I would say NYLGUT is so far away from gut.... It is far after nylon or even carbon. Having the correct surface and specific weight the main feature of gut - stiffness is totally missing in this material. I never play it and when buy an instrument if there are any white strings on it I change them to nylon at least to be able to judge it. Ideed I agree octaves are essensial on the lute the carbon ones resonate much boosting the basses and this changes the balance and makes us forse the trebles then the lute is harder to play. Even when putting most of octves nylon it becomes significantly better. Anton
--- On Fri, 1/29/10, Daniel Winheld <[email protected]> wrote: > From: Daniel Winheld <[email protected]> > Subject: [LUTE] Re: Objet : Re: Switching between gut strings and synthetics? > To: [email protected] > Date: Friday, January 29, 2010, 5:47 PM > Anthony- > > that's amazing- HIP concerns mattering as lately as the > 1920's. I had > a customer at the music store yesterday looking for HIP > Beethoven; we > didn't have anything on hand but at least the Busch Quartet > had a > sound that seemed closer, but I don't know the details of > their > equipment. > > I remember discussing this gut/synthetics issue during a > lesson with > Terence Stone years ago- we finally agreed that the serious > lute > player just has to have two of every lute- one in > synthetics for gigs > and one in gut to keep himself honest. > > And the octaves- it doesn't seem to matter what the rest of > the > stringing is, for me the octaves always have to be gut. > > For the main courses, It's that difference in feel- the > "slimy" > texture of carbons in particular, that so influence (for > the worse) > the performance of ornaments and the nuances of > articulation. > > I still have one lute with Nylgut- referred to as > "crocodile gut" by > one of our learned correspondents- (the gut of de Nile?) > that seems > to be in a sub-class of it's own- android gut. Maybe the > most > subversive substance of all. > > Dan > > > Dear Dan > > I recently heard > Stravinsk's Pulcinella and Pergolesi's Stabat > > Mater directed by Mark Minkowski with the > Musiciens du Louvre-Grenoble, > > and for both pieces of music the bowed > instruments were strung in gut, > > the argument being that still around the > 1920s these could have been > > strung in gut. The brass or the > Stravinsky were period instruments > > (around 1915) and the sound texture was > audibly different from modern > > instruments. The sound was slightly more > earthy, but warmer, and the > > balance between strings and brass was > excellent. There was a luminous > > clarity to the articulation of the > piece. > > I would think some people are more > interested in this sound texture and > > articulation question, and they are > willing to sacrifice slight > > problems of "intonation" in their effort > to achieve the sound quality > > they want; while others are so obsessed > by in tuneness that they find > > gut difficult, and they are willing to > compromise texture . > > I notice, however, that the majority of > gamba players adopt gut, and > > most probably feel that only gut can give > the interesting shades and > > sound textures that make up the > music of a Tobias Hume, for example. > > Of course, Gamba strings are much > thicker, and there are less of them, > > so the practicality issue is also less. I > would think that practicality > > is the major factor that stops many > lutenists from choosing gut, and > > that this is a much more important > element in their choice, than any > > claim to the better sound of synthetics. > Indeed a good compromise, as > > you have suggested, is the use of some > synthetics in the crucial > > positions, where a breakage might ruin a > concert, and even a choice of > > mainly synthetics, in some 'on tour' > situations, or when playing on a > > boat, as I seem to remember David once > did, is surely a sensible > > solution; but the reference, as you have > also suggested (at least for > > early music), must surely remain gut. > > Regards > > Anthony > > -- > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >
