6" seems to be the break point for different playing styles. Hungarian instruments with smaller wheels than this are difficult (although not impossible) to articulate in the French style, and are much more suitable for the syncopated twos and fours of Hungarian music. By contrast, if you take a 7" wheel, the wheel ends up moving too fast over the course of a revolution to get the Hungarian articulations just right. So wheel size is important, with 6" really the minimum for Western instruments.
-Arle > Since the most common hobby metal lathe is an Altas 6 inch or one of the > clones, there is compelling reason to consider parts that can be made on this > lathe, if there is no acoustic or performance reason not to. Remember, this > is not a thread to see what kind of a compromise gurdy we can build, it is to > see if a truly reasonable instrument can be built, at or below the cost of a > professionally built instrument, but an average craftsman. > > I have no specific knowledge of anything that would make a 6 inch wheel > better or worse than a 7, so I will ask the builders and players if they can > give a reason to stay with 7 inch or can agree on the 6 inch (152 mm) instead. > > Chris On Nov 7, 2011, at 02:00 , Neil Brook wrote: > Just a thought , 7" is pretty much standard for lute backed instruments but > it's worth considering a smaller wheel - say 6" which is more the norm for > Guitar bodied gurdies. The smaller wheel makes no difference to articulation > of trompette ( imho ) . The slower rim speed helps to minimise the unpleasant > resonances that can occur and the overall volume is slightly less. A 6" wheel > may also be a more practical size for those with only access to a small > lathe. I use an average of 16mm for rim width and 18mm rim to bridge. > Regards > Neil -- 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.
