- FAQs –
1) Why are gut strings so
expensive?
Because
their manufacture is still mostly handwork and
require a high degree of specialization: there are only a few of us
left,
worldwide, who know how to make the appropriate gut strings for
historical
stringing.
twisting
Moreover,
the whole string making process requires at
least 10-12 uninterrupted days of work
2) deleted
3)
From which sources do we know that the strings of the string quartet
were
thicker than those we commonly use today?
Both
from available historical
sources
we
found in recent years and from surviving
pieces of strings we believe to be original.
4)
How important is, as far as quality is concerned, the colour of gut
strings?
The
colour of a gut string has no
influence whatsoever either
on
acoustic performance or playing life.
identical
strings,
different
bleaching
Natural
colour varies from gut to gut. Extremely white strings (looking like
nylon)
could betray too energical a bleaching, though.
5) Is it true that strings made of ram's
gut
can be recognized by their (typical) brown colour?
No,
the gut of any animal, if
unbleached,
always has a more or less brown colour; in other
words, such
a
string (in our example ram's gut) was not bleached and that was a
stringmaker's
precise choice.
6) Is it true that strings made of
lamb's
gut are better than those made of sheep's, beef’s or ram's
gut?
No.
A string's acoustical quality depends minly on two
factors: density of the
material and the elasticity.
Historical
relevance apart, all these materials possess
the same density (at the end of
the day it is all 'dry meat').
The elasticity,
on the other hand,
exclusively
depends on how the stringmaker produced the string (high or low twist,
with the
addition of hardening salts & c.).
Tests carried out with a double blind
method have proven it
impossible
to detect any
acoustical
difference.
In
any
case it is reported that up to the mid-17th century in different
italian
regions the guts of sheep,
lamb, wether, ram, goat, wolf, beef
could be
indifferently used (see A. Kircher's Musurgia
Universalis,
7)
Why do modern stringmakers use guts cut into strands instead of whole
guts?
First
of
all, the cleaving of gut
into strands to be twisted into musical strings is a technique that was
already
in use in the second half the 16th century (see the roman and
neapolitan
stringmakers statutes from 1589 and 1653) and was certainly common in
the
second half of the 18th century.
The
problem is that we do not know - at least not in every detail - the
early steps
in the historic whole gut
manufacturing technique anymore.
Besides,
we must point out that it is, generally speaking, nearly impossible to
find
lamb's gut that is so thin as to allow us to achieve a historic
violin
top string made of three whole
guts.
In
practice we always obtain noticeably
thicker
strings and that is a definite proof that the gut does not come from real
lamb (i.e. less than one year
old): hence the need to split the
guts in
half in order to obtain thinner strands.
On
the other hand we must point out that
strings
made of gut strands (again, a historically correct method) are of high
quality
and grant a long playing life.
8)
Why can't I use historical gauges on my violin/viola/cello?
There
are several possible reasons:
-
You
haven't got used to playing with thicker strings than my usual,
yet.
-
Thicker strings often exert too much
pressure on
the sound board and that damps the sound: the pressure can be
diminished by
reducing the angle of the strings
in relation to the bridge by
way of
raising
the string holder at the bottom of the instrument
(a solution also
adopted in the past) or, if possible, reducing the height of the
bridge.
To
learn more: please visit the
site of Damian: www.damianstrings.com/baroque%20set-up.htm
9)
What is the difference between a high
twist and a low twist
string?
A
very
important one: a high
twist string is much more
elastic and that means an increased
reactivity:
the string will respond more easily both to plucking and to to bowing
and
produce a wider dynamic excursion and timbric variety.
On
the other hand a low twist
string, being
stiffer, is less reactive but more resistant under stress and thus
suitable for
all trebles in general.
Low and high twist
The
material being the same, elasticity and resistance are inversely
proportional and that is why it
is not possible to use high
twist
strings as trebles, since they would easily break.
Low
twist
strings
are best suited
for Trebles - but not best suited for the mid-register strings, where
the
acoustic
performance would be impoverished.
10)
What is a half-rectified string?
Modern
gut
strings are machine -polished to a perfectly
smooth surface,
which
inevitably damages the surface fibers.
With half-rectified strings the polishing process is stopped before a completely smooth surface is obtained.
