Index of Topics
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Introduction to Gut Musical Strings
Making Gut Strings - History and technique
An Introduction to Strings - Part 1
Calculating String Diameters - Part 2
Care and Cleaning of Gut Strings - Maintenance, solvents, and removing rosin
Tricolore Strings Return - Violin and viola strings for modern performance practice
Red Diamond Bass Strings - Real gut sound for jazz, bluegrass, blues, and rockabilly
String Calculator, Lengths, Gauges & Tensions
Gamut String Types
Sheep Gut - Treble gut for high and mid-range strings of most small instruments
Treble Gut - Another variety of treble gut made from cattle which has a higher tensile strength than does sheep gut
Lyon Gut - Top strings on larger instruments like cellos and basses, mid-range and low strings on other instruments
Pistoy Gut - Mid-range and low strings on most instruments
Wound Strings - Low strings with copper, silver, copper/silver, or silverplate on most instruments
Gimped Gut - Mid-range and low strings on most instruments
Diapason Gut - Long lengths of gut for archlutes, theorbos, lautenwercks, etc.
Double-Length Strings - Two usable string lengths for the Violin e-1 and a-2, Viola a-1, and Treble Viol d-1 and a-2
Gamut String Options
Knotted Ends - Tying string knots
Varnish - The advantage of varnished strings
Leather Washer - An explanation of leather washers
Wound Strings: Underlayer vs. No Underlayer - A silk buffer between the gut core and the wire winding
Bass String Re-Wind - For wound academie contrabass and Red Diamond strings
What Are Those Little Black Squares That Came With My String??
Gamut Workshop Innovations
Alto Viol Strings - Now available!
3-D Printed Ball Ends - Coming soon! An innovation to secure the string at the tailpiece with ease and elegance
[Coming Soon!] - Classical guitar string sets
Playing Natural Gut Strings
Tips for Adapting to the Playing of Open Gut Strings - Guy Weddle
The Third Finger In Violin Playing - Guy Weddle
How to Play a Baroque Cello: Gut Strings (Part 1) - Guy Fishman
How to Play a Baroque Cello: Gut Strings (Part 2) - Guy Fishman
A System of Intonation - Guy Weddle
[Video] How to Keep Gut Strings in Tune! - Andrew Hatfield
[Video] Traditional Gut Strings vs. Modern Steel Strings - Tanya Tomkins, Cellist
[Video] Gut String Maintenance Tips, Playing on Baroque/Period Instruments With Emily Davidson - (almond oil; olive oil not recommended)
Playing With Gut Strings and a Period Bow Refines Your Awareness of Sound - The Strad Magazine, March 2015
French Cellist Bruno Philippe on the Attraction of Gut Strings - The Strad Magazine, February 2019
Baroque Violinist Amandine Beyer On The Pros & Cons of Violin Gut Strings - The Violin Channel, September 2019
How to Play on Gut Strings For the First Time - The Strad Magazine, May 2021
[Podcast] Benjamin Baker’s Insights on Gut Versus Steel Strings - The Strad Podcast, July 2021
9 Thoughts About Playing On Gut Strings - The Strad Magazine, August 2021
Gut Strings Feel Honest and Dirtier Than the Brilliance of Metal Strings – Consone Quartet - The Strad Magazine, September 2021
Chi-chi Nwanoku On Playing with Gut Strings - Bass Magazine, April 2022
A Gut Feeling About This – Meet Cellist Jason Calloway - The Cello Museum, May 2023
Introduction to Early Music
What is Early Music? - Todd M. McComb. Early Music FAQ
The English Viol Consort in the Tudor Era - Brian Robins. Early Music World
European Medieval and Renaissance Early Music FAQ - Edited by Todd M. McComb
Timeline of Musical Styles & Guitar History - AcousticMusic.org
[PDF] Lute Society of America – Beginner’s Guide to the Renaissance Lute
Early Romantic Guitar Information - Compiled by Len Verrett
A Guide to Medieval Music (until 1400) - BBC Music Magazine
A Guide to Renaissance Music (1400-1600) - BBC Music Magazine
A Guide to Baroque Music (1600-1750) - BBC Music Magazine
Instructions for the Baroque Guitar - Monica Hall. The Lute Society - UK
Baroque Guitar Research - Compiled by Monica Hall
51 Lute Lessons for Beginners - Lynda Sayce. The Lute Society - UK
Beginner’s Lute Tutorial - Elizabeth Pallett. Luteweb
Lute Tuning Table - Matthew Leigh Embleton. The Lute Society - UK
How to Tune Your Lute #1 - Lynda Sayce. The Lute Society - UK
How to Tune Your Lute #2 - Lynda Sayce. The Lute Society - UK
The Lute Online Resource Portal (LORP) - Lute Society - UK
Lute Music Sources Database - Early Music Sources
[German] Tabluatura.eu - Tablatures for the Lute, Guitar, and Other Plucked Instruments
Early Music Instrument Database - Dr. Ross W. Duffin. Case Western Reserve University
Lute Music in Tablature Form - Compiled by Wayne Cripps
[Video] Intabulations in the 16th and 17th Centuries - Early Music Sources
Baroque Music for Classical Guitar (c. 1600-1750) - Classical Guitar Shed
Renaissance Music (c. 1430-1600): A Guide to Research and Resources - Princeton University Library
[English, German, French] Répertoire International des Sources Musicales (RISM) - International Inventory of Musical Sources
Anthologies of Musical Works From the 15th-17th Centuries in the Library of Congress Music Division - Library of Congress
Music for the Lute, Guitar, and Vihuela (1470-1899) - Compiled by Dr. Gary R. Boye. Nicholas Erneston Music Library, Appalachian State University
