When still had a renaissance lute or two (now only a theorbo) I appreciated gut on the second course because it gave more volume - making it easier to carry descending melodies.
At 02:06 PM 2/6/05, Miles Dempster wrote: >Tim, > >Yes, I suppose, but only to a degree. since: >1. The quantity of Krazy glue is minimal >2. The glue gets chiefly absorbed into the fibres i.e. it doesn't lie >on the surface >3. You don't get the reported "squeaky" effect > >Miles > > >On Sunday, February 6, 2005, at 12:48 PM, Timothy Motz wrote: > > > Miles, > > Aren't you duplicating the effect of varnished gut? > > > > Tim > > > > On Saturday, February 5, 2005, at 08:28 AM, Miles Dempster wrote: > > > >> So: A gut chanterelle is the most desirable and yet the most fragile. > >> > >> Eliott Chapin, as he described in a previous posting to this list, has > >> devised a way for extending the life of gut strings, chanterelles in > >> particular: > >> > >> 1. Before assembling the string on the lute, raise it to the > >> approximate tension under which it will operate. For example, attach > >> one end to a nail or door handle, and hang a suitable weight on the > >> other end. > >> > >> 2. Make a small wad out of tissue paper, Kleenex or what-have-you. > >> > >> 3. Put a few drops of Krazy Glue on the wad > >> > >> 4. Very quickly run the wad down the length of the string. > >> > >> As far as I understand it, the glue, which has a very low surface > >> tension, quickly penetrates the fibres, and has the effect of binding > >> them together. In my experience, the string will resist much longer > >> before starting to degrade and fray. > >> > >> > >> Miles Dempster > >> > >> On Saturday, February 5, 2005, at 03:49 AM, Jon Murphy wrote: > >> > >>> James, > >>> > >>>> It seems ironic for people who think gut has the best sound, to > >>> sacrifice > >>>> that sound on the chanterelle, where it probably has the most > >>>> noticeable > >>>> effect... It almost makes more sense (unless you can afford to buy > >>>> all > >>> gut strings) > >>>> to have nylgut or nylon (which can literally last years) on every > >>>> course > >>> but > >>>> the 1st and 2nd; and to use gut on those strings, where the melody > >>>> is > >>>> most > >>>> often found. Just an idea... > >>> > >>> A good idea, but I think an impractical one for some lutes. And I > >>> confess > >>> that I've not tested gut yet for breaking pitch. > >>> > >>> With all due respect for the empiricals, I believe that gut and > >>> nylgut > >>> - > >>> having a very similar density - use the same tension for the pitch. > >>> But that > >>> gut has less "tensile strength" so can't maintain the same pitch > >>> without > >>> breaking as can nylgut. And I know, from experience, that nylon will > >>> give > >>> you about a half to full tone higher on the chanterelle without > >>> breaking. > >>> > >>> So the problem of the lute is the chanterelle (there is a 16th C. > >>> manuscript > >>> that tells of the tuning, tune the chanterelle until it breaks, then > >>> tune a > >>> bit lower - an expensive approach as one has to replace the broken > >>> chanterelle). The range of the lute is defined by the vibrating > >>> length, and > >>> the material of the chanterelle. But as it has a fixed length across > >>> the nut > >>> it is also defined by the lower courses. I'll give up for the night > >>> here, > >>> leaving the question open on purpose. > >>> > >>> Best, Jon > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> To get on or off this list see list information at > >>> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > >>> > >> > >> > > www3.sympatico.ca/echapin
