I am inclined to agree as mine has been doing some odd things sound-wise in this heat. In particular the melody strings sounding scratchy and the drone being undecided as to the note to play (trompette is ok though). I suspect that the rosin has gone a bit "soft" and is causing the strings to drag a little. I was going to post and ask about it but it's getting better as the heat reduces. I also think that I applied more rosin than I should have - again because it had gone a little softer in the heat. Really must get some decent stuff instead of this one that came free with a violin case! This posting came in the nick of time before I did anything which, at my level of ignorance, could have been a little disastrous. Ta! Colin Hill ----- Original Message ----- From: "Neil Brook" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, July 26, 2006 8:01 PM Subject: Re: [HG] String setup / adjustment question?
> Hi > To guess at a single cause of all the problems mentioned, I'd be inclined to > blame heat and low humidity. I've just got back from the oven they call > SaintChartier and noticed the geometry of my gurdies changing almost by the > hour. As you say, shimming works fine on chanterelles - you need thicker > shims for bourdons because of the different approach to the wheel. The > trompette can't be shimmed effectively so the best thing is to make a taller > one for use whenever the problem arises. Hot weather also makes rosin more > sticky and could be affecting the drone pitch. Try a harder rosin. > Neil > http://www.myspace.com/neilbrook > www.hurdy-gurdy.org.uk > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Matthew Szostak" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, July 26, 2006 6:47 PM > Subject: [HG] String setup / adjustment question? > > > > At first I was considering this a discussion for makers, but it seems to > > me now that it's more than that. This could, and dare I say, should, be > > of interest to anyone who plays hurdy-gurdy and wants to keep their > > instrument sounding and playing its best. > > > > As most of us understand, there are certain undesirable sounds associated > > with the hurdy-gurdy that can generally be blamed on problems with string > > pressure. There is a certain ideal pressure of string against wheel that > > provides the right sound quality. I know that there is some room for > > adjustment based on personal preference, but I think that most of us are > > aware that, for example, if the melody strings press too hard against the > > wheel, they will get scratchy-sounding and the upper notes on the keyboard > > will likely not sound at all - we shim and move on. Also, if your low > > wound drone strings press too hard against the wheel, then the pitch of > > the note will vary widely with changes in wheel rotating speed. Simple > > shimming might not be the easy answer here, but again, usually the culprit > > is too much pressure, as long as everything else is in proper adjustment. > > > > I currently have a hurdy-gurdy that is in need of some basic adjustment to > > get it up and running, but I'm having tuning problems which won't let me > > alone. First of all, I adjusted the pressure of the melody strings on the > > wheel to where they should (in my opinion) be, then I adjusted the cotton > > on the strings and the rosin on the wheel so that I get a nice clean sound > > over the whole range of the keyboard - no problem. > > > > Here's where things become interesting. First of all, the low drones now > > tend to change pitch quite drastically when I make minor changes in > > cranking speed. If I reduce the pressure, by even a little bit, the > > sound of the string looses its fullness, it breaks into harmonics, and it > > won't start playing cleanly from a full stop without giving it a pluck to > > help it along. I cannot find a middle ground. > > > > But wait, there's more! This next particular problem was discussed here > > before, but I'm not sure a satisfactory conclusion was ever reached. When > > the chien is made to buzz, the pitch of the sound drops quite > > dramatically. Now I know there has been disagreement, or at least > > inconclusive discussion, about whether the frequency of the tapping chien > > is the same as the vibrating frequency of the string; either way, the > > overall effect here is that the trompette drone is tuned to one pitch, and > > when the wheel rotating speed is increased a bit and the buzz produced, > > the pitch of the combined sounds of string and chien is clearly reduced. > > I've heard this effect on a number of recordings (even *gasp* Patrick > > Bouffard), although it's rarely pronounced enough to distract or bother > > me. But this instrument is suffering for it. > > > > At the time Marcello and Theo exchanged some interesting ideas, but my > > question is: why would such problems appear now, years after it was made? > > The geometry of the chien / string anchor point hasn't changed (there's no > > obvious visual difference, anyway), but this hurdy-gurdy didn't have this > > problem before. Is there any conclusive advice that can be given to solve > > this problem, especially with the trompette? This thing sounds great when > > you get it all tuned up, but as soon as you start buzzing, the drones go > > sharp and the trompette goes flat and it's a real mess! Before I start > > moving string anchor points around, I thought I'd see if anyone might have > > some fresh ideas about this... > > > > ~ Matt > > > > > > -- > > No virus found in this incoming message. > > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > > Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.10.4/399 - Release Date: 25/07/2006 > > > > > >