Studying Folk Violin Playing to Recover Early Music Performance Practices - Prof. Zbigniew J. Przerembski. Narodowy Instytut Muzyki i Tańca
[Latin] Secretum Philosophorum, Book V: Music - Unknown. England, c. 1300-1350
[Old Middle German] Musica Getutscht und Außgezogē Durch Sebastianū Virdūng ... un Alles Gesang Auß den Notē in die Tabulaturē Diser Benantē Dreyer Instrumentn̄ d'Orgeln un̄ der Lauten d'Flötē Transferieren zu Lernen Kürtzlich Gemacht / Sebastian Virdung (Music Written and Recorded by Sebastian Virdung … and All Singing Except the Notes Transferred to the Tablature of the Three Instruments of the Organ and the Lute and the Flute, Recently Done by Sebastian Virdung) - Sebastian Virdung. Basel, 1511
[Modern French] Premier Livre de Tabulature de Guiterre, Contenant Plusieurs Chansons, Fantasies, Pavanes, Gaillardes, Almandes, Branles, Tant Simples Qu’autres le Tout Composé (First Book of Guiterre Tabulature, Containing Several Songs, Fantasies, Pavanes, Gaillardes, Almandes, Branles, Both Simple and Others, All Composed) - Adrian le Roy. From the printing press, by Adrian le Roy & Robert Ballard, rue Saint Lean de Beauuais, under the sign Sainte Geneuieue/Paris, September 12, 1551
[Modern French] Second Livre de Guiterre, Contenant Plusieurs Chansons en Forme de Voix de Ville Nouvellement Remises en Tabulature (Second Guitar Book, Containing Several Songs in the Form of City Voices Newly Retabulated) - Adrian le Roy. From the printing press, by Adrian le Roy & Robert Ballard, rue Saint Lean de Beauuais, under the sign Sainte Geneuieue/Paris, 1552
[Modern French] Tiers Livre de Tabulature de Guiterre, Contenant Plusieurs Préludes, Chansons, Basse-Dances, Tourdions, Pavanes, Gaillardes, Almandes, Bransles, Tant Doubles que Simples (Third Book of Guiterre Tabulature, Containing Several Preludes, Songs, Bass-Dances, Tourdions, Pavanes, Gaillardes, Almandes, Bransles, Both Double and Simple) - Adrian le Roy. Adrian le Roy. From the printing press, by Adrian le Roy & Robert Ballard, rue Saint Lean de Beauuais, under the sign Sainte Geneuieue/Paris, 1552
[Old Spanish] Declaración de Instrumentos Musicales (Declaration of Musical Instruments) - Juan Bermudo. Ossuna, 1555
[Old Middle German] [PDF] Compilation: Lautenbuch; Tabvlatura Allerley Künstlicher; Tabvlatura Guter Gemeiner Deudtscher Tentze - Mattheus Waissel. Unknown, 1592
[Modern French] Harmonie Universelle, Contenant La Theorie Et La Pratique de La Musique (Universal Harmony, Containing the Theory and Practice of Music) - Marin Mersenne. S. Cramoisy/Paris, 1636
[Early Modern English] An Introduction to the Skill of Musick: In Three Books – The First: The Grounds and Rules of Musick, According to the Gam-ut and Other Principles Thereof; The Second: Instructions for the Bass-Viol, and Also for the Treble-Violin With Lessons for Beginners; The Third: The Art of Descant, or Composing Musick in Parts - 1st & 2nd: John Playford Philo-Musicae, 3rd: Dr. Tho. Champion with Annotations Thereon by Mr. C. Simpson. William Godbid/London, 1667
[PDF] Music Instruction Second Treaty – Documents and General Warnings to Accompany the Part With the Guitar, Harp, Organ, or Any Other Instrument - Gaspar Sanz (translated by Monica Hall). Zaragoza, 1674
[Early Modern English] Musick’s Monument; or, A Remembrancer of the Best Practical Musick, Both Divine and Civil, That Has Ever Been Known, to Have Been in the World. Divided Into Three Parts. The First Part, Shews a Necessity of Singing Psalms Well, in Parochial Churches, or Not to Sing at All; Directing, How They May Be Well Sung, Certainly; By Two Several Ways, or Means; With an Assurance of Perpetual National-Quire; and Also Shewing, How Cathedral Musick May be Much Improved, and Refined. The Second Part, Treats of the Noble Lute, (the Best of Instruments) Now Made Easie; and All It’s Occult-Lock’d-up-Secrets Plainly Laid Open, Never Before Discovered; Whereby It is Now Become So Familiarly Easie, as Any Instrument of Worth, Known in the World; Giving the True Reasons of Its Former Difficulties; and Proving Its Present Facility, by Undeniable Arguments; Directing the Most Ample Way, for the Use of the Theorboe, From Off the Note, in Comfort, &c. Shewing a General Way of Procuring Invention, and Playing Voluntarily, Upon the Lute, Viol, or any other Instrument; With Two Pritty Devices; the One, Shewing How to Translate Lessons, From One Tuning, or Instrument, to Another; the Other, an Indubitable Way, to Know the Best Tuning, Upon Any Instrument: Both Done by Example. In the Third Part, The Generous Viol, in Its Rightest Use, is Treated Upon; With Some Curious Observations, Never Before Handled, Concerning It, and Music in General - Thomas Mace. Printed by T. Ratcliffe, and N. Thompson, for the Author, and are to be Sold by Himself, at His House in Cambridge, and by John Carr, at His Shop in the Middle-Temple Gate in Fleet Street/London, 1676
[Early Modern English] The Compleat Violist, or, An Introduction to Ye Art of Playing On Ye Bass Viol Wherein the Necessary Rules & Directions Are Laid Down in a Plain & Familiar Method. With a Collection of the Psalm Tunes Set to the Viol, As They Are Now In Use In the Churches Where There Are Organs. To Which Are Added Some Select Aires & Tunes, Set According to Ye Divers Manners of Playing by the G Sol Re Ut Cliff, the C Sol Fa Ut Cliff, & Ye Fa Ut Cliff, Also Several Lessons, Viz. Almans, Sarabands, Courants, Iiggs, &c - Benjamin Hely. Printed & Sould by I. Hare, Musical Instrument Maker At Ye Golden Viol in St. Paules Church-Yard, and At His Shop in Freemans-Yard in Cornhill Near the Royall-Exchainge; Also Sold by B. Norman Instrument Maker At Ye Bass Viol in St. Paul's Alley/London, c. 1700
