Equal feeling, equal tension – part 4

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4. Complications!

Another thing affecting a lot our pure math is the arching of the bridge: of course low first (and fourth? ) need to be bigger than high third and second.

So, scaling tension is required

Plucked or bowed instrument: the big string offers more friction under the bow so someone may think a smaller string would react better. This is the idea driving modern strings.

I have to add that I experienced the opposite: a more tensed string allows me more colors and gives more support under the bow.

Fingertips, or feeling: this may be deceptive.

A small and hardened string seems stiffer under our finger, so we would like to have it less tensed.

But, less tensed means smaller, so it would hurt the finger more. So maybe we would like it bigger and softer? Uhm....

Equal feeling, equal tension – part 5

5. Conclusions: Be Practical!! So far, you can probably guess my conclusion: If you aim to follow the treatises you shall not give a letteral interpretation but a practical one, and admit that equal feeling, equal tension, and scaled tension, had the same meaning: the aim is always playing on an even instrument. But if we cannot trust

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baroque music, double-bass strings, early music, equal tension, gut strings, gut strings history, gut strings maintenance, gut strings manufacture, viol strings, viola da gamba strings, viola strings, violin strings, violoncello strings


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Equal feeling, equal tension – part 2

2. The Experiment …as they admit also in the treatises, pure math does not work! “If the strings have the same thickness and length and one produces a low note, which is a C, when it is stretched with a weight of 1 pound, the other must be stretched with 4 pounds to make it

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Equal feeling, equal tension – part 3

3. Mystery unveiled: Strings Do Stretch!! …but… not in the same way, not of the same cohefficient… it depends on how are made and, first of all, from their gauge We need to consider the many factors affecting our pure math calculations: the first is, of course, the string! A string which is low twisted and maybe

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