Thus it
is possible to imitate the hand polishing of
the past
and also the surface fibers remain mostly intact.
This
results in a longer playing
life, better
keeping in tune and better acoustc performance
(broken fibers have
a
damping effect on the sound).
11)
What care do gut strings require?
No
particular care.
But
in
the case of
the Doublebass
it is
advisable to treat the length of the string subject to the action of
the left
hand with deer fat.
This
will
extend their playing life.
Lacking
deer fat, booth grease will also do
successfully
tested.
12) What care do wound strings
require?
No
particular care.
Should
the
core, under exceptionally cold or dry climatic
conditions, buzz
inside the winding, the string can be treated with olive or almond
oil.
13)
What is a string's quality test (so-called Mersenne test)?
In
the
past it was used to tell a
good string from a false one.
you pull a string taut, one end in
each
hand, and you pluck it repeatedly with one finger, carefully watching
the cone
of vibration.
The Mersenne's test
The
cone
of vibration must be regular
and sharp
at the outer sides and free from fuzzy
lines in the middle.
This
test was commonly done because the hand
polished strings allowed for gauge irregularities along the finished
string.
Today,
thanks to modern rectification, this test is generally
unnecessary.
14)
What is a string's Breaking Index?
The Breaking
Index is the higher
frequency a
gut string of any
diameter can
reach at a string length of 1mt.
For both gut and Nylgut a mean value
of
260 Hz.mt is a good reference parameter.
In other words, a
Hence
we
deduce that the product
of the pitch of the treble and by the string length (more properly
called
'Working Index') must always
be below this value, under pain of
immediately breaking the string at values over 260 or a very short
playing life
at values between 240 and 260. No problems below 240.
What
is
its practical use?
Example:
can I tune in A
.62
mt
(62cm) x 440 (Hz) = 272.8
Hz.mt
The
answer is: no, I can't.
What should
the appropriate string length be?
A
safe
index should not exceed the 240 value.
So: 240/440 Hz = .545 mt.
In
practice the appropriate string lengt (at A-440) should not exceed
Rule
of
thumb
(assuming the system bridge-string-nut is
free from any so called 'cutting effect'):
-
Working
index
within
240: green
light.
- Working
index between 250 and
260: amber
light (the treble
could break in a few hours/days, especially by high humidity).
- Working
index over 260: red
light (the treble
will break immediately or within minutes).
Because
of the lack of the
instrument size standardization,
it is important to
verify whether medieval
lutes and harps satisfy these
values, but also where exact
copies of
original instruments, lutes first of all, are concerned - original
string
lengths were optimized for the pitches used by the customers of
the
time,
and the pitches commonly in use today are usually higher.
15)
What is the acoustical lower limit of a gut string?
It's
the
maximum diameter able to
produce an acoustic performance which is generally regarded as (still)
acceptable to our ears (in other words, its inharmonicity
level).
This
limit is empirical
and is above
all a function of the string- elasticity.
Other
relevant
factors are string length,
whether the string is bowed or plucked,
quality
of the instrument and working tension.
Here,
too,
it could be express in terms of Acoustic
Quality
Index, i.e. the product
of
string length by frequency.
Empirically
we
can say that on a
mean size g- tuning lute
(60-62 cm s.l. nowdays)
a 1mm high twist string (5th
course) is dull
to the point of requiring an octave.
A
diameter of
On
bowed
instruments this limit can empirically be increased by a factor of 1.10.
What
is
its practical use?
It is
useful in deciding,
when we calculate our diameters, when we have reached the point where
we should
switch from a plain gut, Nylgut or Nylon string to a wound
one.
Rule
of thumb:
-
Acoustic
Quality
Index
below 100:
a gut/Nylgut/Nylon string begins to lose its acoustical quality (e.g.
on a Lute
we need octaves).
-
Acoustic
Quality
Index
below 80:
we need to switch to a wound
or loaded string.
16)
How do I measure a string's diameter?
Today
you
can do it with a
high-precision micrometer.
One
must
zero it exactly and be careful not to squash the string while measuring
to
avoid false readings.
And in the
past?
From about 1830 into the
mid-20th
century they
used a gauge (the first description of one is in Luis Spohr's Violinschule,
Luis
Spohr's gauge is a metal plate with an acute ‘V’
with
gauges scored on the
edges: the string slid in until it touches both sides of the V. at this
point
we read its gauge value.