Resumen de Acompañar (Accompany Summary) - Santiago de Murcia. Madrid, 1714
Recueil des Pieces de Guitare Composées par Mr. François Le Cocq (Collection of Pieces for Guitar Composed by Mr. François Le Cocq) - François Le Cocq (translated by Mary Woodward). Bibliothèque du Conservatoir Royal de Musique/Brussels, 1729
Louis Spohr’s Celebrated Violin School - Louis Spohr (translated by John Bishop). Robert Cocks & Co./London, 1843
Lute Music of the XVIth and XVIIth Centuries - Janet Dodge. Proceedings of the Music Association, 34th Sess., pp. 123-153, 1907
English Lute Music of the Golden Age - Richard Newton. Proceedings of the Music Association, 65th Sess., pp. 63-90, 1938
On Interpreting Early Music - Robert Donington. Music & Letters, Vol. 28, No. 3, pp. 223-241, Oxford University Press, 1947
The Lute and Musick’s Monument - Donald Gill. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 3, pp. 9-11, 1950
English Lute Music, 1540-1620: An Introduction - David Lumsden. Proceedings of the Royal Musical Association, 83rd Sess., pp. 1-13, 1956
Miss Mary Burwell’s Instruction Book for the Lute - Thurston Dart. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 11, pp. 3-62, 1958
Recent Research on Lute Music - Frederick W. Sternfeld. Music & Letters, Vol. 39, No. 2, pp. 139-142, Oxford University Press, 1958
Tablature Notation in the Sixteenth Century - Mary Lynn Tuck. Music Educators Journal, Vol. 53, No. 1, pp. 121-123, 1966
Embellishment in Early Sixteenth-Century Italian Intabulations - Howard Mayer Brown. Proceedings of the Royal Musical Association, Vol. 100, pp. 49-83, 1973
An Introduction to Renaissance Viols - Ian Harwood. Early Music, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 234-246, 1974
Baroque Guitar for the Modern Performer – A Practical Compromise - Don Rowe and Richard d’A Jensen. Guitar Review, #49, Fall 1981
French Lutenists and French Lute Music in Sweden - Kenneth Sparr. Le Luth es sa Musique II, pp. 59-67, 1984
[PDF] The Guitar in Nineteenth-Century America: A Lost Social Tradition - Peter Danner. Soundboard Scholar, 1985
[PDF] Conrad Paumann and the Evolution of Solo Lute Practice in the Fifteenth Century - Hiroyuki Minamino. Journal of Musicological Research, Vol. 6, pp. 291-310, 1986
[PDF] Transformation in Intabulation - Hiroyuki Minamino. New College Conference on Medieval-Renaissance Studies, University of South Florida, March 1986
[PDF] The Performance of French Baroque Music: A Report on the State of Current Research - Albert Cohen. Performance Practice Review, Vol. 1, No. 1, Article 3, 1988
[PDF] Giovanni Antonio Terzi and the Lute Intabulations of Late Sixteenth-Century Italy - Suzanne E. Court. University of Otago, 1988
[PDF] “Back to the Land”: Performance Practice and the Classic Period - Malcom S. Cole. Performance Practice Review, Vol. 1, No. 1, Article 4, 1988
[PDF] Sixteenth Century Lute Treatises With Emphasis on Process and Techniques of Intabulation - Hiroyuki Minamino. University of Chicago, 1988
Bossinensis, Willaert and Verdelot: Pitch and the Conventions of Transcribing Music for Lute and Voice in Italy in the Early Sixteenth Century - Howard Mayer Brown. Revue de Musicologie, T. 75, No. 1, pp. 25-46, Société Française de Musicologie, 1989
[PDF] Saint-Saëns’ (1915) View on the Performance of Early Music - Robert Stevenson. Performance Practice Review, Vol. 2, No. 2, Article 3, 1989
Vedel and Geige – Fiddle and Viol: German String Traditions in the Fifteenth Century - Keith Polk. Journal of the American Musicological Society, Vol. 42, No. 3, pp. 504-546, 1989
[PDF] The Vibrato Controversy - Frederick Neumann. Performance Practice Review, Vol. 4, No. 1, Article 3, 1991
[PDF] The Guitar in America as Mirrored in Cadenza (1894-1924) - Peter Danner. Soundboard Scholar, 1991
[PDF] Some Observations Concerning Baroque and Modern Vibrato - Frederick Kent Gable. Performance Practice Review, Vol. 5, No. 1, Article 9, 1992
Chord Structure in Medieval Music - Todd M. McComb. Early Music FAQ, 1994
[PDF] Juan Bermudo: "On Playing the Vihuela (De Tañer Vihuela)” from Declaración de Instrumentos Musicales - Dawn Astrid Espinosa (translated, commentary). Journal of the Lute Society of America, 1995
[PDF] The Role of the Lute in Sixteenth-Century Consorts: Evidence From Terzi’s Intabulations - Suzanne Court. Performance Practice Review, Vol. 8, No. 2, Article 3, 1995
[PDF] Violin Playing in Late Seventeenth-Century England: Baltzar, Matteis, and Purcell - Mary Cyr. Performance Practice Review, Vol. 8, No. 1, Article 5, 1995
[PDF] An Introduction to Spanish Guitar Chord Notation - M. June Yakeley and Monica Hall. The Lute Society Journal, Vol. 35, 1995
[PDF] The Baroque Cello and Its Performance - Marc Vanscheeuwijck. Performance Practice Review, Vol. 9, No. 1, Article 7, 1996
Praetorius’ Cammerthon Pitch Standard - Ephraim Segerman. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 50, pp. 81-108, 1997
[PDF] The Guitar and its Performance From the Fifteenth to Eighteenth Centuries - James Tyler. Performance Practice Review, Vol. 10, No. 1, Article 6, 1997
