Dear All: Not meaning to be argumentative, but it seems to me regardless of whether the beginning tone is a little sharp or flat as long as the Lute is tuned consistently, and is in tune with itself , it should not matter a great deal. Of course if you are playing in a consort or larger group and everyone is using a different method of tuning then you might have a problem. When I was at Oakland University one of the requirements of early music students was membership in the Collegium Musicum, a gathering of all the early music students with everything from Lutes to Crumhorns. We used a tuning machine and things went rather well most of the time. During our required performances you could expect to participate in groups that were all Lutes, or a broken Consort, or what ever the professor dreamed up. We managed to pack out the auditorium for each performance so I would assume from an audience point of view we did not suck. I remember only once having a tuning problem in five years.
Vance Wood. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jon Murphy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Arto Wikla" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, January 19, 2004 9:25 PM Subject: Re: Electronic tuners > Arto, perfectly said. That is my experience with tuning the harp ( and now > that I tune the lute with the tuner I find even more difference - as you > mentioned). Lute players have a similar problem to that of we double strung > harp players, and that is "paired courses". Your ear must be the final > judge! I have to use the machine for my 2X harp, there are 26 courses to > tune (52 strings). But often I can get a perfect reading from the machine on > a pair, yet hear a difference. Perhaps a bit of difference in the string > mechanics, or something else - but your ear, and playing scales, is the > final arbiter. The machine is a guide. > > Best, Jon > > > I think this is just one of the problems with the tuning machines: > > The starting sound of a string/course is different from the sound > > already a second or couple later (I think it is higher in the start). > > And with a lute the sound becomes much more quiet very soon. If you > > tune your lute according the "late" sound, your audience will still hear > > your too high starting sounds... This is one reason of using your ears > > instead of machines: you use your ears, your audience use their ears... > > > > Best regards > > > > Arto > > > > > > > > > >