This
method, obviously, allows for a certain margin of approximation. We
have no
record of similar methods being used in the 18th century.
Marin
Mersenne (Harmonie universelle,
17)
How were
strings sold in the past?
Present
string gauging is a relatively
modern praxis, adopted after the
introduction of precision
mechanical
polishing.
Up
to
the
beginning of the 20th century a string's diameter was first of all
determined
by the number of guts employed to manufacture it. a violin treble, for
example, was
generally made of three guts.
This
means that, gut being a non-standardizable
natural product, the resulting
string was not of
a constant diameter but fell within a possible diameter
bracket.
In
our
violin example the string obtained with three whole lamb guts would
have a
diameter of between .65 and
Strings
were usually sold in oiled
envelopes
containing 30 to 50 strings, all made of the same number of
guts: first of
all the musician had to select the true strings from the false ones -
see 'Mersenne's
test - and then select
with a gauge and put aside the ones
that were
too thin or too thick for his purpose.
18)
Why are gut strings sometimes varnished?
Gut
strings are varnished
in order to protect the strings from wear and tear.
The
varnishing of strings is not a
historical
process; the earliest samples of varnished strings we have found only
date back
to the 1920-30s.
A
varnished
string has a somewhat duller sound and the attack under the bow is
slightly
more difficult and liable to 'whistle'.
19)
What benefits brings the oiling of strings, what disadvantages for the
bow's
hair?
Oiling
is
the last step in the
string manuifaturing process and makes the string more stable to
humidity
changes.
After
a protracted immersion in oil -
the coiled
string is kept in oil for at least one month - the string develops a
longer
playing life and a better acoustical performance.
The
oils traditionally employed were
olive or
almond
Notice!
clean
the
string carefully
with an appropriate solvent before
putting it on the
instrument: any oil leftovers can contribute to make the bow
'whistle'
20)
What care should be taken with the nut and bridge grooves?
A
large
number of strings break
because of the cutting effect of
sharp edges on bridge and
nut.
Thomas
Mace in 1676 advises: ‘take
a knife and make a little
impression upon the
nut ... [which] must afterwards be filed down deep enough for the
string to lye
in ... after you have marked the places for all strings to lye in,
which may be
done with a pencil or pen and ink ... you must take it [the nut] and
polish it
very well (but especially the notches) ... take a piece of
new neats-leather and a little scraped chalk wet in spittle,
which
with
good pains must be rubbed so long till ... the notches be very
smooth’.
the well
executed grooves in a nut on a guitar by Antonio Torres
All
sharp
edges and angles must be accurately eliminated.
Only
after this operation
apply
some soft
pencil lead or very dry soap to the groove. this will not only help
tuning and
keeping in tune but also prevent the string from squashing and jamming
in the
groove, increasing the probability of breakage. Robert
Dowland, in his
‘Varietie of lute lessons’,
London
1610,
suggests:’ ...when
you set them on the instrument they will
sticke (and rise
by starts) in the nut, and there breake, even in the tuning: the best
remedy
when the strings sticke so, is tu rub the little nickes of the nut (in
which
the strings slide) with a little oyle, waxe, or black
lead’.
21)
I checked the diameter of a gut string a noticed that it sometimes is
slightly
different from that declared on the string envelope: is the string
faulty?
No,
gut
is an extremely
hygroscopic material and
the amount of humidity absorbed can
slightly
alter the string diameter. on humid days a string will probably present
a
slightly thicker diameter, on dry days a slightly thinner one.
Practical
tests show that a .82mm string on a humid day can measure .84, or .80
on a particularly
dry day.
The
diameters shown on our string envelopes refer to a
standard
condition of
Such
variations influence the string working tension only
minimally.
22)
How should I store my strings?
The
main
enemy of gut strings is humidity:
keep them in plastic envelopes or in air tight boxes. A carefully
stored string
will keep its quality for many decades.
23)
How do I take care of buzzing in historical wound-on-gut
strings?
Historical
wound strings, lacking a damper
betweeen core and wound wire,
in
particularly dry climate may present this problem.