[PDF] Guitar Performance in the Nineteenth Centuries and Twentieth Centuries - Paul Sparks. Performance Practice Review, Vol. 10, No. 1, Article 7, 1997
The Improved Cittern – Printed and Manuscript Music for the Swedish Lute - Kenneth Sparr. Self-published, 1998
Lutenists at the Royal Court of King Gustavus I of Sweden - Kenneth Sparr. Self-published, 1998
Pythagorean Tuning and Medieval Polyphony - Margo Schulter. Early Music FAQ, June 1998
[PDF] The Five-Course Guitar as a Continuo Instrument - Monica Hall. Lute News,, No. 52, December 1999
On Praetorius’ Pitch Standard - Ephraim Segerman. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 53, pp. 339-344, 2000
[PDF] I Will Praise God With My Guitar: Jean Baptiste de Castillion – Bishop and Amateur Musician - Monica Hall. LSA Quarterly, May 2001
A Survey of Pitch Standards Before the Nineteenth Century - Ephraim Segerman. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 54, pp. 200-218, 2001
The Use of Renaissance Vocal Polyphonic Music in the Vihuela and Lute Repertoire - Daniel Wolff. Guitar Review, No. 123, Autumn 2001
Baroque Dance and the Bach Cello Suites - Tim Janof. CelloBello, November 2002
[PDF] Recovering a Lost Book of Guitar Music by Corbetta - Monica Hall. Consort, Vol. 61, 2005
[PDF] Francesco Corbetta’s Missing Guitar Books - Monica Hall. LSA Quarterly, September 2006
Between Theory and Practice: Comparative Study of Early Music Performances - Eitan Ornoy. Early Music, Vol. 34, No. 2, pp. 233-247, 2006
[PDF] The Sacred Lute: Intabulated Chorales from Luther’s Age to the Beginnings of Pietism - Gary D. Beckman. University of Texas at Austin, 2007
[PDF] Review “Performance on the Lute, Guitar and Vihuela: Historical Performance Practice and Interpretation” by Victor Anand Coelho - Daniel Zuluaga. Performance Practice Review, Vol. 12, No. 1, Article 7, 2007
[PDF] Intabulations of Music by Josquin des Prez in Lute Books Published by Pierre Phalèse, 1547-1574 - Christopher Michael Standing Bocchinfuso. University of Canterbury Music, 2009
[PDF] Princess An’s Lute Book and Related English Sources of Music for the 5-Course Guitar. Monica Hall. Consort, Vol. 66, 2010
[Amazon] Medieval Music (The Library of Essays on Music Performance Practice) - Honey Meconi (editor). Routledge, 2011
[PDF] Sanseverino’s Alfabeto Songbook - Monica Hall. LSA Quarterly, Spring 2011
[Video] Craig Wright: Listening to Music – Development of Aural Skills in Understanding Western Music - Yale Courses, December 2012
[PDF] Stringing of the 5-Course Guitar In the 17th and Early 18th Centuries - Monica Hall. Self-published, 2012
[PDF] Review: “Before the Chinrest: A Violinist’s Guide to the Mysteries of Pre-Chinrest Technique and Style” by Stanley Ritchie - Stewart Pollens. Performance Practice Review, Vol. 18, No. 1, Article 6, 2013
The Viol - Elizabeth Weinfield. Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, Metropolitan Museum of Art/New York, 2014
[PDF] The Guitar as an “Open-Air” Instrument in the Early Romantic Era - Panagiotis Poulopoulos. Soundboard Scholar, 2015
[PDF] Alfabeto Songs: Guitar Accompaniment in Early Seventeenth-Century Italian and Spanish Vocal Music - Monica Hall. Consort, Vol. 72, 2016
[PDF] Instrumental Idiom in the 16th Century: Embellishment Patterns in Arrangements of Vocal Music - David Lewis, Tim Crawford, Daniel Müllensiefen. 17th International Society for Music Information Retrieval Conference, 2016
My Historical Performance Practices - Matthew Weinman, Lutenist/Composer, 2017
Unravelling the Influential Franco-Belgian Violin and Organ Schools: Part 1 - Guy Francis. Interlude, December 2017
Unravelling the Influential Franco-Belgian Violin and Organ Schools: Part 2 - Guy Francis. Interlude, January 2018
Approaching Baroque Style With Modern String Players - Zachary Carrettin. Vox Humana, January 28, 2018
Schools of Cello Playing: Germany - Janet Horvath. Interlude, August 2018
Schools of Cello Playing: France - Janet Horvath. Interlude, August 2018
Schools of Cello Playing: Russia and Armenia - Janet Horvath. Interlude, August 2018
[Dutch] The Southern Netherlands and the Lute Music (13th-18th Centuries) - Dr. Godelieve Spiessens. Self-published/Antwerp, 2018
Keeping the Customers Satisfied: Updating Older Music in Bourbon France - Ronald Broude and Mary Cyr. The Musical Times, Vol. 160, No 1949, pp. 3-24, 2019
An Approach to Romantic Cello Playing in Brahms’ Time - Maria Cadenas Rodriguez. Royal Conservatory, The Hague, 2020
[PDF] Francesco Corbetta – The Best of All: A Study of His Life and Works - Monica Hall. Self-published, 2020
[PDF] The Chittarra Atiorbata and the Guittare Theorbée: A Re-Appraisal - Monica Hall. Self-published, 2020
The Plague and the Violin - Corey Hugh Highberg. Medium.com, July 29, 2020
Music History Re-Strung - Corey Hugh Highberg. Medium.com, September 14, 2020
[PDF] Mille Regretz – Chanson attrib. to Josquin Lebloitte dit des Prez c.1515: Lute Intabulation and Performance - Cynthia Sutton, 2020
[PDF] Intabulation as Process and Practice: Lute Solo Intabulation at the Beginning of the 16th Century Based on Vocal Polyphony - Asako Ueda. Royal Conservatory, The Hauge, 2021
Baroque Music Operas, Concertos, Oratorios, Cantatas & More - Hermione Lai. Interlude, October 2022
Felipe Libón, the First Traveling Spanish Virtuoso and His Violin Concerto No. 6 (1812) – A Performance Practice Case Study: I. Poco Allegro - Saya Ikenoya. Royal Conservatory, The Hague, 2023
