Hi David: Here is the Heresy of Heresies: I use different weights of clear monofilament fishing line. I can but it in bulk cheaply, it is available in many different diameters, I have very little problem with it and if it does "mess up" it is easy enough and cheap enough to just change it out. It does not mash down or lose its elasticity. The best part: I don't agonize over the stuff. If I lose a fret because the knot failed I just roll off a bunch more mono and away we go. Not that it matters much, but I suppose this admission, or revelation if you prefer, relegates me to the back room as an ahistorical bore that does not have a clue and should not be allowed to even look at a Lute let alone own one and try to play it.
Vance Wood. ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Rastall" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Vance Wood" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, January 05, 2004 6:00 PM Subject: Re: Double 1st (HIP message included) > Hi Vance, > > Nylon frets, eh? That's downright heretical! > > To answer your question, I always think I'm going to get flamed when I > disagreee with lute players on certain subjects, and the sacredness of > history is one of them. Over the years, I've come to regard music > history as more and more interesting the more I learn about it, but > less and less of a "lifeline." I fear that many of the Wise on the > list don't see it that way. > > > ...I hope this discussion does not > > cause the usual slash and burn so common around here when something > > seems to > > offend someone else's idea of the way things should be. > > So do I. > > > I think sometimes > > we forget that the Lute has a long and often obscure history where the > > people, instruments, strings and music were in constant change and > > evolution. To think that there is one sacred way to play is just plain > > ignorant and narrow sighted. The same can be said about the instrument > > itself. The more I try to learn about the Lute the more I realize how > > much > > I and We don't, and possible cannot, know about it. > > Well, I'm one of those people who believes that nearly all theoretical > questions regarding music can be answered on stage. I've been thinking > about this lately, as I just recently joined a local music society in > Washington DC that consists almost entirely of people trained in > 19th-century Romantic music. I'm the only performing member on the > lute. When I get up to play the lute for these folks, I pretty much > know that they are not very knowledgeable in music history pre-Bach. I > have to make the lute music real to them, yet I can't rely on any > common historical knowledge to do it. It's turning into an interesting > challenge. > > BTW, I'm just curious: what do you use for nylon fret material? > guitar strings maybe? > > David R >