Tutors
of
the past (e.g. Friedrich Dotzauer's ‘Méthode
de
violoncelle', Paris c.
1830) suggest lightly
wetting the whole string with a few drops
of olive
or almond oil in order to have the gut core swell lightly and make full
contact
with the winding again.
Never
use
water!
24)
How should I prepare a lute to be strung with gut?
Making
sure there are no sharp
edges anywhere where they may cause a
cutting effect (nut, bridge,
string
holder - see faq 20).
The
length of string winding on the peg shold
be as short as possible,
avoiding any overlapping spires (which
affect
the tuning stability) and squashing and jamming the string against the
pegbox
side (see Thos. Mace's
Musick's
monument,
Lutes:
we suggest you to visit this
very interesting work made by the luthier Jiri Cepelak: http://lute.cepelak.cz/care.pdf
25)
What is the Working Index of a string?
The
‘Working
Index’ is
the
product of string legth (in mt.) multiplied by treble pitch (in Hz) and
indicates whether the chosen string length is right for the intended
tuning.
In
other
words (see faq 14)
whether we risk breaking the treble (when the
string
length is too long) or a poor sound quality (too short strings produce
a duller
sound).
On
lutes and violins it is advisable to
keep the
Breaking Index in the 230-240 Hz x mt bracket, with the treble working
close to
its breaking point and granting the best possible sound in the bass
register.
26)
What is Nylgut and why is it white?
Nylgut
is
a synthetic material I discovered and copyrighted in 1997: it has the
same
mean specific weight as gut and a low degree of humidity absorption -
ony 10%
that of nylon.
We
could
even call it 'synthetic gut'.
In
theory
a gut string and a Nylgut one should have the same diameter.
But
since
nylgut
is quite 'stretchy' we advise using a slightly
thicker
diameter.
Pull
carefully but resolutely and repeatedly the string with your fingers
while
tuning it for the first time (see faq
31).
Concerning
the 'cutting effect'
follow the suggestions given for gut
strings at faq
20.
The
white
colour is simply a commercial
choice, an
image.
Unfortunately,
because of the bow
'slips' on it, Nnylgut
cannot be used
on bowed instruments.
27)
What were typical string quartet stringings in the 18th
and
19th
centuries?
This
is a
fairly vast topic and
we suggest this further
reading.
In a nut shell:
-Violin:
gut for
the three top strings, wire
wound
on gut for the fourth.
A
wound third is historically incorrect.
Although
in the 18th
century and exclusively in
-Viola:
gut top
two strings, wound third and fourth.
-Cello:
until
ca. 1730: gut top three strings,
wound fourth; wound third and fourth afterwards.
-Three
string Doublebass: gut
top two strings,
third either plain gut or wound.
-Four
string Doublebass: as
above, wound
fourth.
Here
we
must point out how modern wound strings (flat metal winding on a rather
stiff
gut core; silk padding between gut core and metal winding; different, metal biased, gut
core to winding
ratio from
that of historical strings) heavily change the real expressive
qualities of
historic stringings.
28)
What are the technological differences between modern and historical
would
strings?
Historical
wound
strings present the following general features:
-
low or
high twist gut core.
-
round
metal wire winding.
-
no silk
'padding' between core
and metal winding.
-
metal
wire of silver, silvered
copper, plain copper or its alloys (brass).
-
different gut/wire
ratio
than the modern wound strings.
lengths
of wound strings from the18th century
Modern
wound strings:
-
flat
metal winding.
-
stiff,
low twist core.
-
silk
'padding' between core and
metal winding.
-
employment of modern alloys
like tungsten, nickel, &c.
-
metal-biased gut/wire ratio.
Hence
the
acoustical differences are quite
noticeable and interest both
dynamic
and timbric aspects.
29)
What sort of wound strings were in use in the 17th
to 19th
centuries?
Three
sorts:
-
Close
wound: the single
wire spires are tightly wound touching one another. It is the still
commonly
used sort.
-
Double
wound: a second
close wound layer is laid over the first one.
Because of the large
quantity of
metal wound on the gut core they were employed on instruments with a
short
string length but requiring a low tuning, e.g. violoncello da spalla,
5th
double bass string &c.