The Story of the Viol - James Jacobs. WETA – Classical Score, July, 2023
Dan McCarthy – A Deep Dive Into Early Music Equipment - Strings Magazine, July-August 2023
The Process of Vihuela Intabulations of Sacred Music in 16th-Century Spain - Kateřina Maňáková. Royal Conservatory, The Hague, 2023
String-Making Through History
Making Gut Strings - History and technique
Mersenne’s Laws - Describing the frequency and oscillation of a stretched string
[Latin] Tractatus Mechanicus Theoricus et Practicus - Marin Mersenne. Antoine Bertier/Paris, 1644
[French] Le Catgut, les Ligatures et les Sutures Chirurgicales à Travers les Âges (Catgut, Ligatures and Surgical Sutures Through the Ages) - Dr. A. Fandré. Masson et cie/Paris, 1944
[PDF] The Story of Catgut - Eldred J. Holder, Ph.D., B. Pharm, Ph.C. (Edin.). Post Graduate Medical Journal, September 1949
The Technology of Cordage, Fibers and Rope - David Himmelfarb. Textile Book Publishers/New York, 1957
Strings in the 16th and 17th Centuries - Djilda Abbott & Ephraim Segerman. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 27, pp. 48-73, 1974
Gut Strings - Djilda Abbott & Ephraim Segerman. Early Music, Vol. 4, No. 4, pp. 430-437, 1976
A Cache of 18th-Century Strings - Albert Cohen. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 36, pp. 37-48, 1983
Giordano Riccati on the Diameters of Strings and Pipes - Patrizio Barbieri. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 38, pp. 20-34, 1985
String-Making in 17th-Century Padua: An English Traveller’s Description - Ian Woodfield. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 41, pp. 109-112, 1988
The Making of Gut Strings in 18th-Century Paris - Stephen Bonta. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 52, pp. 376-386, 1999
String Theory: How Firms Develop the Latest Strings - Strings Magazine, December 2004
Roman and Neapolitan Gut Strings 1550-1950 - Patrizio Barbieri. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 59, pp. 147-181, 2006
Gut Strings: A Strong Stomach for Strings - The Strad Magazine, August 2011
Gut String Makers in Nineteenth-Century London - Jenny Nex. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 65, pp. 131-160, 2012
Comparison of Mechanical Properties of Natural Gut and Synthetic Polymer Harp Strings - Nicolas Lynch-Aird and Jim Woodhouse. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 2018
[German] [PDF] Meisterleistungen Deutscher Instrumentenbaukunst, Bd. 8: Saitenherstellung in Markneukirchen und im Vogtland (Masterpieces of German Instrument Making, Vol. 8: String Production in Markneukirchen and In the Vogtland) - Kai Köpp, Jane Achtman, Johannes Gebauer (editors). Markneukirchen/Bern, 2019
[Video] George Stoppani: Gut Strings – And All it Entrails… - Jean Le Rond d’Alembert Institute Conference: Sharpening the Scientific Tools for Violin Making, October 2020
Building Historical Instruments / Further Reading
Euphonics: The Science of Musical Instruments - Prof. Jim Woodhouse
Lute Iconography Database (LuteIDB) - The Lute Society - UK
Early Music Sources Iconography Database - Early Music Sources
[Croatian] Lutnja.net (lute.net) - Antun Mrzlečki
A Luthier’s Workshop - Stanisław Marduła, PhD. Narodowy Instytut Muzyki i Tańca
List of Collections of Historical Music Instruments - American Musical Instrument Society
Lutherie in the Polish Lands - Alicja Knast. Narodowy Instytut Muzyki i Tańca
Lutherie in Europe - Prof. Benjamin Vogel. Narodowy Instytut Muzyki i Tańca
Cultural Selection: The Evolution in Forms of Lutes and Other Stringed Instruments Along the Silk Roads - UNESCO Silk Roads Programme
[French] Le Luth en Nouvelle-France (The Lute in New France) - Prof. Robert Derome. Université du Québec à Montréal
On Extending the Compass and Increasing the Tone of Stringed Instruments, With Especial Reference to the Author’s and Mr. Meeson’s Elliptical Tension-Bars - W. H. Stone. Proceedings of the Musical Association, 1st Sess., pp. 1-3, Taylor & Francis, Ltd., 1874
On the Function of the Sound-Post and on the Proportional Thickness of the Strings of the Violin - William Huggins. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Vol. 35, pp. 241-248, Royal Society, 1883
Violin-Making, As It Was and Is: Being a Historical, Theoretical, and Practical Treatise on the Science and Art of Violin-Making, For the Use of Violin Makers and Players, Amateur and Professional - Edward Heron-Allen. Ward, Lock, & Co./London, 1884
The Double Bass - A. C. White. Proceedings of the Musical Association, 13rd Sess., pp. 99-112, Taylor & Francis, Ltd., 1886
Musical Instruments in 17th-Century Dutch Paintings - Ian F. Finlay. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 6, pp. 52-69, 1953
The Instruments of the Ashmolean Museum - Thurston Dart. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 7, pp. 7-10, 1954
The Spanish Guitar in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries - Terence Usher. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 9, pp. 5-36, 1956
James Talbot’s Manuscript (Christ Church Library Music MS 1187) IV: Plucked Strings – The Lute Family - Michael Prynne. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 14, pp. 52-68, 1961
