I am currently cutting up and using old guitar picks on both the rest (if I use one other than my hand), and the face of the bow. Believe it or not if the arrow is tuned to the bow, there is no sound with the arrow passing and the material never seems to wear out, is weather resistant and can be made to look any way you want it. I am not sure how this fits the definition of primitive but in my household this is as primitive as it gets.