-
Open
wound: the single
wire was wound so that the spires would not touch one another but with
a space
in between equal or slightly wider than the wire diameter (see F. le
Cocq, Paris
1724); these strings were in use exclusively in the in 18th
century as
transition between plain gut mid-register and close
wound
basses,
e.g. Bass viol 4th, violin 3rd &c.
30)
Why can't we consider equal tension stringing a historical
option?
The
concept of equal tension as expressed in equal number of kg is modern
one,
probably making its first
appearance about 1860 (Maugin-Magne, ‘Nouveau
manuel complet
du luthier’).
Up
to the
mid-18th
century the tension of a string was exclusively understood in terms of feel
of stiffness to the
touch, which is something different from
the way
we understand it today.
While
the amount of tension is solely
expressed in
kg, a feel is
conditioned by a number of parameters,
such as
string length (this is why theorbo- diapasons, if tuned with
exactly the
same tension, feel so much more slack than
the fretted
strings),
type of string and diameter.
In
a set
where all the strings are calculated with the same tension in mind will
feel quite
different to the touch: this contradicts the criteria of the 16th and
17th
centuries, which require that all strings present a homogeneous feeling
under
the fingers.
In
conclusion, the string type being equal, a set of string, in order to
present
a feeling
of equal tension, must
actually have an
scaled
tensions.
Click here
for further details.
31)
What should I do when I put a new string on?
Once
checked that all points of contact are smooth and free from sharp edges,
when tuning a string for
the first time, pull it with
your fingers until it stays in
tune:
moderately the trebles and wound strings but with a bit more energy the
thicker
ones.
This
applies to both gut and synthetic strings, especially to Nylgut:
32)
What should I do when I am not going to play for some time?
Follow
Thos. Robinson's advice
(begin of the 17th century) and tune the treble a bit lower, thus
reducing
string-stress.
33)
What is the difference between historical and modern stringing
praxis
(violin, viol, cello)?
Quite
a
substantial one:
research on historical sources and observation of surviving pieces of
original
strings point to the use of not only thicker
than commonly
in use today,
but also hand polished (hence not perfectly smooth) strings.
Now,
choosing to use historical string
diameters
can sometimes lead to a readjustment of the instrument's set up -
especially
concerning the angle of the strings on the bridge - which sometimes the
instrument itself does not accept very willingly.
This
is
why beside a historical stringing (which we always find desirable) we
also
propose a modern one (in light, medium and heavy grading).
34)
How do I work out the right working tension?
Finding
the right working tension
for each instrument is basically an empirical
process,
depending on tipe
of instrument, type of string and personal musical attitude.
In
other
words,
there are no specific
mathematical furmulae for
it.
What
we
do suggest is: put a 2nd or 3rd string on the instrument of a diameter
you
consider adequate (bowed or plucked, the process is the same).
Tune the string to the wanted pitch and check whether it feels too slack or too taut according to your own perception.
Lower or
raise the pitch by as many semitones
as
necessary to bring it to the right tension,
that is to the
point
where it feels right to
you, neither too slack not too
taut.
Now apply
the following indications:
-The
string was originally too
taut: multiply
its diameter by .944
by the number
of semitones by which you decreased the starting pitch (.944
reduces a given diameter by a semitone).
-The
string was originally too
slack: multiply
its diameter by 1.059
by the number
of semitones by which you raised the starting pitch (1.059
increases a given pitch by a semitone)
Example: I
put an .82 third string on my
lute (or any bowed instrument) and it feels too
slack.
Solution: starting
from the string tuned at the
wanted pitch, raise it semitone by semitone until the tension feels subjectively
right.
Let us suppose you raised it by two semitones: multiply
82 by 1.059
twice: the diameter you want is
91.9(6) mm, i.e. a 91 available as standard on the market.
35) Why do my
strings 'whistle' under the bow?
There
can
be several causes,
sometimes more than one at once.
A
very common one are oil leftovers from
manufacturing: clean
them carefully with a rag damped with ‘white
spirit’.
36)
Why did the string break as soon as I put it on the
instrument?
There are
three possible
reasons:
-
The
string is faulty.
- The
string length is too long (exceeding the Breaking Index).
-
Some
point of contact between string and nut, bridge or string holder
has a sharp edge or is lacking appropriate lubrication (i.e.
pencil-graphite
etc.).
