I call that extra tied on bit a leader. If I use a less stretchy
material I know I'll have less spring between peg and nut which speeds
and stabilizes tuning. That w/ a bit of beeswax at the nut makes for
quicker work.
The other reason I'll use it is economy. Sometimes I can get two
lengths from a string that would give only one w/out a leader --or
three from a nominally two-length string. If I'm _really_ in a pinch
the knot will start off between the nut and the 1st fret and just lie
behind the nut when tuned up which is not for the faint of heart. I
have many different size lutes so I'm constantly measuring and planning.
Sometimes I'll use a slightly larger diameter gut string or a hemp
string. Back in the late 70's my lute teacher (a master of string
parsimony) advocated good old kitchen string.
Sean
ps Ha! 3 folks already answered while it took me the same time to
oversay the same thing. Hell, I'll send it anyway.
On Apr 30, 2012, at 12:02 PM, Alain wrote:
Hi everyone,
When stringing a lute, some people like to cut the strings a little
above the nut and tie them with a knot to some non-elastic material
like rope or synthetic fiber of some kind that is wound to the peg.
What are the advantages of proceeding this way as opposed to just
keeping the string whole?
Alain
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