Dear Rob, Why do you need to be at A=440? Many singers would be grateful, if they could sing those top g"s down a semitone or two. So would some members of the audience.
I have a 60 cm lute in g' at A=440, and although it is a nice instrument with a sweet tone, it is a bit weedy for giving a singer much support. In your position, I would go for the extra fullness of sound you get from a larger lute, and persuade your singer to transpose down a little, to what I suspect was closer to Dowland's pitch. Even if you could get a top string up to g" at modern pitch on a 64 cm lute, the tension would be considerable, and you'd forever be worrying about whether or not the string would break. That could mess up a recital, unless you were performing Thomas Campion's "When to her lute Corinna sings". Best wishes, Stewart McCoy. -----Original Message----- From: Rob MacKillop [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: 01 April 2008 20:38 To: Lute List Subject: [LUTE] 7c at 64cms I'm thinking of getting a 7c in G at 440 - is 64cms the longest length possible? I have big hands and find small lutes uncomfortable. I'm thinking of it principally for Dowland's chromatic fantasies but also accompanying a singer in songs from Dowland's first three books (all for seven-course), and need to be at 440. How stable will be the pitch at 440? Gut strings would be preferable, but might well opt for nylgut for the first course if it keeps breaking. What diameters and tensions would you suggest? Also on relatively small lutes (not baroque) such as a 7c, what difference in tone might one expect from a multi-ribbed back as opposed to wide ribs? Rob MacKillop To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
