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Eph Segerman wrote about Mersenne's stringing (and the thickness of the basses) 
in, I think, the 1970s and I believe he did string a lute this way.  It was 
partly his feeling that such thick plain gut strings were unacceptable (even to 
the Old Ones) which, I think, led him and Djillda Abbott to look into roped 
string construction.
MH

      From: jean-michel Catherinot <jeanmichel.catheri...@cs.dartmouth.edu>
 To: Martin Shepherd <mar...@luteshop.co.uk>; Martyn Hodgson 
<hodgsonmar...@yahoo.co.uk>; Lute List <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> 
 Sent: Wednesday, 10 August 2016, 8:28
 Subject: Re: [LUTE] Re: blog post
   
What Mersenne says: has anybody ever tried Mersenne stringing?

 

    Le Jeudi 4 août 2016 17h50, Martin Shepherd <mar...@luteshop.co.uk> a 
écrit :
 

 Dear Martyn (and All),

I'm not ruling out the possibility of loaded strings, but I do think the 
evidence from bridge holes is mixed, in the sense that we would have to 
be absolutely certain that a bridge with small holes was original.

Even with modern gut strings it's possible to string a 6c lute with only 
plain gut (well, high twist or whatever) in the bass and also a 13c swan 
neck lute!  The difficult cases are the 8 to 10 course lutes, the 13c 
bass rider type, also the liuto attiorbato, for all of which loaded 
basses might well be the answer.

I can't send attachments to the list but I'm sending you another 
painting from 1576 which shows strings very clearly and they're 
remarkably thin.

Best wishes,

Martin

On 04/08/2016 14:55, Martyn Hodgson wrote:
>    Hello Martin,
>    Nice site and blog.
>    I seem to recall that when loaded strings first came out (25 yrs ago?)
>    that some of the evidence for their use was found in the small diameter
>    holes in some lute bridges. To maintain string tensions at around
>    present day levels the hypothesis was therefore that the old bass
>    strings would have been dense than plain gut - hence 'loaded'.
>    I also recall that somebody (might have been Eph Segerman) at the time
>    also pointed out an alternative for such relatively small diameter
>    holes: that the tensions of the bass strings might be much lower than
>    the upper courses. In short just as you're suggesting. My experience of
>    doing this at the time was that one needed to play very close to the
>    bridge to gain any projection and, of course, this is precisely what
>    most old sources (from c.1600 onwards) tell us. So you may be right -
>    that basses were often(always?) at a significantly lower tension than
>    the upper courses.
>    Having said this, I did like Mimmo's loaded strings very much and, of
>    course, they also possibly indicate loading because of their
>    distinctive colour. All food for thought......
>    regards,
>    Martyn
>      __________________________________________________________________
>
>    From: Martin Shepherd <mar...@luteshop.co.uk>
>    To: Lute List <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu>
>    Sent: Thursday, 4 August 2016, 12:51
>    Subject: [LUTE] blog post
>    Hi All,
>    Just to let you know that I have put up a new blog post - let me know
>    your thoughts.
>    [1]http://luteshop.co.uk/some-thoughts-on-string-tension/
>    Best wishes,
>    Martin
>    ---
>    This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
>    [2]https://www.avast.com/antivirus
>    To get on or off this list see list information at
>    [3]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
>
>    --
>
> References
>
>    1. http://luteshop.co.uk/some-thoughts-on-string-tension/
>    2. https://www.avast.com/antivirus
>    3. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
>