-
Faulty
string: generally it
does not break cleanly but through
progressive
fraying, usually announced by little hairs raising along its
length.
-
Excessive
string length: check
whether the product string length by frequency is in excess of 240,
regardless
of type of instrument: lute, baroque guitar, fiddles and
medieval
instruments in general.
- The cutting effect of sharp edges usually results in a sudden and clean break. It can also be caused by nicks in the string, as consequence of careless.
Notice:
the string breaks under tension:
if the damage took place at
the nut
edge, for instance, the breakage will seem to correspond to, say, the
second or
third fret, since the string is no more under stress. likewise, if the
damage
took place at the bridge, it will seem to have broken somewhere between
it an
the string holder.
37)
I used a
But
being
elasticity and
resistance
to stress inversely
proportional this type of string
should not
be used
where the Working
Index (i.e. the
product of string length by frequency) exceeds 140Hz
x mt
(which generally is the working index of treble strings).
38)
I put DE type wound basses on my lute but they seem to be a bit dull
compared
with other wound strings. Why is that?
DE
wound
strings were conceived
with the purpose of filling in a gap in the area of bass strings for
short
extention archlutes and swan-neck baroque lutes.
The
ratio
nylgut core / metal winding is core biased, in order to counterbalance
the
typical sound of regular wound string, characterized by a very long
sustain,
rich in overtones and poor in fundamental. in other words a bit too
guitar-like.
On
the other hand DE wound strings on
fretted
courses are quite fundamental-heavy and require the use of octaves.
Like in the
old times, in fact. The core bias is aimed to recreating the sound of
our
loaded
gut
basses.
39)
I put on my instrument a
According
to the string formula
two strings of the same material and same gauge, string length and
pitch being
equal, will also have the same working tension provided the diameter
remains
the same also under stress.
But
in
practice this happens only
if the
strings are also manufactured in the same, identical manner.
In
other
words they must stretch by same amount under the same stress, thus
reducing
their diameter by the same amount (empirically proven by the same
amount of peg
turns needed to tune them).
Because
of its nature a
Hence
the
necessity
to use
a thicker starting diameter: under working stress it will settle to a
diameter
similar to that of a regular string's and will eventually lead to the
same
working tension.
In
practice the correct diameter of an
equivalent
40) Is it true that in the 19th
century wound on gut core strings were used on the
Guitar?
No,
historical evidence has
proven that both six course (in late 18th
and early 19th
centuries
41)
Is true that the Guitar in the 19th century was noticeably lighter
strung than
today?
No,
presently
available
evidence
(with particular reference to the tutors of Sor, Carulli and Aguado)
shows
that the same
diameters were used as on the violin;
string
tensions
are practically comparable to those of the modern classical guitar.
The
one
exception is the 19th century neapolitan guitar
(Fabricatore, for
example): some
documents point to tensions
slightly lighter than on the
violin.
Besides, the tension profile was less scaled than commercially available guitars sets suggest today.
We
advise
to always carefully check whether the bridge is soundly glued in place
before
stringing an original guitar with a modern string set.
42)
I tried some Venice type as bass strings on my Bass viol, but I am not
satisfied since they sound very dull (especially the sixth does): why
is
that?
This
is a
fairly frequent problem
and is generally not to be blamed on the strings. the main
cause is
that the instrument's string length is too
short for the
required
pitch if you intend to string
your instrument entirely with gut.
Before
the adoption of wound strings - which made their first appearance in
the second
half of the 17th century - the Gamba family had noticeably longer
string
lengths than those commonly in use today.
From
Mersenne's tables was calculated
that the bass viol had a string length of c. 85 cm against the 68-70cm
commonly in use
today.
Likewise modern
tenor viols have 55-56cm against the 58-62 which were common in the
late 16th /
early 17th centuries.
Historical instruments were
designed with a
longer string
length in order to have the trebles work close to their breaking point
(Working
index not lower than 220 Hz x m - see faq 14).
This was the only way to grant every string the minimum diameter possible, basses first of all.
In fact
string length and diameter are
inversely
proportional.
Reducing
a string's diameter
(tension being equal, of course) is always beneficial to the quality of
sound
and bow attack.
Exactly what basses, the most problematic of all
strings, need.
