Monica,
I asked a few days ago regarding string tensions for baroque guitars. Do
you have any opinions?
Well - I'm not well qualified to comment as I am only an amateur player and
my guitar has a shorter string length than many people seem to think is
appropriate today.
It is based on an instrument by Giovanni Tessler in the Royal College of
Music here in London and has a string length of 61.5 cms. It was made in
1978 and I guess ideas about how guitars were constructed might have
changed a bit since then.
I had it made like that specifically as being one of the fair sex - as
Campion has it - I wanted it to be favorable to my lovely hands.
Just as a matter of interest it is strung with plain gut without a bordon on
the 5th course with the following guauges - which are less than those in
Tylers book viz:
1st course 2046
2nd 2056
3rd 2066
4th 2050
2100
All Kurschner
5th Sofracob .6000
I usually tune it to around a semitone below modern concert pitch.
I am not a mathematician but I guess that works out at a very low tension.
Perhaps you can work it out from that? It suites me - and it sounds
reasonable although it has a rather thin sound perhaps because it is also
flat backed and rather shallow.
I would guess that most of the gentlemen on this list would want something a
bit beefier.
I don't honestly know whether there is much evidence about what sort of
tension players in the 17th century would have used. However, probably 50%
of them were members of the fair sex who might have had similar requirements
to myself! Something which is often overlooked.
The strings that I use are those recommended by the original maker and
Northern Renaissance Instruments which is or was run by Eph Segerman who is
or was considered an expert on strings.
It would be very interesting to hear more about what other players do today.
Monica
Thanks,
ed
At 02:56 PM 1/28/2008 +0000, you wrote:
Subject: [LUTE] guitar stringing
It is common practice to string the baroque guitar with the treble strings
of the 4th and 5th courses on the thumb side of the course. This is
because both courses tend to be used primarily as if they were treble
strings and having them this way makes these stand out.
The only 17th century source to mention the practice is Ruiz de Ribayaz.
However there are 2 or 3 mid-18th century sources which clearly indicate
that the guitar is strung in this way. By this date this arrangement was
not really necessary for the kind of music being written for the guitar
so it is probably a feature that has lingerd on from the past.
Hope that is helpful.
Monica
Talking of stringing, where does the idea come from of having the octave
string on guitars uppermost (i.e. towards the ceiling). It seems common
practice.
Nigel
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