Regarding nails on gut strings--even people like Segovia used nails on gut for decades. I like those early recordings of modern guitars strung with gut. I think nylon strings came about after WWII. Sterling On Tuesday, December 10, 2013 7:46 PM, Sean Smith <lutesm...@mac.com> wrote: Just to be sure, he used nails on _gut_? Ragossinig, too? When I played those records in my childhood I always assumed they were nylon strings. When would JB and KR have moved to nylon? Sean On Dec 10, 2013, at 6:21 PM, Allan Alexander wrote: Sean Bream used nails, so I guess it started. So does Ragossnig Allan > > Since there appear to be lute players who use nails - a club I haven't > joined and now I'm curious - I wonder if there are there people who > use all gut and nails. > > Could they tell us their experience on how it affects the the life of > the strings? Do they [the strings] wear excessively? Do the thinner > ones need more frequent changing than the thicker gut strings? After > they wear a bit and perhaps fray, is the intonation affected? If so, > how? > > Wait, I thought of another. How about you orpharion and bandora > players - do you use nails? > > Sean > > ps. we seem to be on a topic of nails (tho I can readily see the > connection to the Bream thread) so forgive me for re-subjecting this > offshoot of the thread. If it helps feel free to respond to Bruno's > post as well under it. > > > On Dec 10, 2013, at 5:29 PM, Bruno Correia wrote: > > It may sound good to you, but not for most of the lutenists out > there. > Ask Hoppy about this issue? Ok, you don't need to ask him, after > all you don't ride a horse to the gig... Hey, I'd like to do that, > the traffic has been so bad nowadays. > > The most frequent word to describe the lute's sound is sweetness! > How can you have achieve it with nails? Double strings also require > that both strings be pressed at once and not one after the other. > The lute is after all a sweet instrument (specially with gut). Even > in > classical > guitar tutors (19th-20th century) the issue of nails was still > rolling > on. Sor hated it and only tolerated Aguado because of his great > skill. > That's why Tarrega and Pujol also avoided it (even if it was a > requirement due to the high tension of the Torres guitar). > > Going back: The sources were just saying that many people were > careless > about their sound production. In order to avoid it, what about > cutting > your nails once and a while, washing your hands (daily if you can)? > > 2013/12/10 Mayes, Joseph <[1][1]ma...@rowan.edu> > > I play the lute, archlute and vihuela with nails for the same > reason > that I > play the classical guitar with nails: because it sounds better! > Of course, by that I mean it sounds better to me. Nails give the > attack a precision that flesh does not. It also comes closer, > IMHO to the sound usually described in historical sources as > desirable on lute - silvery, tinkling, etc. Many sources tell us > not to use nails - which they wouldn't have bothered to do if > people were not doing it that way. I don't play with flesh, I > don't ride my horse to the gig, and I don't attend any > bear-bating. My $.02 Joseph mayes > > > -- > > References > > 1. mailto:[2]ma...@rowan.edu > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > [3]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > >
-- References 1. mailto:ma...@rowan.edu 2. mailto:ma...@rowan.edu 3. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