Lute-Players in Greek Art (Plates XVI, XVII) - R. A. Higgins and R. P. Winnington-Ingram. The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Vol. 85, pp. 62-71, 1965
Music Performance in a Renaissance Painting - Jo Chrisman and Charles B. Fowler. Music Educators Journal, Vol. 52, No. 2, pp. 92-98, 1965
The Origins of Bowing and the Development of Bowed Instruments Up to the Thirteenth Century - Werner Bachmann (translated by Norma Deane). Oxford University Press, pp. 81, 1969
An Example of Lute Restoration - Friedemann Hellwig. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 23, pp. 64-68, 1970
Makers’ Marks on Plucked Instruments of the 16th and 17th Centuries - Friedemann Hellwig. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 24, pp. 22-32, 1971
Historical Origin and Stylistic Developments of the Five-String Banjo - Jay Bailey. The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 85, No. 335, pp. 58-65, 1972
Building a 15th-Century Lute - Edward L. Kittick. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 26, pp. 72-83, 1973
Lute Construction in the Renaissance and the Baroque - Friedemann Hellwig. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 27, pp. 21-30, 1974
Lute Construction and Playing - W. G. Williams and Ian Harwood. Early Music, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 177, 179, 181, 183, 185, 1975
The Lute Worldwide–1 - Helen Richmond, Gusta Goldschmidt, Donna Curry and Gerardo V. Huseby. Early Music, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 199, 201, 203, 205, 1975
The Lute Worldwide–2 - Gerardo V. Huseby, Peter Reidemeister and Mirko Caffagni. Early Music, Vol. 3, No. 4, pp. 387, 389, 391, 1975
Chitarrone, Theorbo and Archlute - Robert Spencer. Early Music, Vol. 4, No. 4, pp. 408-422, 1976
The Historical Development of the Lute in the 17th Century - Michael Lowe. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 29, pp. 11-25, 1976
The Second Revolution in the History of the Violin: A Twentieth-Century Phenomenon - Elias Dann. College Music Symposium, Vol. 17, No. 2, pp. 64-71, College Music Society, 1977
Acoustical Experiments on the Lute Belly - Ian Firth. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 30, pp. 56-63, 1977
Iconography of the Viol: The Soloist in Baroque Portraits - Barbara Coeyman. College Music Symposium, Vol. 20, No. 1, pp. 136-142, 1980
The Paris Vihuela Reconstructed - Maish Weisman. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 35, pp. 68-77, 1982
The Pardessus de Viole and Its Literature - Robert A. Green. Early Music, Vol. 10, No. 3, pp. 300-307, 1982
Bent Plates in Violin Construction - Athanas Lolov. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 37, pp. 10-15, 1984
Shapes of the Baroque: The Historical Development of Bowed String Instruments - William L. Monical. Under the Auspices of The American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers, Inc. New York Public Library & Museum of the Performing Arts, Division of Musical History, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution/Washington, DC, 1989
The Name “Tenor Violin” - Ephraim Segerman. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 48, pp. 181-187, 1995
The Guitar in Sweden Until the Middle of the 19th Century - Kenneth Sparr. Self-published, 1997
[PDF] The Care of Historic Music Instruments - Edited by Robert L. Barclay. Museums & Galleries Commission, the Canadian Conservation Institute and the International Committee of Musical Instrument Museums and Collections of the International Council of Museums, John S. Cohen Foundation/Edinburgh, 1997
Viennese Stringed-Instrument Makers, 1700-1800 - Richard Maunder. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 52, pp. 27-51, 1999
[PDF] Tech Talk - Caring For Musical Instruments: Part 1 - Paul S. Storch. Minnesota History Interpreter, May 2001
[PDF] Tech Talk - Caring For Musical Instruments: Part 2 - Paul S. Storch. Minnesota History Interpreter, June-July 2001
The Cello in Britain: A Technical and Social History - Brenda Neece. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 56, pp. 77-115, 2003
[Amazon] The Violin: Its History and Making - Karl Roy. Self-published, 2006
The Early Wire-Strung Guitar - Darryl Martin. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 59, pp. 123-137, 2006
The Violoncello, Viola da Spalla and Viola Pomposa in Theory and Practice - Dmitry Badiarov. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 60, pp. 121-145, 2007
[PDF] Some Misconceptions About the Baroque Violin - Stewart Pollens. Performance Practice Review, Vol. 14, No. 1, Article 6, 2009
[PDF] The Science of String Instruments - Thomas D. Rossing (editor). Springer Science+Business Media, 2010
The Conservation, Restoration, and Repair of Stringed Instruments and Their Bows, Vol. 1, 2, & 3 - Edited by Tom Wilder. International Pernambuco Conservation Initiative-Canada and Archetype Publications/London, 2011
[English, German] The Lute in Europe 2: Lutes, Guitars, Mandolins, and Citterns - Andreas Schlegel and Joachim Lüdtke. The Lute Comer, 2011
Some Thoughts on the Tuning of the Early Three-String Violin - Stewart Pollens. The Galpin Society, Vol. 64, pp. 61-66, 2011
The Viola d’Amore — It’s Heritage Reconsidered - Rachael Durkin. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 66, pp. 139-147, 2013
Musical Instruments Described in a Fourteenth-Century Persian Treatise “Kanz al-tuḥaf” - Gin’Ichi Tsuge. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 66, pp. 165-184, 2013
