While I am not trying to set the optimum pitch of any particular
lute, I think some of your postings are a little too pessimistic
about what can be achieved in gut. I've been using treble strings
bought from Sofracob and I find that:-
1. A 10 course lute in renaissance tuning with string length 680 mm
can be tuned to f, or one whole tone below modern, A440.
2. I can tune another 10 course instrument with string length 660 mm
and the top string to g at A415 when using harp way sharp or harp way
flat.
In both cases the string lasts a reasonable length of time, perhaps
two weeks, before it becomes dull and maybe a bit longer if you don't
mind that before it becomes completely false and unplayable. Of
course sometimes they don't last quite this long, but, equally, just
as often they do last longer. But best tone is probably only for 2
weeks. The issue is how often you can tolerate or perhaps afford to
change the top string. Personally I buy 3m lengths of top strings
out of which I can get 3 strings, so 20 off has lasted well over a
year, in fact 18 months or so now.
This isn't a statement about what pitch is optimum for your lute -
all I'm trying to do is show that provided you can face changing a
top string every 2 weeks or so, you can work at these pitches. And
of course with gut it comes into tune and stabilises enough for
playing in minutes rather than hours or even days which some other
materials like nylon may need. An in my limited experience of other
gut strings I think this is not untypical.
Mind you I don't play in public and my lute doesn't travel more than
to an occasional lesson, so it may be that those who give concerts
etc. need a little bit more stability. But if you keep your lute at
home and play it every day (which I sometimes manage, if this isn't
too much of an oxymoron) then I think these figures are possible.
Just for the record I live in Derby, UK, where it is temperate and
moist a lot of the time. i haven't noticed a lot of seasonal
variation in string life.
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