Caroline Chamberlain wrote: > Sorry, I should have said...fourth course, F below middle C and I was using > an electronic keyboard as reference for the note. (I also have a > guitar/bass guitar tuner, but it doesn't do F.) The string was fine metal > wound around something, not gut. Fortunately, I had ordered a spare set of > strings with the lute, so I had another to put on. The other problem seems > to be that sometimes, the pegs slip a bit. That might be my technique, too, > because I think sometimes I am pushing them in as I turn them and then they > get very tight.
Pushing the pegs in is normal, but you should probably pull them until they're loose and then gently push in as you turn them, until you find a position that holds the string without binding too much. It's trial and error. Of course, if the pegs are out of round or have been gooped up with some inappropriate substance, that's another story. The pegs on my ten-course were a curse until I took them to a violin maker who got them into working order. I don't know where your instrument was made or spent the last few years, but it likely was some place where the weather is very different from Queensland, so it may be experiencing the lute equivalent of culture shock. My pegs have become catatonic just from being taken from (coastal) inner Los Angeles over the mountains to suburban LA, where the air is mostly from the desert. > The strings are made in Germany, 'Pyramid' brand. A bit of a surprise. I've never had a new wound Pyramid string break. Indeed, I've had the same Pyramids on one of my lutes for years. Where did the string break? If it broke at the nut, look for a rough or sharp spot there. > Unfortunately, whoever designed the packaging didn't bother with labelling > which course the string was intended for, and there is just a series of > numbers on the outside. The string was not intended for any particular course. Welcome to the lute world, where nothing is standardized, and a string can work in different places on different lutes, depending on string length, nominal pitch of the course and reference pitch of the instrument. > However, I think I chose the correct one by a > process of elimination and comparison, and certainly, I managed to tune it > up OK at the time. However, our weather here is currently quite hot and > humid, and isn't helpful to any strings. What I have noticed is that > sometimes, some of the lower courses will be in tune, then a couple of days > later, sound higher (sharper) than they should and have to be wound down. > Now, that doesn't seem logical to me, either. Changes in temperature or humidity can do all sorts of things to your tuning. > If I hadn't wanted a lute for a very long time, I think I would be ready to > give up. You can't. If you give up the lute before the first year, your nose falls off. > My lute seems to have a life of its own. It is much lighter than > the guitar, and slithers around on my knee as though it is alive. A common problem. Some players use a strap. Others use a lap cloth--something with friction like suede or some rubbery synthetic. I knew one woman who said she practiced naked a lot. Whatever you do, do not get into contortions to hold your instrument with your body. Not only is it unhealthy for you, but it can damage the instrument. Michael Eagan, who seemed at ease wrapped around his instrument, once cracked it by sneezing. > Then, of > course, there is the matter of right hand technique....I could go on, but I > won't. I will just thank you for replying, and reiterate that I'm grateful > for any assistance or suggestions. To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
