> I'd be grateful to know yr evidence fr 'light' tension strings on the > 'English' guitar. In particular, have you measured actual strings which can > be reasonably dated to the 18thC or you aware of anyone else doing so? I had > previously, perhaps on insufficient evidence, thought the contrary: that > stringing tension was relatively high compared to, say, the earlier cittern. > Further, the instruments I'd inspected and handled (quite some years ago) all > seemed fairly robust and well placed to withstand such higher tensions.
I admit I was being a bit speculative when I said that guittars have light tension stringing - and no, I haven't actually measured surviving strings. But what prompted me to say it , was digging out my guittar and having some repairs done on it. I'd forgotten just how very light in weight and in construction the instrument is. There are players here (Doc and David and Rob and others?) who may comment. Are your guittars light and rather fragile or definitely 'robust'? (If this isn't too subjective.) Also, in the past I've played around with wire strings from NRI - brass, iron and steel. Maybe these modern wires are different from 18th C wires, but if they are similar then this too suggests very light tension. These wires are completely different from modern metal strings - much lighter and more fragile, especially brass. (On the other hand similar wires must have been used on older plectrum-played citterns and strummed on the chitarra battente. I'd have thought that one vigorous strum on these wires would have broken the lot!) Do we know anything of the stringing tension of contemporary 18thC German instruments (eg Waldzithers)? There has already been some discussion of waldzithers. I think they are not contemporaneous with the guittar and they seem to be more like folk instruments. > Regarding playing technique on the 'English' guitar, I had also thought the > use of some form of plectrum was the usual, if not exclusive, practice. > Certainly much of the music I recall looking at seemed set down for plectrum > play eg generally single lines, thirds or with close (ie on adjacent > strings/courses) chords. For example Zuckert's 'Six Sonatas Opera seconda' > (London 1769) which I have before me. About Ann Ford's instructions: which > Ann Ford is this? Have you her dates? I think it is fair to say that all the tutors, without exception, specify fingerstyle play. Despite what the music looks like, no one recommends a plectrum. The Ladies Pocket Guide, the many versions of Bremner's Instructions, Ann Ford's Lessons and Instructions, Edward Light and others all make this clear. Ann Ford's Instructions are c.1761 ansd there is a famous painting of her by Gainsborough. I only have a couple of pages from the Zuchert (you have a copy?) and this looks like no different from other guittar music. > Finally, thank you for rekindling my interest in the instrument: I'll dig out > some stuff and have a strum................. I don't think there was much strumming going on in this repertoire. But Noferi does advocate it for some chords in his pieces for guittar and thoroghtbass. ----------------------------------------- Email sent from www.ntlworld.com virus-checked by McAfee visit www.ntlworld.com/security for more information To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
