Dear Eugene, There is really is no difficulty here. The heart of the matter is that tension needs to be related to string length, so that with similar instruments, bigger ones (and used eg Dowland as said)) higher tension than their smaller counterparts - see the earlier communication about this. So for a small string length, like on the mandolino which is around half the string length of a mean lute, a tension of as low as a half is suggested for similar 'feel' ie 3Kg/2 = 1.5Kg (which is why I suggested a trial at around this level). The converse is also the case with large theorbos needing higher tensions than a mean lute.
The modern 'classical' guitar is single strung (like some theorbos) and can be played with a higher level of tension (as Stuart found out when he tried single strings). I thought all this was common knowledge..... regards Martyn --- On Sun, 30/5/10, EUGENE BRAIG IV <[email protected]> wrote: From: EUGENE BRAIG IV <[email protected]> Subject: [LUTE] Re: baroque mandolins etc--- tensions and kgs? To: "Lute List" <[email protected]> Date: Sunday, 30 May, 2010, 5:26 I don't know why tension should have much to do with punteado vs. plectrum. I also certainly would not consider approx. 3.0-4.0 kg per string (as I use on my mandolino) "high" tension. Guitars are often much higher, modern classical or even 19th c. It's not even far from what some players use on lutes. On his string calculator page, Arto cites 3.0 kg as his standard and 4.0 as preferred on archlute. Eugene ----- Original Message ----- From: Stuart Walsh <[1][email protected]> Date: Friday, May 28, 2010 6:13 pm Subject: [LUTE] Re: baroque mandolins etc--- tensions and kgs? To: David van Ooijen <[2][email protected]> Cc: Lute List <[3][email protected]> > David van Ooijen wrote: > > On Fri, May 28, 2010 at 9:17 PM, Stuart Walsh > <[4][email protected]> wrote: > > > >> Is there a simple explanation, somewhere, of string tensions > and what 3kg or > >> 7 kg etc means and what is the significance of it. I've never > understood>> what it's all about. > >> > > > > I wrote this some years ago, so I could understand what it was > all about: > > > > - Calculating String Tensions > > Explaining the why and how of calculating strings for lutes. > > > > [5]http://home.planet.nl/~ooije006/david/writings/stringtension_f.htm > > > Thank you for this. I read it as carefully as I could! > > To be honest, I got as far as "the frequency of a string > [frequency=pitch?] is directly related [=is?] the square root of > its > tension." and a sort of filter kicks in. > A bit like when a plumber comes to fix something (at great > expense) and > explains all the minute details when I just want to know whether > the > toilet will flush or not. > > But what you say confirms (if I've understood you) what I > thought about > high tension stringing, playing with nails (plectrum) etc and > that maybe > old instruments were more lightly constructed with strings > at lower > tension, needing a gentler mode of playing. > > And so this is the problem with tiny instruments like the > mandolino > where the strings are inevitably (?) going to be high tension - > how can > they be fingerstyle/punteado instruments rather than plectrum > instruments (even if some of the music for them looks - > superficially? - > as if it can't be played with a plectrum) > > > Stuart > > (not a plectrum player) -- To get on or off this list see list information at [6]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. http://uk.mc263.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected] 2. http://uk.mc263.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected] 3. http://uk.mc263.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected] 4. http://uk.mc263.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected] 5. http://home.planet.nl/~ooije006/david/writings/stringtension_f.htm 6. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
