Post by Bandura on Jan 16, 2006 1:11:32 GMT -5
STRINGING
There are two types of metal strings used on the bandura: wound and unwound
strings.
UNWOUND STRINGS
The unwound strings are usually made from a particular grade of stainless
steel. The quality of the tone is dependent on the hardness of the steel and
its carbon content. Ukrainian strings manufactured by the Chernihiv factory
are manufactured with the same materials and in the same way as piano
strings. They tended to have a higher carbon content and thus are a harder
type of steel. Their sound is satisfactory on a standard Chernihiv bandura
but on smaller instruments such as the Kharkiv bandura often they do not
produce the same range of upper harmonics and were thus deemed
unsatisfactory.
Strings labelled by the Lira co-operative in Kiev are basically the same
Chernihiv bandura strings but are nickel plated. The plating unfortunately
cracks off, often even before the string is placed on the bandura. Once this
happens the string produces a poor sound. Avoid these strings.
The best strings to use tend to be guitar strings including Hawaiian guitar
strings for those with greater diameters. Swedish steel strings have been
renown in Ukraine for the quality of sound they produce on the bandura.
Care must be taken with the loops of the strings as they tend to slip. This
is quite noticeable in the thinner strings manufactured by the Chernihiv
factory, and happens on almost all unwound Chernihiv strings placed on
Poltavkas.
Strings from the trembita musical instrument factory in Lviv are of higher
quality, however the winding ends to short for Chernihiv instruments for
strings in the middle octave.
In recent times it is possible to get hand wound strings from Ukraine from a
number of people. Some of the best are from Mr Agratina and from V.
Herasymenko in Lviv. They are copper wound on Swedish or German core wire
and have the best sound of all the strings mentioned above. The come in
sets. You need to note what sort of instrument you are using Chernihiv,
Lviv (Current or previous) models.
WOUND STRINGS
Wound strings tend to vary considerably. Strings can be wound directly onto
the steel core, or with an interlining layer of silk or in the case of the
lower basses, with two layers of winding, one on top of the other. Some
strings can have two windings placed next to each other.
Strings from the Chernihiv factory have a core which is made from the same
material as piano strings, and being of a harder steel produces a slightly
inferior sound, as oppose to strings with a softer steel core. In some 5% of
these strings the winding is not put on tight enough and can buzz when the
string is tightened. This can be remedied by making sure that the string is
twisted in the direction of the winding before stringing. It can also be
remedied with drops of Super or crazy Instant glue.
Some strings have two windings placed next to each other in an attempt to
make winding strings faster and less work. These strings tend to have an
inferior tone. Despite being of medium quality, Chernihiv factory bandura
strings are quite cheap when compared to guitar strings.
The strings produced by the Lira Co-operative as mentioned before are
Chernihiv strings which have been purchased in bulk and nickel plated (after
they have been wound). The lower strings suffer the same draw backs as
Chernihiv strings, except that the instances of buzzing is reduced because
of the plating. The plating however tarnishes rapidly and wears off during
use.
Bandura maker Vasyl Herasymenko in Lviv uses a finer core and silk thread to
stop the instances of buzzing. His strings, particularly on his banduras
sound superb. He insists that an instrument can sound twice as loud and be
more pleasurable to play with good strings. We find it difficult to argue
with him. The silk winding tends to make the string more flexible and gives
a somewhat richer tone.
Bandura maker Vasyl Hlad in England (now deceased) has made bass strings
with double winding one on top of the other. These strings have been the
finest bass strings we have ever played, and we can definitely recommend
them.
Guitar technology has brought some new innovations in the manufacture of
strings. New alloys such as bronze and phosphor bronze are becoming more
accepted and preferred than copper or silver plated copper strings. We
highly recommend these strings.
The very best strings we have used on a bandura have been hand wound
phosphor bronze strings on hexagonal core wire. These can be ordered in the
USA and hopefully sets of these strings will be made available in the near
future. I used to use Black Diamond and La Bella but current like Dadarrio
phosphor bronze strings wound on a hexagonal core.
