Equal Tension Stringing for the violin family?

**captaintim** · Mar-01-2007, 16:41

Has anyone with a baroque setup on their instrument ever experimented with equal tension? This is a very vague area and I'm not even sure it should happen - how do you play scordatura, for instance in equal tension? Plus the violin family are not symmetrical istruments. The soundpost is not in the centre like on a viol. the bridge height varies, so should the instruments even be set up in equal tension? I want to know more about this.

A colleague has done some research in this field and has just published a fascinating essay into equal tension stringing. You can get it from kings music and it was written by oli webber. I don't remember what it's called, but its written from a players perspective and contains advice as to how you should experiment with equal tension strings.

Would love to know your thoughts on this

**cleftnotes** · Apr-16-2007, 17:40

It just doesn't sound like a good idea to me. I am not overly familiar with this technique, however, stringed instruments have a certain none-uniformity about them that I do not think would allow this to work out.

**captaintim** · Apr-30-2007, 12:31

I'm not too familiar either but there is certainly evidence that it was done. I'd recommend having a read of Oli Webber's book on the subject if you'd like to know a bit more about his. It is fascinating, but I don't know if I'll be taking it any further than reading.

**periodinstrumentfan** · Jun-16-2009, 18:05

Baroque Violinist, Luthier and Archetier Mr. Dmitry Badiarov has information about equal tension gut strings...

He has a youtube channel ...here's a vid of him demonstrating equal tension - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO-GiBVQJ2I

He also has websites and blogs -

www.dmitrybadiarov.com

www.violadabraccio.com

www.violoncellodaspalla.blogspot.com

.....

There's also a fan site / group site on facebook.com called "the equal tension gut strings - addicts" ...of course one has to have an account to view it. I'm sure someone can answer your questions there.

As for scordatura in equal tension strings i cannot really tell. I haven't tried it .

Honestly, in the video demonstration of traditional and modern unwound gut strings in the youtube vid above... i cannot tell the difference. Unless, maybe if i play both string sets.

.....

This article of the Monteverdi Baroque Violins commissioned by the Gabrieli Consort & Players also has information about equal tention... http://www.themonteverdiviolins.org/strings.html

**Mimmo** · Oct-07-2012, 12:04

Hi,
I think the equal tension profile is not what was in use in those times. Unfortunately it is confused nowdays with the (equal) tactile feel of tension that it is different. In fact, when one calculate the 4 violin gauges using the same tension when you install each string on the instrument each string change its gauge because the same tension spread on different sections of strings. So the first became thinner than the 2ns and the 2nd thinner than the 3rd. This mean that when the instrument is in tune the calculated equal tension became unequal feel. This is against the pratical rules of the past. The right way is to start with a scaled tension. when strings are in tune they became authomatically even.
Ciao
Mimmo

.....

There's also a fan site / group site on facebook.com called "the equal tension gut strings - addicts" ...of course one has to have an account to view it. I'm sure someone can answer your questions there.

As for scordatura in equal tension strings i cannot really tell. I haven't tried it .

Honestly, in the video demonstration of traditional and modern unwound gut strings in the youtube vid above... i cannot tell the difference. Unless, maybe if i play both string sets.

.....

This article of the Monteverdi Baroque Violins commissioned by the Gabrieli Consort & Players also has information about equal tention... http://www.themonteverdiviolins.org/strings.html[/QUOTE]

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