You should try to get to an LSA seminar, if possible. Next year is in Cleveland, which isn't all that far from Montreal (a good bit closer than Seattle, anyway). You will see all sorts of lutes there, and folks are usually more than happy to let you try them.
Guy -----Original Message----- From: Rebecca Banks [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2007 3:27 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; lute@cs.dartmouth.edu Subject: [LUTE] Re: Tuning Blues November 21st, 2007 Dear David: Thank you for your kind email. I have already ordered the replacement gut strings from AquilaUSA but may try the people you suggested as things progress. And I think I will try an A=415 tuning as it was just such a tight wind on the D strings and so heartbreaking when they just broke. I had been using some peg paste but somehow I think the higher pitch I was tuning it to A=440 was too high. It is such a delicate instrument and very beautiful but so light, very much the feminine, not quite what I was expecting. (however the carvings are very beautiful). I am much attracted to swan necks and Lute/guitars although I do not think this is a very popular stance, and quite guiltily am a little attracted by Julian Bream metal frets and perhaps a more masculine, heavier body. I think I would like to eventually order an 1800's swan neck model and maybe a little more heavier a little more like a guitar. It is wonderful, people have different tastes and it is so nice to be a! ble to indulge and get exactly what you like and everyone is different, maybe I just need to explore the world of Lutes a little more and get to a Lute Museum or to the Lute Lenders library at the Lute Society or a Lute makers workshop. It was the funniest thing when I picked up the Lute for the first time, it was like the Lute was expecting a blonde girl of 12 years and I was expecting a husband. Still when I was playing it for the first time there were the glimpses of the most wonderful sound. Waiting for the new strings to arrive is like waiting for Christmas. I am up in Montreal but may be going out on tour at some point, I received a distribution contract offer for "Sleep quiet hearts . . . " although I need financing to get into the studio to produce the CD (which is only half written so far). I hope to be back in the Studio by Summer in any case. Would love to drop by Maryland, but depends on how things progress. Montreal is the city of love, the French are very appreciative of musicians/songwriters, some good things have been happenning, random reports of dancing in the Metro etc. I must have played over 75 performances here since May 2007. Would love to take the Lute to the Metro but I don't know if it will be heard over the trains and crowds. I think I will try as soon as I get the new strings. Have a great evening! Take care, with thanks, Rebecca Banks Tea at Tympani Lane Records www.tympanilanerecords.com From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Re: [LUTE] Re: Tuning BluesDate: Mon, 19 Nov 2007 22:35:54 -0500To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Rebecca, I've been thinking how lucky you are to have a bass lute. I've been thinging of ordering a bass lute myself, so I can sing all my favorite lute songs in a vocal range I can handle. I'm so sorry to hear you've been having string problems on your new lute. It sounds as though you might have been putting on the wrong guage strings for your size of lute. That's usually why strings will break. A=440 is not necessarily just for guitarists: it is the standard pitch used by almost all musicians today for any instruments. Have you ever heard symphony orchestra tuning up before a concert? First the concertmaster (the first-chair violinist) stands up and plays the note A at the 440 frequency, then all the instrumentalists join in and try to match the pitch on their own instruments. It's that famous moment of cacophony before the concert begins. You must have heard it, right? A=415 is about a half-step lower than A=440, and is used by some chamber music players, and almost all Baroque soloists. If you want to play you lute with other players apart from the early-music freaks, use A=440. The "440" refers to frequencies per second of sound waves, or some such thing, but if you want to get strings that will suit your lute, the string supplier will always ask you if you want to string in 440 or 415. I suggest you concact Chris Hendrickson at Boston Catlines (617-776-8688), and tell him the playing length of your lute (the length of the open strings from bridge to saddle), the standard pitch you want to use (A=440 or A=415), and the fact that that you want it tuned in D as a bass lute. He is a professional lutenist, and a most reliable dealer in strings for early-music instruments. Any questions you might have about strings, he will be able to answer for you. I recommend him highly, in fact you can tell him I gave you his number, as I regard him so highly as a leading lute-string authority. He's also a very nice guy. If you particularly want to use gut strings, you can also try Daniel Larson, who makes his own gut strings. Find his "string store" at www.daniellarson.com. Between Chris Henrickson and Dan Larson, you'll get the best advice available. Alternatively, you can try to unravel the mysteries of Aro Wikla's string calculator (find it on his website). Ask Arto to help you Where are you located anyway? are you anywhere near the Mid-Atlantic states: Eastern Seaboard, Cheasapeake bay, Virginia, North Carolina etc.? We live in Frderick Maryland. Are we anywhere near striking distance from each other? If we are, it might be nice to meet up some time (in addition with some other local players if you like) and talk all about lutes and lute playing. Keep playing and singing, Rebecca, and I if can answer any lute-related questions at all, please don't hesitate to ask. Best wishes, David Rastall [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.rastallmusic.com _________________________________________________________________ Are you ready for Windows Live Messenger Beta 8.5 ? Get the latest for free today! http://entertainment.sympatico.msn.ca/WindowsLiveMessenger -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
