Dear Arto
Congratulations on your new 11-course.
I am also new to the Baroque lute, but have had my 11c 70 cm Warwick
for just over a year, and have had time to gradually change some of my
stringing.
Unfortunately I just had a double computer failure, and I had lost much
of my stored data, but your message has given me a chance to do a
little detective work (old bills, etc), and I think I am now sure of
the original values, and the changes I have made.
In brief : On my 11c Warwick, I now use all gut by Aquila, with Meanes
in Aquila Venices, and Basses in Aquila loaded Venices, but the Octaves
down from g-7 are also in Aquila Venices.
The Octaves are now slightly higher in tension (3.1Kg) than the Basses
themselves (2.9Kg).
I don't think this is particularly low tension, but nor is it
particularly high.
However, Venice string types are probably the most flexible, other than
Charles Besnainou's "spring" strings, and in this respect behave
similarly to low tension strings.
I have not yet reached a stable RH position. It seems to depend on the
angle of my fingers to the strings. The flatter they are on to the
strings, the further back towards the bridge I seem to go.
11c lutes do seem to have wider spacing than 13c lutes, both between
courses and within the course, I might now have chosen a slightly
closer spacing between courses as this does add to the stretch of a
longish 70cm lute.
Now, In more detail :
Basses:
From the beginning, I used the gut strings Stephen Gottlieb put on
my lute, including the loaded Venice Basses for which I had
specifically asked him. St G had put them on C-11 up to F-8, but then a
Gimped Bass on G-7, and a Venice Bass on A-6. This was because he
feared that loaded basses would stop down false; but the result was not
as homogenous as I would have liked; so I changed these last also for
loaded strings with no serious falseness problem and much improved
homogeneity (not because Gimped or Venice strings are bad per se).
Meanes:
St G had put HT Trebles for Meane 4 and 5, but I changed these to
Venice Meanes, again to improve the homogeneity with the Venice loaded
Basses, and I predicted (I think correctly) that similar string types
would work better together ("sympathy").
Octaves & Diapason tension switch:
St G had chosen 2.8Kg HT octaves with 3kg Venice loaded Basses and had
strung my lute at 415Hz.
I really wanted a diapason nearer 392Hz, so as to have thicker treble
strings (at least 0,44, rather than 0.42); but not wanting to throw
away the loaded strings, I lowered the diapason to 407Hz (the lowest I
could acheive with the rather slack loaded strings)
My loaded strings then became a rather low 2.9Kg, or 2.85Kg (at 407Hz).
But to copensate for this drop in tension at the level of the course, I
then replaced all the octaves with values worth about 3Kg to 3.1Kg (at
407Hz). So that from Bass at 3Kg and Octave at 2.8Kg, I now had Bass at
2.9Kg and Octave at 3.1Kg.
This works really well. The octaves then became the "leading" string of
the course; but as at the same time I swapped all the Octave HTs (from
g-7 to c-11) for Venice Meane strings (see Mace), the leading tone
became that of the Meanes creating a beautiful homogeneity from the
Basses through to the Meanes.
Also, all tendency for the Octaves to buzz with the loaded basses
disappeared.
I Approximate values and strings chosen by my Lute Maker:
70 cm a'=414 Hz,
f1) 0.42 treble gut 4Kg
d-2 0.50 treble gut 4Kg
a-3 0.58 treble gut 2.9Kg
F-4 0.72 HT gut 2.9Kg
D-5 0.86V HT gut 2.9kg
a-6 0.56 HT treble gut 2.8Kg
A-6 1.2 Venice Aquila 3Kg
g-7 0.64 HT treble gut 2.8Kg Octave
G-7 1.32 Gimped gut 3Kg Gamut
f-8 0.64 HT treble gut 2.8Kg
F-8 1.46 Venice Aquila 3Kg
e-9 0.76 HT treble gut 2.8Kg
E-9 1.6C loaded Aquila 3Kg
d-10 0.86 HT treble gut 2.8Kg
D-10 1.8C loaded gut 3Kg
c-11 0,96 HT treble gut 2.8Kg
C-11 1.96C loaded gut 3Kg
II The final values and string types adopted:
70 cm a'=407 Hz, all Aquilla
f1 0.44 treble gut (4.2Kg)
d-2 0.52 treble gut (4Kg)
A-3 0.60 treble gut x2 3Kg
F-4 0.76V gut (twice) 3Kg
D-5 0.91V gut (twice) 3kg
a-6 0.58 treble gut 3 Kg
A-6 1.24C Venice loaded 2.9Kg
g-7 73V Venice Meane gut 3kg
G-7 140c Venice loaded 2.9Kg
f-8 0,82 Venice Meane gut 3kg
F-8 1.46C Venice loaded 2.9Kg
e-9 0.88 Venice Meane gut 3K9
E-9 1.6C Venice loaded 2.9Kg
d-10 97 Venice Meane gut 3Kg
D-10 1.8C Venice loaded gut 2.9Kg
c-11 108 Venice Meane gut 3Kg
C-11 1.96C Venice loaded gut 2.9Kg
Best wishes to you and your new lute
Anthony
Dear baroque lutenists,
I'm starting with a new (well, used 1993 Lars Joensson) 11-course
baroque
lute, string length 68cm . One of the problems with a new type of lute
is
the tone production. And what makes it tricky is that the playing
technique
and string properties are connected in many ways. And when there are
more
than one parameters that can be changed, it can be very time consuming
to
check the many alternatives available. To make my life easier I would
like
to make a poll to you, who have more or less solved this question in a
way
suitable to you. So some questions:
1) What string tensions you use? Do you use the same throughout? Or
more to
the 2 singles? Or less to the octaves of the basses? Or some
progressive
pattern?
2) What string materials you prefer? What materials you actually use?
3) Do you use your right hand as for ex. Mouton in the famous painting,
near the bridge, or nearer the rose as many of the "big names" of today
do?
4) Any other important issues and advice in stringing a d-m-lute,
especially 11c.?
Thanks in advance!
Arto
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