18th- and 19th-Century Musical Instrument Makers in the Archives: A Personal View - Jenny Nex. Fontes Artis Musicae, Vol. 62, No. 3, pp. 238-253, International Association of Music Libraries, 2015
World War II and the Rise, Fall, and Resurgence of Violin Making in a Tiny Corner of Germany - Richard Ward. Strings Magazine, November 2016
The Quest to Tune the Guitar Bridge, c.1830-1956 - Charles Pardoe. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 71, pp. 73-94, 2018
[Video] Jean-Philippe Echard: History of Varnishes - Jean Le Rond d’Alembert Institute Conference: Sharpening the Scientific Tools for Violin Making, October 2020
[Video] Claudia Fritz: Basic Violin Acoustics - Jean Le Rond d’Alembert Institute Conference: Sharpening the Scientific Tools for Violin Making, October 2020
[Video] Lei Fu: Exploring the Perception of Violin Qualities – Student- vs. Performance-level Instruments, Strings, and Soundpost Height - Jean Le Rond d’Alembert Institute Conference: Sharpening the Scientific Tools for Violin Making, October 2020
[Video] Sebastian Gonzalez: Violin Shape Optimization With Finite Elements Modeling and Artificial Intelligence - Jean Le Rond d’Alembert Institute Conference: Sharpening the Scientific Tools for Violin Making, October 2020
[Video] Colin Gough: Acoustic Characterization in the Workshop - Jean Le Rond d’Alembert Institute Conference: Sharpening the Scientific Tools for Violin Making, October 2020
[Video] Sarah Lämmlein: Violin Varnishes and Tonewood – Relationships of Vibro-Mechanical and Moisture Sorption Properties - Jean Le Rond d’Alembert Institute Conference: Sharpening the Scientific Tools for Violin Making, October 2020
[Video] Mirco Pezzoli: Directivity Analysis of the Historical Cremonese Violins - Jean Le Rond d’Alembert Institute Conference: Sharpening the Scientific Tools for Violin Making, October 2020
[Video] Francesco Piasentini: Industrial X-Ray CT for Violin Makers – A Path to Teleportation - Jean Le Rond d’Alembert Institute Conference: Sharpening the Scientific Tools for Violin Making, October 2020
[Video] George Stoppani: A Very Basic Introduction to Chemistry for Violin Makers - Jean Le Rond d’Alembert Institute Conference: Sharpening the Scientific Tools for Violin Making, October 2020
[Video] Romain Viala: Numerical and Experimental Approaches for Instrument Making - Jean Le Rond d’Alembert Institute Conference: Sharpening the Scientific Tools for Violin Making, October 2020
[Video] Prof. Jim Woodhouse: Investigating the Acoustics of the Banjo - Jean Le Rond d’Alembert Institute Conference: Sharpening the Scientific Tools for Violin Making, October 2020
Violin Making in Northern Europe in the Time of the Amatis: Part 1 - Benjamin Hebbert. Violin Society of America, October 2020
Violin Making in Northern Europe in the Time of the Amatis: Part 2 - Benjamin Hebbert. Violin Society of America, November 2020
[Video] Prof. Jim Woodhouse: Chasing the Wolf (Note) - Oberlin Acoustics Workshop, August 2021
[Video] George Stoppani: Modes Shapes and Sound Radiating Basis Components – Different Ways of Visualizing Mode Shapes in Violins - Oberlin Acoustics Workshop, September 2021
[Video] Joseph Curtin: Effects of String Tension and Break Angle on the Acoustical Behavior of Violins - VSA-Oberlin Acoustics Seminar, November 2021
[Amazon] The Development of Western European Stringed Instruments - Ephraim Segerman. Peacock Press, 2021
Markneukirchen – The World’s Music Corner - Moses Sedler. Dolce Fine Violins
[Video] Joseph Curtin: Deformation and Creep – The Long-Term Effects of String Tension - Oberlin Acoustics Workshop, May 2022
La Basse de Violon: What Was the Basse de Violon in the 17th Century in France? - Blanca Leticia Martín Muñoz. Royal Conservatory, The Hague, 2022
[Video] Prof. Jim Woodhouse: Introduction to the Basic Physics of Stringed Musical Instruments (Part 1-8) - Oberlin Acoustics Workshop, August 2022
[Video] Wood Treatments: Joseph Curtin, Paul Noulet, Don Noon, and George Stoppani - Oberlin Acoustics Workshop, April 2023
[Video] Sebastian Gonzalez: Musical Instrument Design – From Art to Science - Jean Le Rond d’Alembert Institute Conference: Overcoming Challenges in Musical Instrument Design with Computer Simulations, AI, and Metamaterials, April 2023
[Video] Andy Piacsek: Measuring Resonances of Violins and Skulls – Looking for Small Variations - Jean Le Rond d’Alembert Institute Séminaires, October 2023
Musical Instruments on the Title Pages of 16th and 17th-Century Music - Maureen Buja. Interlude, October 2023
[Video] Bass Bar Experiment – Part 1: Joseph Curtin and Mary Jane Kwan - Oberlin Acoustics Workshop, November 2023
[Video] Bass Bar Experiment – Part 2: Joseph Curtin, George Stoppani, and Colin Gouch - Oberlin Acoustics Workshop, January 2024
[Video] Prof. Jim Woodhouse: Understanding the Properties of Wood - Oberlin Acoustics Workshop, January 2024
Miscellaneous
[Video] PBS • WDSE/WRPT - Making It Up North: Luthier Dan Larson & Gamut Strings
[Review] Les Larmes of Johannes Fresneau: Dutch Baroque Lute Music – Edward Martin, Lute - Anna F. Porcaro
Dutch Baroque Lute Concert at the 2021 Boston Early Music Festival - Ed Martin
[Podcast] Dan Larson on The Violin Chronicles Podcast with Linda Lespets - Starts at 17:00
