>but I've used a pencil at a distance of half a tone from the bridge from my theorbo,
> under the strings, and almost touching them.
I use something very similar to alter pitch of the bourdons of my hurdy gurdy.
The instrument being
very sensitive to change in string tension, it's better for me to change the length.
I made a bridge that
looks like a tiny violin-style bridge (a hardwwod wedge) to slip between the string
and soundboard.
Caution--as mentioned, the bridge must be firmly resting on the soundboard, or
else you get the
"trombe" effect--on the lute this would just be an annoying rattle.
(I haven't tried anything like this on the lute.)
Leonard Williams
[]
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~
----- Original Message -----
From: "LGS-Europe" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Lute net" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Saturday, January 17, 2004 4:20 AM
Subject: Re: technical problems on lute-theorbo (+theorbo)
> I've once did the following experiment. Attach, glue presumably, but I've
> just held it more or less fixed, a bridge (koto-ji if you like, but I've
> used a pencil) at a distance of half a tone from the bridge from my theorbo,
> under the strings, and almost touching them. Think of it as a fret on the
> belly of your theorbo. With the right hand little finger you can press down
> the bass string on the pencil-fret, with your right hand thumb you can pluck
> the bass, raised half a tone. The bass notes sound well enough, but it is
> akward, to say the least, to play a chord simultaneously, and it is akward,
> to say the least, to sustain he bass note. But it is not impossible.
>
> A word on the koto-ji (bridges under the strings of koto). They only work
> well when both feet (they're little arches) touch the sounboard properly to
> transmit the vibration of the strings. No damping with felt or cut up silken
> kimono ;-) here.
>
> David
>
>
>
> > I wonder if you could make a little portable bridge like those used
> > on kotos. Since it would be between the strings and belly it wouldn't
> > even get in the way. It wouldn't need to attach to anything. You
> > would put felt or something similar on the bottom so as not to
> > scratch the surface of the theorbo. You would only need enough
> > pressure to make a node. I just tried this with the handle of a
> > magnifying glass. It works! This is too easy.
> >
> > >Michael,
>
>