NYLON STRINGS
In the past some of the older folk instruments had gut strings. These
however were not strung over the whole instrument. The kobzar Ostap Veresai
had gut strings only on the bass strings and the trebles were steel or
brass. The only bandura which we have discovered which actually had gut
prystrunky was a torban, and this instrument had metal wound bass strings
(over a gut core !!!).
Experiments have been made to produce a bandura with nylon strings.
Theoretically it can be done, however it will require a totally redesigned
bandura with a very light body and fine bracing of the soundboard. Without
being much lighter in construction it will not be loud enough to produce a
sound and will obviously not be useful as a concert or performing
instrument.
Placing nylon strings on a Chernihiv instrument will not produce a suitable
sound for performance, but can be used for recording. (You can hear the
nylaon strung Chernihiv bandura on my Xmas recording).
KEEP STRINGS CLEAN
Falseness is that quality in a string when it not only vibrates at a certain
number of cycles per second, i.e. 440 but also produces other tones not in
harmony with the main tone. This is because varying thicknesses or other
factors such as dirt, causing the weight to vary from place to place along
the length of the string, will produce out of tune overtones, i.e. 877
instead of 880. In order to make the strings true after they have been spun,
the final processor draws them through a diamond die to make certain that
the string is the same diameter throughout its length. Since falseness may
be caused by the accumulation of dirt, clean the strings with a cloth, but
do not use water. Be careful in stringing in order to avoid a kink which
will cause falseness especially in the larger strings.
Soviet stainless steel rusts and often the strings manufactured by the
Chernihiv factory may become easily corroded. Ideally these strings should
be changed, because they will not longer produce the tone they were designed
to produce. This corrosion can however be removed with steel wool or with
fine emery paper.
Age alone will bring on falseness as the strings may stretch somewhat
unevenly over a period of two or three years. A thicker string may
sometimes give good service for many years. One or two years is considered
the time for a restring.
Silver-plated strings are made with a winding of copper which has been
slightly plated with silver. The silver will tarnish and turn black, but
will not affect the tone quality. Trying to clean these strings only results
in the removal of the light silver plating and they will remain as dull as
ever.
THE END LOOP
One of the most important parts of the string is the end loop. As mentioned
before the end loop in in wound strings made by the Chernihiv factory tend
to slip in the upper octave and when placed on Kharkiv banduras in middle
range. This can be avoided by threading the string through the loop and
allowing this newly created loop to be fastened around the wrest pin.
Alternatively one can bend the winding with a pair of pliers in such a way
that the winding will not slip or unravel.
TIGHTENING THE STRING
Before one tightens up each particular string be careful that that the loop
is securely fastened around the wrest pin. Make sure you do not wind too
much of the string around the tuning pin when you bring the string up to
tension. It may wind around the tuning pin so many times that it presses
against the peg box of the bandura and begins to pull the tuning pin out.
Serious damage may result. If you have a tuning pin which is hard to turn,
check for this. Take up the extra windings by loosening the string and
pulling it farther through the pin.
NEED A TRIM?
It is not uncommon to see a bandura that looks ready for a trip to the
barber, with strings coiled or woven under and over the tuning pins. It is
believed that this is an economic measure and that if the string breaks at
the bottom, this extra length can be put to use. Indeed, sometimes it can,
but it is almost certainly be false from the kink and even from uneven
stretching. Besides all the practical aspects, the appearance of an
instrument is a clue to the players and their playing.
BASS STRINGS
Bass strings are a little more difficult to replace. They will go dead after
about two years and loose their rich upper partials which give them their
carrying power. They break only seldom and therefore usually must be changed
for tonal reasons. It will probably surprise you to hear how good your old
bandura sounds with just a change of bass strings. They act as sympathetic
vibrators to the rest of the bandura and add much to its richness. Never
underestimate the importance of having a good set of basses on all the time.