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<html><head></head><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; 
font-family:HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, 
Sans-Serif;font-size:13px"><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1470817065891_5559"><span 
id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1470817065891_5560">Eph Segerman wrote about Mersenne's 
stringing (and the thickness of the basses) in, I think, the 1970s and I 
believe he did string a lute this way. &nbsp;It was partly his feeling that 
such thick plain gut strings were unacceptable (even to the Old Ones) which, I 
think, led him and Djillda Abbott to look into roped string 
construction.</span></div><div 
id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1470817065891_5559"><span><br></span></div><div 
id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1470817065891_5559"><span>MH</span></div><div 
class="qtdSeparateBR" 
id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1470817065891_5627"><br><br></div><div 
class="yahoo_quoted" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1470817065891_5803" style="display: 
block;">  <div style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue!
 , Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, Sans-Serif; font-size: 13px;" 
id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1470817065891_5802"> <div style="font-family: 
HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, Sans-Serif; 
font-size: 16px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1470817065891_5801"> <div dir="ltr"> 
<font size="2" face="Arial"> <hr size="1"> <b><span 
style="font-weight:bold;">From:</span></b> jean-michel Catherinot 
&lt;jeanmichel.catheri...@yahoo.com&gt;<br> <b><span style="font-weight: 
bold;">To:</span></b> Martin Shepherd &lt;mar...@luteshop.co.uk&gt;; Martyn 
Hodgson &lt;hodgsonmar...@yahoo.co.uk&gt;; Lute List 
&lt;lute@cs.dartmouth.edu&gt; <br> <b><span style="font-weight: 
bold;">Sent:</span></b> Wednesday, 10 August 2016, 8:28<br> <b><span 
style="font-weight: bold;">Subject:</span></b> Re: [LUTE] Re: blog post<br> 
</font> </div> <div class="y_msg_container" 
id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1470817065891_5800"><br><div id="yiv2720726738"><div 
id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1470817065891_5799"><div style="!
 color:#000;background-color:#fff;font-family:HelveticaNeue, He!
 lvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif;font-size:16px;" 
id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1470817065891_5798">What Mersenne says: has anybody ever 
tried Mersenne stringing?<br><div id="yiv2720726738"><div 
id="yiv2720726738yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1470811701823_9789"><div 
id="yiv2720726738yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1470811701823_9788" 
style="color:#000;background-color:#fff;font-family:HelveticaNeue, Helvetica 
Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><div 
dir="ltr" id="yiv2720726738yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1470811701823_6315"><span 
id="yiv2720726738yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1470811701823_6483"><img 
class="yiv2720726738ymail-preserve-class 
yiv2720726738inline-image-guid-40f452ff-a065-08d4-1874-196d8df0db3a 
yiv2720726738rte-inline-saved-image" 
id="yiv2720726738yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1470811701823_6482" 
src="cid:be89460e-7d49-eedf-91ac-166bcbfd1625@yahoo.com" alt="Image en ligne" 
style="width:100%;max-width:800px;max-height:210px;" 
data-id="1f875d36-c711-be16-9990-0fe5f103a953"><b!
 r clear="none"></span></div> <div 
id="yiv2720726738yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1470811701823_9795" 
class="yiv2720726738qtdSeparateBR"><br clear="none"><br clear="none"></div><div 
class="yiv2720726738yqt5440112712" 
id="yiv2720726738yqt67837"></div></div></div></div><div 
id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1470817065891_5819"> <div 
style="font-family:HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida 
Grande, sans-serif;font-size:16px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1470817065891_5818"> 
<div style="font-family:HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida 
Grande, sans-serif;font-size:16px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1470817065891_5817"> 
<div dir="ltr"><font size="2" face="Arial"> Le Jeudi 4 août 2016 17h50, Martin 
Shepherd &lt;mar...@luteshop.co.uk&gt; a écrit :<br clear="none"></font></div> 
 <br clear="none"><br clear="none"> <div class="yiv2720726738y_msg_container" 
id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1470817065891_5816">Dear Martyn (and All),<br 
clear="none"><br clear="none">I'm not ruling out the possibil!
 ity of loaded strings, but I do think the <br clear="none">evidence fro!
 m bridge holes is mixed, in the sense that we would have to <br 
clear="none">be absolutely certain that a bridge with small holes was 
original.<br clear="none"><br clear="none">Even with modern gut strings it's 
possible to string a 6c lute with only <br clear="none">plain gut (well, high 
twist or whatever) in the bass and also a 13c swan <br clear="none">neck 
lute!&nbsp; The difficult cases are the 8 to 10 course lutes, the 13c <br 
clear="none">bass rider type, also the liuto attiorbato, for all of which 
loaded <br clear="none">basses might well be the answer.<br clear="none"><br 
clear="none">I can't send attachments to the list but I'm sending you another 
<br clear="none">painting from 1576 which shows strings very clearly and 
they're <br clear="none">remarkably thin.<br clear="none"><br clear="none">Best 
wishes,<br clear="none"><br clear="none">Martin<br clear="none"><br 
clear="none">On 04/08/2016 14:55, Martyn Hodgson wrote:<br 
clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp;  Hello Marti!
 n,<br clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp;  Nice site and blog.<br 
clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp;  I seem to recall that when loaded strings first 
came out (25 yrs ago?)<br clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp;  that some of the 
evidence for their use was found in the small diameter<br 
clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp;  holes in some lute bridges. To maintain string 
tensions at around<br clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp;  present day levels the 
hypothesis was therefore that the old bass<br clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp;  
strings would have been dense than plain gut - hence 'loaded'.<br 
clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp;  I also recall that somebody (might have been 
Eph Segerman) at the time<br clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp;  also pointed out 
an alternative for such relatively small diameter<br clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; 
&nbsp;  holes: that the tensions of the bass strings might be much lower 
than<br clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp;  the upper courses. In short just as 
you're suggesting. My experience !
 of<br clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp;  doing this at the time was that o!
 ne needed to play very close to the<br clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp;  bridge 
to gain any projection and, of course, this is precisely what<br 
clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp;  most old sources (from c.1600 onwards) tell us. 
So you may be right -<br clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp;  that basses were 
often(always?) at a significantly lower tension than<br clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; 
&nbsp;  the upper courses.<br clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp;  Having said this, 
I did like Mimmo's loaded strings very much and, of<br clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; 
&nbsp;  course, they also possibly indicate loading because of their<br 
clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp;  distinctive colour. All food for 
thought......<br clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp;  regards,<br 
clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp;  Martyn<br clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 
 __________________________________________________________________<br 
clear="none">&gt;<br clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp;  From: Martin Shepherd 
&lt;<a rel="nofollow" shape=!
 "rect" ymailto="mailto:mar...@luteshop.co.uk"; target="_blank" 
href="mailto:mar...@luteshop.co.uk";>mar...@luteshop.co.uk</a>&gt;<br 
clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp;  To: Lute List &lt;<a rel="nofollow" 
shape="rect" ymailto="mailto:lute@cs.dartmouth.edu"; target="_blank" 
href="mailto:lute@cs.dartmouth.edu";>lute@cs.dartmouth.edu</a>&gt;<br 
clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp;  Sent: Thursday, 4 August 2016, 12:51<br 
clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp;  Subject: [LUTE] blog post<br 
clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp;  Hi All,<br clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp;  Just 
to let you know that I have put up a new blog post - let me know<br 
clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp;  your thoughts.<br clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; 
&nbsp;  [1]<a rel="nofollow" shape="rect" target="_blank" 
href="http://luteshop.co.uk/some-thoughts-on-string-tension/";>http://luteshop.co.uk/some-thoughts-on-string-tension/</a><br
 clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp;  Best wishes,<br clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp; 
 Martin<br clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &!
 nbsp;  ---<br clear="none">&gt;&nbsp; &nbsp;  This email has been check!
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