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When I suggest roughly polished strings instead of smooth heavily polished ones, I often receive a squint like I am interfering with personal choices on musical taste, or with technical issues of an instrument which I have never seen, let alone played.
It's always been difficult for me to explain why I am firm on this point. It has been difficult because it involves some production secrets which probably have not been shared before. They are not big secrets, but they need a bit of a technical explanation to become perfectly clear...
In this report, I finally explain why I never recommend smooth strings, and why I think there is always a better solution than that, even when you think you are an exception.
Ps: the responsibility of all the drawings is entirely on my shoulders, including the Merry Bunny dancing in the equisetum field.
Tags
baroque music, double-bass strings, early music, gut strings, gut strings history, gut strings maintenance, gut strings manufacture, viol strings, viola da gamba strings, viola strings, violin strings, violoncello strings
What can we do to have longer lasting strings? So many factors determine the length of the life of the strings, but if you look at them one at a time, you will find that it is quite easy to understand what’s wrong and what we can improve. Often it’s something we can improve straight
Read MoreNot only sheeps or lambs… you will be surprised to learn! My sources for this video are the letters of Roberto Salerni, the interviews to the old string makers in Salle, and Labarraque “Nuovo dizionario universale tecnologico delle arti e dei mestieri…”, “Minugiaio”, Venezia 1823
Read MoreSheep gut versus Beef gut: when, why and the differences The long time diatribe about strings: sheep gut versus beef gut: first video of serie of 3 discussing when, why, and the differences between the two. We are covering this because it will help us to analyze the changes of 20th century so that we can
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