Miles brings up a good point. If the string is gimped, the metal ³core² will cause the string to behave more like a metal string: less elastic than the gut covering it. I use gimped fundamentals for 7 and 8 on my 8-course, and I know just what you¹re going through. The lower (heavier, with silver core) string is the fussiest. I find that I just have to do a little back and forth with the tuning until it sounds good.
Leonard Williams On 12/18/13, 11:42 PM, "Miles Dempster" <miles.demps...@gmail.com> wrote: >Hi David, > >Have you considered the elasticity of the string material? >Two extremes would be steel (very little peg turning) and nylgut (lots of >peg turning) to bring up to pitch and tune. >Would it be due to the fact that it is a gimped string which makes it >less elastic in comparison to gut? > > > >Miles > > >On Dec 18, 2013, at 9:20 PM, David Smith <d...@dolcesfogato.com> wrote: > >> Hi Ralf, >> I think I did not correctly express the issue I am trying to understand. >> >> The stats on the string are: Pitch at 392, length 0.685, Tension is >> 28newtons,Diameter is 2.03mm silver gimped Larson string. The diameter >>is >> his "equivalent" ungimped diameter as opposed to the actual, physical >> diameter. >> >> I am very happy with this string and how it plays. My question is with >> regard to tuning it. When I am pitch I find that very little change in >> turning the peg causes a large change in the pitch. I have a number of >> instruments (some gut and some nylgut). I do not notice this on my >>Theorbo >> or 10 course lute (nor any of the others but they are all fewer >>courses). Is >> this normal? Is there anything that I can due to affect the sensitivity >>to >> pitch of the string when tuning it? Is it an indication of a string >>that is >> too high or too low a tension? My mathematical analysis of the formula >>for >> pitch implies that increasing the tension will result in a little less >> variation in pitch due to the change in tension when tuning but it seems >> really small. >> >> I appreciate all of the other comments and suggestions. Since this is >> completely independent of the strings response when I fret it I am not >>sure >> I understand the comments on twisting the string to reduce it >>stiffness. I >> do not find the string particularly stiff. That is one of the nice >> advantages of Dan Larson's silver gimped strings - they are actually >>smaller >> diameter than stated due to the extra mass of the silver. >> >> Anyway, any additional thoughts welcome. >> >> Regards >> David >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu [mailto:lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu] On >>Behalf >> Of R. Mattes >> Sent: Wednesday, December 18, 2013 5:57 AM >> To: alexander; David Smith >> Cc: Lute List >> Subject: [LUTE] Re: Question on String Tension >> >> On Wed, 18 Dec 2013 05:11:40 -0500, alexander wrote >>> >>> there is a possibility of improving your situation. First you have to >>> make sure you know which way the string is twisted (clockwise or >>> counter). A strong magnifying glass might be of help. Next you need to >>> get one end of the string free, either the bridge end or the peg end. >>> Firmly holding the string, give it one or two turns in the direction >>> of the twist. Twist as much as possible without a distortion to the >>> shape of the string. Do not let the string to bulk on itself. Fix the >>> end of the string back where it belongs and raise the pitch. Of course >>> make sure the string does not untwist, and keep it somewhat taut while >>> holding. >>> >>> This simple technique might be enough to increase the string's >>> elasticity and make it more agreeable to finger pressure. There is no >>> difficulty to this, just some amount of common sense, and never turn >>> against the string's twist, as if the string is not glued well >>> together, it could be damaged. You could practice on a piece of fret >>> gut, to get a feel to it. Some strings can take quite a bit of twist >>> and actually be improved by this. >> >> Hello Alexander, >> >> sorry, but I want to ask: did you ever try this out yourself and did it >> really work? Even if you really manage to fix the string after twisting >>so >> that it doesn't immediatly untwist twisting in such a way would cause >>the >> mass of the string to be unevenly distributed over it's length (because >>the >> string will be mostly twisted in the middle - take a rubberband, twist >>it >> and watch where the twisting happens ;-) And that will create a false >> string. >> Gut strings are twisted during assembly, while they are wet, not >>afterwards, >> when dried. >> >> @david: what exactly do you mean when you write "sensitve"? >> Does the string change pitch when you use more than minimal force to >>finger >> it? Yes, that's typical for low tension strings (as well as for metal >> strings ...) You need to spend a substantial amount of time pracising >> playing at low tension. "Dificult to get in tune" - hmm, low tension >>should >> result in easier tuning because you need more turning of the peg to get >>the >> same amount of pitch change compared to a high-tension string. As a >>matter >> of fact, shortly before the breaking point of a string, tiny changes at >>the >> peg will result in dramatic pitch changes - that's actually how you now >>that >> you are approaching the breaking point (without breaking the string). >> >> Cheers, Ralf Mattes >> >> >> >> -- >> R. Mattes - >> r...@inm.mh-freiburg.de >> >> >> >> To get on or off this list see list information at >> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >> >> > > >
