This sounds plausible. To disprove it with certainty I'd need to do methodical measurements.
On Fri, 5 Mar 2010, Alexander Batov wrote: > I think they only appear as 'equally' unstable because they would all need to > be tuned up but ... to the rather unequal degree. Being more or less under > equal tension, thinner strings would not only stretch more but with each > decrement of falling tension (as they get thinner) there would be a wider > drop in the "frequency per cent" rate as compared with thicker strings > across the instrument's range (i.e. as an example: g' - g'# = 23.3 Hz, g - g# > = 11.65 Hz, G - G# = 5.83 Hz etc). As a result thicker strings would need > less of re-tuning (peg-turning) to get them back in pitch again. Does it make > sense or did I get it wrong? > > Alexander > > Herbert Ward wrote: >> One might expect that, during the period when new >> strings are stretching, the thinner strings, having >> less material* than the thicker strings, but >> the same tension to support, would stretch faster. >> >> However, this expectation is not born out by my experience. >> In dealing with new strings, my perception has been that >> all the strings are about equal in terms of tuning >> instability. >> >> * ie, a smaller cross-sectional area >> >> >> >> To get on or off this list see list information at >> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >> >> > > >
