Very interesting. Spent some time drooling over the flickrpics you so
kindly provided. Magnificent- beautiful, perfectly proportioned; string
spacing doesn't appear unnaturally wide. 65 cm SL is a perfect length
(to my predilection vis-a-vis hands, body size, pitch) & the apparent
distances all seem to fit aesthetically. But a certain imprecision in
the term "Double" wide provokes a desire to know the actual
measurements; string to string, and course to course- at the nut and at
the bridge. Do tell, please!
I would imagine that Andreas did more than adjust the spacing to improve
the polyphonic response- any subtle tweaking of the bowl proportions or
soundboard construction? And if a lute that has been built for the best
polyphonic response is also superior for ricercars, ensembles, and lute
songs one has to ask- "What is it not good for?"- it surely doesn't
sound as if there was some trade-off, or sacrifice. Just sounds like the
best possible lute in the world, which is only true if it beats out my
own Larson 8 course- which also came with a slightly wider spacing than
I was used to, and also has a fantastic sound.
Looking forward to you posting some good, clear polyphony and more with
the new beast. Thanks for sharing.
Dan
On 8/22/2013 3:01 PM, David Tayler wrote:
Over the years I have tried out a number of ideas for a model of lute
that is good for polyphony. Specifically, I wanted something for both
playing and recording that reveals the maximum separation in the
individual polyphonic parts, with tone and transparency. What I have
now is a 65cm C36 lute copy, with shaded yew, and "double wide"
spacing. The space is larger between the pairs of strings, and each
pair is wider between the unisons and octaves.
It does result in a more transparent sound for polyphony. However, not
recommended for smaller hands.
If you play the theorbo, it will seem small anyway.
Actually, the transparency is also good for ricercars, even though the
music is not as complex, but where you really hear the difference is in
the multipart compositions, and also lute songs. The width takes some
getting used to, and I will also try a model with the same spacing and
a smaller mensur, when I get around to it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42226428@N03/sets/72157635192655310/
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