It is a good idea to remove no more than three basses at a time in order to
maintain the same amount of tension on the sound-board. Remove the upper
three, and replace them before moving your way down. Before trying to pull
the old string out through the bridge and the lower peg-box, straighten or
cut the old string off entirely the curled part of the old string so you
will not scratch your bandura. Wire cutters are obtainable from a hardware
store but don't expect them to last for a long time, as they quickly become
ruined.
Insert the new string through the hole in the lower peg-box. Thread it
through the bridge and tuning pin, but do not wind the string. If you do,
you may cut into the string. Pull the string taut, but then back it down
about three fingers thickness of slack to wind around the pin. Now make sure
that the string is sitting on the wrest pin, and slowly wind the tuning pin.
As you do, try to make the string wind neatly and evenly around the pin by
pulling the middle of the string, taking up the slack. Pull the string
immediately up to pitch even though it may continue to stretch and go flat
for an hour or so. Cut off the extra wire length about one-quarter inch from
the tuning pin. Extra wire can serve no useful purpose and may painfully
prick or stab your fingers and damage your cover.
STORING SPARE STRINGS
Most concert bandurists keep at least one full set of spare strings on hand.
If kept properly these strings should last for years. Keeping your strings
airtight in a metal biscuit container will help keep out moisture and the
strings will not rust or tarnish.
Bandura strings are set out in the past in groups according to various
gauges. It is worth while using some masking tape and separating and then
labeling the various gauges so that they can be easily selected.
STRINGING THE BANDURA
Full sets of strings for the bandura were made by the Chernihiv Musical
Instruments factory for its own internal use and for orders placed by
organizations. Bandurists in Ukraine often use strings designed for the
domra-bass, balalaika-bass and standard guitar strings. Currently a number
of people have begun to wind strings specifically for the bandura.
The bandura is strung from the note G in the first octave and this is
continued evenly in both directions. Initially the strings of the main row
are strung followed by those of the secondary row. After totally restringing
the instrument the instrument's tuning will take 2 weeks to become stable.
After restringing the bandura tuning should be done daily.
STRING THICKNESSES
The following table is the standard table for stringing the Chernihiv
bandura which was put together by Ivan Skliar (the designer pof the
Chernihiv bandura) and can be applied to both the standard Chernihiv and
Concert banduras.
String Number Name Diameter Core Dia. Winding D.
1,2, C,D, 1.90 0.50 0.70
3,4, E,F 1.70 0.50 0.60
5,6, G,A 1.30 0.50 0.40
7,8 B,C 1.20 0.50 0.35
9-10 D-E 1.20 0.50 0.35
11,12 F,G 1.00 0.40 0.30
13,14 A,B 0.90 0.40 0.25
15,16 C,D 0.80 0.40 0.20
17,18 E,F 0.60
19-21 G-B 0.50
22-23 C,D 0.45
24-28 E-B 0.40
29 C 0.40
30-33 D-G 0.35
In the West odd string gauges are much easier to obtain than in Ukraine in
the times when Skliar designe the Chernihiv bandura. One can even order
strings from a professional string maker. The following table is one I
developed that I believe will allow a smoother playing action. Basically, it
means that the tension on each string will be as similar as possible from
one string to the next.
String Number Name Diameter Core Dia. Winding D.
1, C, 1.90 0.50 0.70
2 D 1.80 0.50 0.65
3, E, 1.70 0.50 0.60
4. F. 1.60 0.50 0.55
5 G 1.50 0.50 0.50
6. A 1.40 0.50 0.45
7 B 1.30 0.50 0.40
7,8 B,C 1.20 0.50 0.35
9, D 1.30 0.50 0.40
10 E 1.20 0.50 0.35
11, F 1.10 0.40 0.35
12 G 1.00 0.40 0.30
13, A 0.90 0.40 0.25
14 B 0.84 0.40 0.22
15, C 0.80 0.40 0.20
16 D 0.75 0.35 0.40
17, E 0.70
18 F 0.60
19 G 0.55
20 A 0.50
21 B 0.47
22 C 0.45
23 D 0.43
24 E 0.43
25 F 0.42
26 G 0.41
27 A 0.41
28 B 0,40
29 C 0.40
30 D 0.38
31 E 0.36
32 F 0.35
33 G 0.34
GUITAR STRINGS
Guitar strings are the most common and easily obtainable type of string that
can be used on the bandura. It is most cost effective to purchase guitar
string in sets rather than making up a set from single strings.
