baroque music, double-bass strings, early music, gut strings, gut strings maintenance, viol strings, viola da gamba strings, viola strings, violin strings, violoncello strings
Listen to the sound of your strings before even using them! Described from Marin Mersenne in Harmonie Universelle (1636), this test is used by string-makers to check if the string is even or false, by watching if the fuse of the string is regular or not. But there’s something more for a sensible musician: try
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What to check and what to avoid when you are choosing your strings. The most important thing to check is that the twisting of your string is even in the whole vibrating lenght. No white spots, no open twist, no different angles. You can easily feel those by Mersenne’s test. What is less important is the
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(Warning: don’t do this with wound strings!) Concerned about the short life of your strings? Do your strings get hairy in minutes in the summer? Your strings could last much longer, you need only some olive oil, and some time…. It may seem complicated, especially if you are always touring and you are never at home… but think for
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