So what are we to make of this? The movement in the last decade has been to minimise the sustain as long as possible. I'm completely on board with this. But if we are to take Mersenne at face value, we have been moving in the wrong direction - we should be at least doubling the sustain time.
Confused of Edinburgh... > On 8 Jan 2017, at 20:46, Jean-Marie Poirier <[email protected]> wrote: > > The exact quotation from Mersenne is : > "...le son des grosses chordes de Luth est apperceu de l'oreille durant la > sixiesme partie, ou le tiers d'une minute, c'est à dire pendant que l'artère > du poux d'un homme sain, & sans emotion bat dix, ou vingt fois..." > which can be roughly translated by : the sound of the big strings of a Lute > is perceived by the ear during the sixth part, or a third of a minute, that > is to say as long as the pulse of a healthy man, without emotion, beats ten, > or twenty times..." > > Amicalement, > > Jean-Marie > > > > -------------- > >> Hi Rob, >> >> What exactly is the quote in Mersenne about the 20 second sustain? >> Although my French is very poor, I've attempted to find it to no avail. >> >> Chris >> [1]Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone >> >> On Sunday, January 8, 2017, 10:59 AM, Rob MacKillop >> <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> Here's a very short video comparing the sustain time of a new Aquila >> Loaded Nylgut string and a Savarez copper-wound nylon-silk core bass >> string. >> [1][2]https://youtu.be/8FVJMk_Xjv0 >> My ears hear better than the microphone, and the useable sustain on >> the >> Aquila string is 4 seconds, while the Savarez is a long 8 seconds. >> With the Savarez, you will be required to stop pretty much every note >> you play in the bass. With the Aquila, less so. >> The Aquila do remind me of gut basses. I used to have an 11c >> completely >> strung in gut, and these loaded nylgut strings are very, very close. >> On the other hand...Mersenne says his basses sustain for almost 20 >> seconds!!! >> I'll stick with the Aquila. >> Rob >> -- >> References >> 1. [3]https://youtu.be/8FVJMk_Xjv0 >> To get on or off this list see list information at >> [4]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >> >> -- >> >> References >> >> 1. https://yho.com/footer0 >> 2. https://youtu.be/8FVJMk_Xjv0 >> 3. https://youtu.be/8FVJMk_Xjv0 >> 4. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > >
