the hair over the rosin from the frog to the tip of the bow. Be careful not to rub the bow too quickly. On a new bow, continue this process for approximately 5-10 minutes. Test the bow to determine if the rosin is adhering to the hair. If a clear pitch is emitted as the bow is drawn over the strings, play a few notes and its ready to go. If there is no tone or volume emitting from the strings the bow is not grabbing the strings enough to generate a note, try applying more rosin.