I think you make a good point there about not knowing what an instrument
sounded like.
We must also remember that the further back we go, the more variation there
must be.
What is the earliest "tuning fork", for instance?
What did they tune their instruments against before something like that was
invented?
Was a "standard tone" around somewhere (like the UK has weights and measures
held by the state against which all other weights and measures are set).
Nowadays we have mathematical formula for tuning and even that changes (as
many concertina players will know when they find they have a high pitch
instrument - which is actually lower than modern concert pitch by enough to
make it sound very out of tune).
Can we say (with any certainty) that the intervals between tones were the
same as today?
Music sounds good to our ears because we hear it and learn it and usually in
only one mode.
The music of different countries often sound "odd" or "out of tune" to
westerners.
Just because we can build a replica of the container doesn't mean we know
the sound it made - we lay today's values on them. Often, we don't even know
the tuning of older instruments, it's speculation. Nobody wrote down a
tuning chart for most instruments until recently (historically-speaking).
I saw a brilliant program on TV recently where they tried a reconstruction
of the wailing wolf-head the Romans carried to frighten the enemy (written
description only). They couldn't get it to work until someone had an
inspired idea and fastened it onto a standard and it worked. (Their idea was
based on a Chinese wind-blown wailing horn). They had wondered what the
"bumps" on a roman standard were for many years but, when they saw this
thing working, they said "oh, that's what the bumps must be".
They tried several (located where the bumps were) and it made an incredible
wailing sound.
Still speculation, of course but shows how, even though well-documented,
just how little we know.
Colin Hill
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Muskett" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, February 10, 2008 6:10 PM
Subject: RE: Re[6]: [HG] purpose of my new project.
This sounds like a foolish pretension because no one can possibly know
what a 13th cent instrument sounded like. Early attempts at synfonies
made them very small as shown in the Luttrel psalter, not realising that
mediaeval artists did not draw to scale but to relative importance. The
best thing is to make one of a practical size and fit it with an
internal sound board. Forty years ago there was speculation as to what
was in the box - bells? Strings? - but that has now been sensibly
resolved. The instruments were certainly diatonic, while the modes could
be obtained by adjusting the pitch of melody and drone strings. Things
were pretty simple in those days. No doubt the standard of making and
playing varied greatly. The crank had been known for a long time and
had a number of applications, while metal and woodwork skills were quite
advanced.
Many string instruments of the time had skin 'soundboards', but this
seems unlikely in a box construction.
MM
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf
Of Simon Wascher
Sent: 10 February 2008 16:23
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Re[6]: [HG] purpose of my new project.
Hello,
There are already makers offering modern instruments aiming for
"historical correct" sound of 1300s. So I thought the more intresting
effort is to really go for the original methods and materials.
Many aspects of these old methods and materiales cannot be known
without actually having it done. So to me using bearings and axle
materials that were available is central to find it out. But for sure
there are more important cases like how to get blade split (cleaved?;
not saw-cut) european spruce (Picea abies) and Sycamore Maple (Acer
pseudoplatanus) in instrument makers quality and dimensions for the
top, bracings and bridges.
S.
Am 10.02.2008 um 15:45 schrieb Chris Nogy:
I imagine that if you keep the bearings in use regularly, you will
not have a problem. But if you allow the instrument to sit for a
prolonged amount of time and then try to use it, you will see
problems. Especially with a regular carbon steel or iron axle. I
will probably be using either a regular silver-steel machining
steel, or some form of stainless stock to turn my axle from. I
know it is not period, but I don't think that the material the
shaft was made of (other than how round it was made) would make a
difference in the sound. But then again, if you don't get a
perfect polish on the shaft, maybe the surface textrue of the shaft
running in the bearing would give some small but important tonal
difference.
_____________________________________________________________________
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---
have a look at:
http://hurdygurdywiki.wiki-site.com
http://drehleierwiki.wiki-site.com
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my site:
http://simonwascher.info
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