The exact gauges vary slightly from brand to brand. The table below gives
the gauges of a mythical "average" set.
Typical String Sets
In thousands of an inch
Set first second third fourth fifth sixth
Ultralight .009 .012 .016 .024 .032 .042
Compound .011 .014 .023 .028 .038 .047
Extra light .010 .014 .022 .030 .039 .048
Light .012 .016 .025 .032 .044 .053
Medium .013 .017 .026 .035 .046 .056
Heavy .014 .018 .027 .038 .048 .059
The tension of a lightly strung string on the bandura start from
approximately 48-90 kilograms (105 pounds to 200 pounds). In comparison
nylon strings have a tension of approximately 30 kilograms (75 pounds). A
bandura with 55 strings would have a total tension of between 2640 - 4950
kgs. while a concert bandura with 65 strings would have a total tension of
between 3120 and 5850 kgs.
WHEN TO REPLACE STRINGS
How often one has to change strings depends on how much you play, on how
hard you play, on how abusive your body chemistry is on the strings, on the
kind of strings you use, and on your personal taste. Some people can get
weeks or months out of a set of strings, others deposit a heavy layer of
sweat and dead skin tissue on a set of strings within minutes. Still others
have a knack for causing strings to tarnish without affecting their sound.
Generally speaking, change strings when any of these things happen:
* They won't stay in tune, or sound out of tune when you play.
* They sound obviously dull, or you find yourself playing harder and harder
in order to draw a lively sound from them.
* One of them breaks.
* They feel dirty. (Sometimes a quick wipe-down will get you through a few
more days or weeks. A rag moistened in rubbing alcohol, being careful not to
drip any onto the body of the instrument.)
* The windings fray or there is a perceptible buzz
There are two types of metal strings used on the bandura: wound and unwound
strings.
UNWOUND STRINGS
The unwound strings are usually made from a particular grade of stainless
steel. The quality of the tone is dependent on the hardness of the steel and
its carbon content. Ukrainian strings manufactured by the Chernihiv factory
are manufactured with the same materials and in the same way as piano
strings. They tended to have a higher carbon content and thus are a harder
type of steel. Their sound is satisfactory on a standard Chernihiv bandura
but on smaller instruments such as the Kharkiv bandura often they do not
produce the same range of upper harmonics and were thus deemed
unsatisfactory.
Strings labelled by the Lira co-operative in Kiev are basically the same
Chernihiv bandura strings but are nickel plated. The plating unfortunately
cracks off, often even before the string is placed on the bandura. Once this
happens the string produces a poor sound. Avoid these strings.
The best strings to use tend to be guitar strings including Hawaiian guitar
strings for those with greater diameters. Swedish steel strings have been
renown in Ukraine for the quality of sound they produce on the bandura.
Care must be taken with the loops of the strings as they tend to slip. This
is quite noticeable in the thinner strings manufactured by the Chernihiv
factory, and happens on almost all unwound Chernihiv strings placed on
Poltavkas.
Strings from the trembita musical instrument factory in Lviv are of higher
quality, however the winding ends to short for Chernihiv instruments for
strings in the middle octave.
In recent times it is possible to get hand wound strings from Ukraine from a
number of people. Some of the best are from Mr Agratina and from V.