If, on
the other hand, the
strings length is reduced they will have to be thicker, which will
negatively
influence the sound quality because of the string's increased inner
damping
coefficient ('inharmonicity'
index).
Solutions
to the problem?
Basically
three:
1) Use
instruments with string lengths typical
of the period preceding the appearance of wound strings, i.e. 82-85cm
for the Bass, c. 61 for the Tenor and c. 41 for the Treble (see
proportions in
Thos.
Mace's Musik's monument, London
1676).
This
way
gut strings will give an
excellent, prompt sound.
2)
If
possible (i.e. if the bridge height allows), move the bridge towards
the base
of the 'C' cuts, thus increasing the string length and improving the
acoustical
performance in general (do remember to calculate the string diameters
keeping
this added factor in mind).
3)
Employ
wound strings (but only in case a more appropriate instrument is not
available
or you are not willing to lower the bridge position - which is a historically
correct trick).
43)
Is it true that a sharply bent string
completely
damaged?
A
gut
string that has been sharply bent shows a
whitish 'nick' at the bending point.
This
indicates a slight loss of fibre cohesion
but does not mean at all that the string was damaged. The
string
is still
perfectly intact. Signs of serious damage are:
a)
the
string has been indented
b)
the
fibres became untwisted to the point of coming apart and the string is
not
cylindrical anymore.
44) My instrument has a 'wolf': what can I do about
it?
Try
knotting the string the way the ancients did:
To
be
avoided with wound strings, tholugh!
45) I though that giving you the
diameter of my wound string for replacement, but I heard that is
useless: is
that true?
Yes.
Knowing the diameter is useful for
strings made of only one material, like plain gut, Nylon, Nylgut or any
metal.
Wound
strings are composed of different materials and so they can be defined
according to the following parameters:
a)
'Equivalent
Solid Gut'
b)
'Metallicity
Index'
- Equivalent Solid Gut: since wound strings are made by coupling different materials we decided to define them in terms of equivalent solid gut: in practice we refer to the diameter of a theoretical gut string possessing the same weight per unit of length as the wound string in question. For the same pitch and string length we'll thus have the same working tension. And this is important to work out our string diameters.
How
can
we work out the ‘equivalent solid gut’ of a wound
string we
want to replace and
we know nothing about?
Answer:
we
weigh the string on a scale reading
weight in grams and we measure the length of the string. We then divide
the weight
in grams by the length in meters and then take the square root of the
result:
that will give us our equivalent in millimeters.
Example: the wound string weighs 35.5g and is 98 cm long: 35.5g/0.98 m = 36.22, whose square root is 6.05. In practical terms our wound string is equivalent to a 6mm thick plain gut string.
-
Metallicity
Index:
the
same equivalent solid gut can
be reached by numberless
percentage
relationships between gut and metal. Obviously increasing the one
implies
decreasing the other by the amount that is necessary for keeping the
weight of
the string, i.e. its equivalent
solid gut, constant.
The
higher the gut component, the duller will
the sound
tend to be, the higher the metal component the brighter the sound. So
the
'correct' metal-to-gut ratio mainly depends on the particular
timbric/dynamic
mixture any given combination can produce and is subjectively felt as
'aesthetically pleasing'.
In
other
words, there is no objective formula in
deciding what the right mixture is. Once decided what the gut
equivalence, i.e.
the correct working tension, of a string should be, the ratio
metal to
gut can only be worked out through experience.
The
Metallicity Index is also connected with the position of the string on
the
instrument. The third string on a cello must clearly have a lower
Metallicity
Index than the fourth, which must have a higher percentage of metal in
order to
compensate the loss in brightness caused by the lower Acoustic
Quality
Index for such string position (see Q 15).
Two strings of the same gut equivalent
value can possess
a completely
different Metallicity Index.
Let
us
take, for example, the third string of both a viola
da
braccio and a
cello.
On the viola da braccio C we will find a noticeably higher Metallicity Index than on the cello G. And this is why we cannot use a cello G in place of a viol C: the working tension might even turn out to be correct, but the acoustical result will be completely unsatisfactory.
46) deleted
Vivi felice
Mimmo Peruffo 2007
"FAQs" by Mimmo Peruffo is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribuzione-Non commerciale-Non opere derivate 3.0 Unported License.