Hi Chris,
thanks for the note. Just quickly, you're absolutely on target for
the wire; all the remnants we have found to date and usage we know of
point to metals trings. I am trying a nylgut stringing as an
experiment, but it will end up in metal, I am pretty sure.
Thanks again, and to all for putting up with the non-HG topic.
and now to go back to HG land: Has anyone ever played or owned/owns a
symphony by Bernard Ellis?
http://www.ellisium.cwc.net/symphonies.htm
I would very much liek to get dimensions for one if possible.
thanks,
Vlad
Wolodymyr Smishkewych
wolodymyrsmishkewych.com
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
On Jan 05 2008, at 16:14, Chris Nogy wrote:
I guess I am not going to be much helt here, but I string my
Kantele and Gusli with wire only.
From all my research I have found no instances of the Gusli or
Kantele being strung with anything else. Granted, I am not the be-
all or end-all of the subject, and there is so much I haven't
learned on these instruments, but I have gone pretty deep into the
subject and would be surprised if stringing with gut or non-wire
would have been anything close to common practice.
The counding surfaces of these instruments are small, the sound
cavities are not optimum, and to get performance volume and
brightness out of one wire seems to be optimum.
Now with the Anglo-Saxon-Germanic Lyre (rote), wire or gut or
horsehair. And with the Jouhiko, horsehair was pretty much
standard. I build all of these intsruments for folks, and both
research and practical application show these results to be good
ones (perhaps not the only good ones, but good ones nonetheless)
And with the medieval European Psaltery, wire strung. Since the
Kantele and Gusli are members of the pslatery family, it is not
surprising that a very common theory is that they were wire
strung. If fact, I am helping one of my students finish up a 10
string kantele today, and I am going to be starting a replica of
the 'nightingale' Gusli from the Novgorod dig.
I know it only brings up more questions, and that it doesn't answer
any of the questions asked, but maybe this information will be of
help anyway
Chris
*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********
On 1/4/2008 at 10:24 PM Wolodymyr Smishkewych wrote:
Cali and Alden, and anyone else:
I am trying to calculate strings I need for an instrument (not a
HG), and am at a loss. Just for comparison's sake, what is the
string tension and usual vibrating length on a HG that you folks
make, and what string gauges of gut would you use for stringing
chanterelles, if the customer so desired? I think the instrument I
have would withstand about the same tension as a HG, so it would
certainly help me figure it out. I am using Arto's string
calculator for my calculations (http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/u/wikla/
mus/Calcs/wwwscalc.html) but if anyone has any other suggestions
they'd be very welcome.
The instrument I am stringing up, by the way, can be viewed at:
http://www.rolandinstrument.com/ind/index.php?page=8&lang=2
I'll be using Nylgut, which has similar density to regular gut, but
is very reliable. Anyone tried it for HGs yet?
Thanks so much!
Vlad
Wolodymyr Smishkewych
wolodymyrsmishkewych.com
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
