I tried doubles in my biggish Dieffopruchar - nylgut - did not work at all. Very weak sound, not beautiful... Perhaps because of the instrument, synthetic strings, my technique, ..., who knows? Single strings ok on the same instrument.
I also still wait - kind of eagerly - to hear and try well sounding double strung theorbo. Best, Arto On Wed, 1 Jun 2011 19:51:22 +0200, David van Ooijen <[email protected]> wrote: > A friend of mine plays a double-strung theorbo. I was not impressed > with it, as regards to volume or projection. Strumming was 'fun' > though. > > David > > On 1 June 2011 19:02, Bruno Correia <[email protected]> wrote: >> Interesting to hear that someone plays a double string theorbo. I've >> never heard or seen it. Does it sound louder or maybe with more >> refinement than the single strung version? Does it have octaves on 5th >> and 6th courses? >> >> >> >> Could it be possible that the double course was used for solo music >> and >> the single only for continuo practice? Than we could argue that for >> solo music a small double strung instrument is enough, while >> continuo requires just the opposite. >> >> >> >> Regards. >> >> >> >> >> >> 2011/6/1 Christopher Wilke <[1][email protected]> >> >> Jorg, >> I can only partially answer your question from experience. >> At >> one time I owned a huge theorbo (single strung) with a 99cm string >> length. Now I have thankfully gotten rid of the beast and play on >> a >> double strung "toy" with a 76cm fingerboard length. I usually use >> synthetic strings, but have used gut in the past and I feel that >> there is no sacrifice in terms of volume with the small instrument. >> If anything it is much louder, but this has something to do with >> the player. >> I play close to the bridge, which I can only do on the small >> theorbo. With my giant lute, if I tried to pluck by the bridge it >> was physically impossible for me to fret notes in low positions. >> (I'm six feet tall) By stretching my arms out I could only just >> manage to pluck over the rose. This gave a pleasant tone, but one >> that was easily covered in virtually any ensemble. If the piece >> gave >> me enough time and I could alter my posture and position so that I >> could pluck a bass note closer to the bridge, it sounded fantastic. >> Unfortunately, I found rarity with which I had time to manage >> this >> to be musically unsatisfying. And then there were the mistakes >> from >> the ungainly lunge back to "regular" position! I never had double >> stringing on this instrument, but I imagine that the strings would >> easily jar together because of plucking closer to mid-point of the >> string length >> As for slurring and what not, I find this no more difficult with >> double stringing over single, but again I'm doing this on a smaller >> instrument. I find it very effective for strumming, which sounds, >> fittingly enough, like a big guitar. >> Chris >> Christopher Wilke >> Lutenist, Guitarist and Composer >> [2]www.christopherwilke.com >> --- On Wed, 6/1/11, Hilbert Joerg <[3][email protected]> >> wrote: >> > From: Hilbert Joerg <[4][email protected]> >> > Subject: [LUTE] Double stringed on a theorbo? >> > To: "lute List" <[5][email protected]> >> > Date: Wednesday, June 1, 2011, 3:27 AM >> >> > Dear collected wisdom, >> > >> > as the old italian theorbos seemed to be quite huge and >> > double stringed (for 1-6), I am not aware of anyone to play >> > such an instrument in my neighborhood. I recently had the >> > possibility to test an instrument of about 90 cm, which was >> > amazing but single stringed. Does anybody know such a double >> > stringed instrument? Does it really make sense for continuo? >> > Are there other experiences in terms of power, playability, >> > slurs, comfort etc.? >> > >> > Thank you very much, >> > Joerg >> > >> > >> > >> > To get on or off this list see list information at >> > [6]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >> > >> >> -- >> >> References >> >> 1. mailto:[email protected] >> 2. http://www.christopherwilke.com/ >> 3. mailto:[email protected] >> 4. mailto:[email protected] >> 5. mailto:[email protected] >> 6. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >> >>
