David, Thank you; I've known and debated with Eph for many years and am copying him into this. Whether or not his identification of yr string remnants is correct may be open to question. I can see his thought processes but would like a little more justification fr his opinion. I'm interested that you haven't used a key mechanism; I wonder if any modern serious player has? I'm particularly interested whether the published Sonatas etc cld be reasonably played by amateurs with this arrangement. Finally, I wonder if we are right to associate 17thC cittern music with the Enlightenment approach to music, especially by young ladies, in the mid 18thC? rgds Martyn
David Kilpatrick <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Martyn Hodgson wrote: > David, > > Thank you. Regarding bass strings on these 'English' guitars, some 25yrs ago > I closely inspected a number of these instruments in York Castle Museum (and glued a failing one together again). My notes are, unfortunately, not as clear as if I were I to do this today, but I recall at least two of these had overwound onto red silk for the lowest. Of course, these might have been put on at anytime from date of manufacture usage to 20thC - I merely mention the feature. My guittar came with some old strings, blackened and broken, still clinging on. I sent them to Dr Segerman and he concluded they were late 19th century or early 20th mandola strings, and that a good many English guittars were wrecked or lost being used as mandolas during the mandolin orchestra phase. Sadly, they were not 18th c wires! He says overwound didn't exist. Twisted pairs, but no overwound. I am unsure. I think early pianos were contemporary with the instrument and used single and double overwound strings. > > Onto slots in the head etc: slots do not, of course, need to be the width of > a string but just sufficient recess to ensure the string remains in place when at tension. In short, won't the measurements of slots give a lower limit but not a clear indication of an upper limit. In the nut, however, the wear and size of the slots is a very indication. > > I do take yr point about the keyboard attachments: have you ever used one (I > haven't). No. My instrument has the sockets but no mechanism. Is it reasonably easy to play most of the published repertoire with them or do you think they may have been simply used to play arpeggios to accompany songs etc (rather like the guitar?). Also see my latest response to Stuart about how so much of the music is written - very suitable for a plectrum - hence my, perhaps facetious, comment about strumming. > Of course they strummed the guittar. Single finger over the frets to change the chord - like a barre - and strum. Anyone who imagines that an English guitar was never picked up and used as a simple strummed accompaniment to a song would probably believe that no-one ever played a jig on a fiddle. People sang for more than we do today and you can be absolutely sure that every musical instrument was used precisely in any way it could be, by those who could play well, and those who couldn't play at all! Given the very strummy nature of hardcore Restoration cittern-song playing, I'm sure thrash metal ribaldry occasionally found its way to the genteel English guittar later on. DK To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com --
