Dear Jon: I think a lot of the problem resides in overtones produced by the strings that are not plucked, thus dampening them makes the machine respond more easily. I know with my Lute there are times when I notice the over all sound seems to get muddy. Understanding that I play an eight course Lute but have lately been playing a lot of six course music, I don't always pay attention to the tuning of the last two courses unless I am going to need them. When my Lute goes muddy I find it is because one or both of the two base courses have slipped a little. I know I should keep the thing in tune all the time, but sometimes I only have a few moments to pound out a piece or two so I choose not to carefully check the tuning all the time as I should unless it really sounds horrid.
Vance Wood. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jon Murphy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "lute list" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Tim Mills" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2004 2:47 AM Subject: Re: Tuneing via meter ... > Tim, > > The meter is reading the frequencies of the sound waves it receives. Your > ear is responding to the frequencies of the sound waves it receives, as it > perceives them. On the lute, as on the harp, the real thing you hear is the > vibration of the strings themselves. They may be enhanced by the resonance > of the sounding box, but the tone you hear is that of the string. Sound > travels at different speeds through different material so may be attenuated > in volume, or slightly changed in pitch, by the time it gets to your > machine's pickup. When I tune my lute by machine I attach the clip to the > pegs, as they are the only thing sticking out. When I tune my harp I can > attach the clip to the soundboard, and the result is more accurate to the > ear. The attack on the pluck makes a difference, but so does a ramaining > resonance in the entire instrument. I have found that I have to fully damp > the strings and the instrument to get a consistant reading. I don't know if > this is an internal memory in the tuner or a residual resonance of the dying > tone in the sounding chamber, or the mechanical parts of the neck and pegs > of the lute. But even when the readings are consistant the sound of parallel > courses may vary. Our physisict, Herbert Ward, may be able to explain that - > but to me it is probably a matter of the overtone pattern of a particular > string in its individual variations of quality. Your ear is the final judge, > the tuner is just a guide. > > Best, Jon > >
