Caroline, I had a similar experience with wound 4th courses breaking, one towards the bridge side, the other in the middle. I believe the small diameter of the wound course (0.48 mm) is responsible for the short lifespan.
I'd recommend using a plain gut or carbon string for the 4th course. Regards, David Caroline Chamberlain wrote: >Dear Lute Listers > >I should like to thank everyone who has so kindly offered suggestions about >my broken string. I have a lot to think about now, and various strategies >to try. For those who might be interested, the lute is a new, 8 course >Renaissance lute, and was made by the Early Music Shop in the UK. I ordered >it in June and it was finally arrived in early November, but was held up in >Customs for a further week whilst I sorted out endless paperwork and a bill >for GST. As far as lutes go, it was relatively cheap. For me, it was >sensible not to spend a huge sum partly because I didn't have it and partly >because I wanted to determine whether or not I would take to lute playing. >I am personally very pleased with it, though of course it is not as fancy >as many of the instruments one can see on the world wide web which also >come with hefty price tags. The lute came strung with "Pyramid" strings and >the lower courses are tuned in octaves, although I have read that many >prefer a unison tuning. At this stage, that is the least of my worries. >Fortunately, I ordered spare strings, so was able to replace the broken one >straight away. > >Today has been quite hot, 38 degrees here in Brisbane, and humid - so I >won't be attempting to play the lute until later this evening. I think, >under these weather conditions, that perspiration might be a problem if one >were to play unclothed. The lute would probably slip around more than >usual, so I shall keep my clothes on! Also, I realise that I must keep >trying to play as I don't want my nose to fall off - no nose, no clothes >... the mind boggles. > >My mother offered me a stand for the lute as my Christmas present, however, >she has since retracted the offer and is now insisting that I need a new >pair of shoes. > >Best wishes, and thanks again. > >Kind regards > >Caroline >Caroline Chamberlain BSc (Hons) >Scientific Officer >Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology >School of Molecular and Microbial Sciences >University of Queensland >Brisbane QLD 4072 > >Tel: + 61 7 3365 4606 >Fax: + 61 7 3365 4699 > > > > > > > >To get on or off this list see list information at >http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > > >
