But could it be AA DD gg bb e'? Of course, this means giving up the
Baroque guitar's USP - the unique sound of bordon and octave on the
lower
courses such that the thumb hits the high string before it hits the
bordon.
I think double bordones are a bit unlikely and perhaps wouldn't work very
well in practice. There is a late reference to problems with this
method
of stringing in Baillon which reads as follows....
.j'ay observé que si ces octaves ont un inconvéniant, les deux cordes
filées
en ont un bien plus grand; ces cordes étant d'égale grosseur il est
presqu'impossible
que le poulce les frappe toutes deux. S'il n'y en à qu'une qui soit
atteinte, la 2de devient inutile; si elles sont atteints toutes deux
elles
senuisent mutuellement dans leur vibrations.
.le feraillement que l'on attribue aux deux octaves, ne peut venir que
des
cordes mauvaises, Vielles, ou mal choisies, ou des touches mal
graduées ou
déja usées, ou plûtot de la manière dont ces cordes sont pincées; on
évite
ce féraillement en écrasant la Corde avec le poulce, sans la prendre en
desous, de manière que les deux Cordes soient également atteintes.
I have observed that if this octave stringing is inconvenient, two
overspun
strings [i.e.bourdons] are even more so. If the two strings are of equal
thickness it is almost impossible for the thumb to strike both
together. If
only one is struck the second serves no purpose; if they are struck
together
their vibrations sound mutually.
.the buzzing sound attributed to the two octave strings only occurs
when the
strings are poor, old or badly selected, when the frets are badly
placed or
worn, or rather from the manner in which strings are plucked. This
buzzing
sound is prevented by striking the course with the thumb without
seizing it
from below. In this way the two strings [of the course] will be sounded
equally.
Very interesting quotes. Baillon says:" if they are struck together
their vibrations sound mutually" sounds like it's a good thing!?
I wonder if Baillon is anticipating the move to single strings, in these
observations? Wouldn't the Baroque lute's fifth course, DD , have
overspun strings? And the Renaissance lute's fifth course had low
strings, if not overspun ones, sounding simultaneously too - and that
'mutual vibration' sound must have been acceptable for a very long time
before the 1780s.
And I wonder what the 'buzzing' sound issue was? A jibe from single
stringers?
Stuart
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