Chris-
"Modern gut,since its characteristics are quiet different from historical gut, does
not provide an empirically reliable metric to determine pitch or tuning based upon string
length."
This bit I find very interesting. Except for the vexed problem of gut
bass strings, with their "how-low-can-you-go" variables, I had been led
to believe (by modern gut string specialists- Mimmo Peruffo et al) that
at least in terms of strength/breaking point, that "Gut is gut" and the
inherent strength is determined at the cellular level; and by just
employing the basic processing procedures for a low-twist 1st course
string one will find out almost the exact, real world- both present-day
and historic- absolute high pitch limit of an instrument based on string
length.
If this is something that is still in dispute I'd love to know more- as
I am always second-guessing my ideal pitch levels anyway.
Thanks, Dan
On 1/28/2014 5:14 AM, Christopher Wilke wrote:
Iconographic sources depict theorbos and/or archlutes with highly
variable numbers of courses and stringing setups. Unfortunately we have
no way of knowing how any particular instrument was tuned. Modern gut,
since its characteristics are quiet different from historical gut, does
not provide an empirically reliable metric to determine pitch or tuning
based upon string length.
Beyond that, I'm wondering what exactly the overall point of this
conversation is. If the object is to determine whether certain
composers expected archlute or theorbo to the exclusion of the other,
the historical evidence is inconclusive.
Chris[1]
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