[Video] Connecting to Collections Care: Care of Musical Instruments - Foundation for Advancement in Conservation
Every Single Note Heifetz Played Was Better Than Any He’d Ever Play - James Ehnes
Jascha Heifetz Remembered – Interview With Karen Khachaturian, Composer - Daniel Kurganov
[French] [Video] L’RTF Invite Jascha Heifetz - Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française
Do You Recommend Soaking Strings In Nail Clippers? - No, we do not
Perfection Musical String Company: Factory With Only 4 Customers Produces Fine Toned Violin Strings for Musical Thrills - The Hammond Times, January 25, 1940
Music: Elaekoeoen! - Time Magazine, November 9, 1942
Jascha Heifetz Is Dead at 86; A Virtuoso Since Childhood - Harold Schonberg. The New York Times, December 12, 1987
[Audio] Tribute to Jascha Heifetz - Fresh Air with Terry Gross, WHYY, December 15, 1987
Jascha Heifetz: A Mentor Remembered - Donna Perlmutter. Los Angeles Times, May 8, 1988
The Fiddler King – Jascha Heifetz - The Guardian, April 18, 2001
Heifetz at 100: Both Thrilling and Chilling - David Schoenbaum. The New York Times, December 23, 2001
Jost Amman – Der Lautenmacher (The Lute Maker) - Kenneth Sparr. Self-published, 2003
The Heifetz War Years - John and John Anthony Maltese. The Strad Magazine, December 2005
[Audio] Heifetz and Kreisler: Setting Standards for the Violin - Morning Edition, NPR, February 2, 2007
[PDF] Investigating Performer Uniqueness: The Case of Jascha Heifetz - Dario Sarlo. Goldsmiths, University of London, June 2010
Who Were the Early Female Violinists? - Tully Potter. The Strad Magazine, March 2014
The Performance Style of Jascha Heifetz - Dario Sarlo. Routledge, 2016
Jascha Heifetz Biography and Timeline - American Masters, PBS, March 25, 2015
[Video] Jascha Heifetz: God’s Fiddler - American Masters, PBS, April 16, 2015
Itzhak Perlman on His Violin Heroes - Ariane Todes. Elbow Music, August 31, 2016
[Audio] “Like Electricity”: Jascha Heifetz Made His American Debut 100 Years Ago - Deceptive Cadence / Morning Edition, NPR, October 24, 2017
Jascha Heifetz in the Case of the Violinist and the Fanatical Doorman - Sarah Weinman. The New York Times, April 10, 2023
[Video] Female Lutenists in Art, In Allegory… and In Actual Life By Sara Salloum - Lute Society UK, November 2023
Medieval Animal Musicians: Cats - Maureen Buja. Interlude, November 2022
Medieval Animal Musicians: Rabbits - Maureen Buja. Interlude, November 2022
Medieval Animal Musicians: Monkeys - Maureen Buja. Interlude, December 2022
[Video] Celebrating Jascha Heifetz – A Birthday Tribute Live From the Heifetz Studio at The Colburn School - Colburn Conservatory of Music, February 2, 2024
Organizations
Federation of Guitar Societies - UK and Ireland
[Czech] Česká Loutnová Společnost
[Dutch] Nederlandse Luitvereniging
[Dutch/French] De Belgische Luitacademie
[French] Société Française de Luth
[German] Deutsche Lautengesellschaft
[German] Österreichische Lautengesellschaft
[Italian] Società del Liuto
[Japanese] 日本リュート協会
[Spanish] Asociación Argentina de Laúdes y Guitarras Antiguas
[Spanish] Sociedad de la Vihuela
[Swedish] Svenska Gitarr och Lutasällskapet
The Fellowship of Makers and Researchers of Historical Instruments
Publications
Early Music - Oxford University Press
EMAg - The Magazine of Early Music America
Performance Practice Review - Claremont Colleges Library
American Lutherie - Journal of the Guild of American Luthiers
The Journal of Seventeenth-Century Music - Published by the Society for Seventeenth-Century Music
Soundboard Scholar - Published by the Guitar Foundation of America
Music Educators Journal - National Association for Music Education
The Journal of Musicology - University of California Press
Music & Letters - Oxford University Press
Journal of the Royal Musical Association - Cambridge University Press
College Music Symposium - The College Music Society
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Hand-made in the USA by Gamut Music, Inc., a leader in the revival of early music strings and instruments. Gut strings are not intended to be used with fine tuners or string adjusters, and those devices should be removed before installing the gut string on the instrument.
All Gamut Academie strings (pure gut and gut/metal-wound) are made with beef serosa unless they specifically say "Sheep Gut." All pure gut Tricolore violin and viola strings are made with sheep gut; gut/metal-wound Tricolore and all Red Diamond strings are made with beef serosa.
Gamut gut string gauges are approximate (≈) diameter. Meaning, that while a ≈0.60mm string is polished in the workshop to a diameter of 0.60mm, changes in ambient humidity, temperature, shipping, and storage conditions can cause to string to expand or contract slightly.
Gimped gut strings and custom gauged equal tension strings are gauged with the equivalent-gauge (=) system. This means that the gauge listed, such as =1.50mm, indicates that the string is approximately equal in weight to a plain gut string of that diameter. Of course, because the wire is much heavier than gut, the string will be much thinner than a plain gut string.
More information about Gamut gut strings, string types, gauges, and string tensions can be found on our FAQ/Articles page. Not finding an answer to your question? Please contact us directly: support@gamutmusic.com.
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