Interesting test. I haven't had a chance to try it.
HG's can certainly suffer from bad strings. Sometimes they are just bad out of the envelope - not often, fortunately. More often they just deteriorate over time. If you are using Savarez or any other oiled gut string, be aware that the oil oxidizes with the passage of time. This makes the string brittle and "crunchy", and thus less able to make those complex high frequency vibrations we are asking them for. If you don't remember when you last changed your strings, it's probably time. Oiled gut has a shelf life of a year or so. The bad news is that the extra string you have in your case as a backup has been oxidizing at the same rate, even though it's been stored in the envelope. If it's the same age as the string you have on, it won't be any more responsive, though it may be cleaner. ;-) (This is another way to tell if it's time to change strings: if they are grungy and dirty, change 'em.) The other bad news is that gut strings are expensive. We were shocked a few years ago when the bill from Savarez was almost double what we had expected, and we've had to increase our prices to keep pace. We're about to order again, and I'm dreading it. There are domestic alternatives, some of excellent quality, but equally expensive. To be fair, the effort that goes into making the strings is very high. I used to ask myself why gut strings are so expensive, and then I read Dan Larsen's excellent website about the process. Now I ask myself how he can charge so little. There's a reason that the market isn't full of competitive gut string manufacturers all jostling for your business: it takes true dedication. There is some good news: the wound strings (which are the REALLY expensive ones) last a lot longer if you take care of them, so you just need to replace your plain gut strings, the chanters and the trompette, and maybe the mouche if you play it. More good news: most instruments are of a scale length that allows a single 1.2 meter string to be cut in half and used for both chanters if the diameter is the same. Enjoy. Alden F.M. Hackmann [email protected] "Beati illi qui in circulum circumeunt, fient enim magnae rotae." On Fri, 30 Apr 2010, Leonard Williams wrote: > A short time ago there were a couple of posts regarding problems > with chanterelles, particularly at the higher end of the keyboard. It > occurred to me while dealing with a similar problem with my lute chanterelle > that you might be dealing with false strings. On my lute it manifests as > out-of-tune frets up the fingerboard; the "bad" notes actually sound tinny > or jangly. It won't present on an open string vibrating as a whole unit; > but fretted notes start taking in (or leaving out) the bad spots (uneven > thickness or mass). I'll go out on a limb and say that this problem is > particularly found with thinner gut strings, where it is certainly more > noticeable, though it could happen in any material or gauge. > I'm not sure if all this applies to bowed strings, or only plucked! > I have had no need to test this on my hurdy-gurdy. > How to check for falseness? Ed Martin, a lutist in Duluth, told me > a good method, though (see above disclaimer) it might only work for plucked > strings. Slide a dark background under the string (colored paper or such). > Under a flourescent tube lamp (excellent strobe), sound the open string. A > good string will display a nice even ambitus over its length; a false one > will display all sorts of extra little ripples that may appear to run up and > down the string. Chuck it. > > Regards, > Leonard Williams > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "hurdygurdy" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected] > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/hurdygurdy > > The rules of posting, courtesy, and other list information may be found at > http://hurdygurdy.com/mailinglist/index.htm. To reduce spam, posts from new > subscribers are held pending approval by the webmaster. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "hurdygurdy" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/hurdygurdy The rules of posting, courtesy, and other list information may be found at http://hurdygurdy.com/mailinglist/index.htm. To reduce spam, posts from new subscribers are held pending approval by the webmaster.