Herasymenko in Lviv. They are copper wound on Swedish or German core wire
and have the best sound of all the strings mentioned above. The come in
sets. You need to note what sort of instrument you are using Chernihiv,
Lviv (Current or previous) models.
WOUND STRINGS
Wound strings tend to vary considerably. Strings can be wound directly onto
the steel core, or with an interlining layer of silk or in the case of the
lower basses, with two layers of winding, one on top of the other. Some
strings can have two windings placed next to each other.
Strings from the Chernihiv factory have a core which is made from the same
material as piano strings, and being of a harder steel produces a slightly
inferior sound, as oppose to strings with a softer steel core. In some 5% of
these strings the winding is not put on tight enough and can buzz when the
string is tightened. This can be remedied by making sure that the string is
twisted in the direction of the winding before stringing. It can also be
remedied with drops of Super or crazy Instant glue.
Some strings have two windings placed next to each other in an attempt to
make winding strings faster and less work. These strings tend to have an
inferior tone. Despite being of medium quality, Chernihiv factory bandura
strings are quite cheap when compared to guitar strings.
The strings produced by the Lira Co-operative as mentioned before are
Chernihiv strings which have been purchased in bulk and nickel plated (after
they have been wound). The lower strings suffer the same draw backs as
Chernihiv strings, except that the instances of buzzing is reduced because
of the plating. The plating however tarnishes rapidly and wears off during
use.
Bandura maker Vasyl Herasymenko in Lviv uses a finer core and silk thread to
stop the instances of buzzing. His strings, particularly on his banduras
sound superb. He insists that an instrument can sound twice as loud and be
more pleasurable to play with good strings. We find it difficult to argue
with him. The silk winding tends to make the string more flexible and gives
a somewhat richer tone.
Bandura maker Vasyl Hlad in England (now deceased) has made bass strings
with double winding one on top of the other. These strings have been the
finest bass strings we have ever played, and we can definitely recommend
them.
Guitar technology has brought some new innovations in the manufacture of
strings. New alloys such as bronze and phosphor bronze are becoming more
accepted and preferred than copper or silver plated copper strings. We
highly recommend these strings.
The very best strings we have used on a bandura have been hand wound
phosphor bronze strings on hexagonal core wire. These can be ordered in the
USA and hopefully sets of these strings will be made available in the near
future. I used to use Black Diamond and La Bella but current like Dadarrio
phosphor bronze strings wound on a hexagonal core.
NYLON STRINGS
In the past some of the older folk instruments had gut strings. These
however were not strung over the whole instrument. The kobzar Ostap Veresai
had gut strings only on the bass strings and the trebles were steel or
brass. The only bandura which we have discovered which actually had gut
prystrunky was a torban, and this instrument had metal wound bass strings
(over a gut core !!!).
Experiments have been made to produce a bandura with nylon strings.
Theoretically it can be done, however it will require a totally redesigned
bandura with a very light body and fine bracing of the soundboard. Without
being much lighter in construction it will not be loud enough to produce a
sound and will obviously not be useful as a concert or performing
instrument.
Placing nylon strings on a Chernihiv instrument will not produce a suitable
sound for performance, but can be used for recording. (You can hear the
nylaon strung Chernihiv bandura on my Xmas recording).
KEEP STRINGS CLEAN
Falseness is that quality in a string when it not only vibrates at a certain
number of cycles per second, i.e. 440 but also produces other tones not in
harmony with the main tone. This is because varying thicknesses or other
factors such as dirt, causing the weight to vary from place to place along
the length of the string, will produce out of tune overtones, i.e. 877
instead of 880. In order to make the strings true after they have been spun,
the final processor draws them through a diamond die to make certain that
the string is the same diameter throughout its length. Since falseness may
be caused by the accumulation of dirt, clean the strings with a cloth, but
do not use water. Be careful in stringing in order to avoid a kink which
will cause falseness especially in the larger strings.
Soviet stainless steel rusts and often the strings manufactured by the
Chernihiv factory may become easily corroded. Ideally these strings should
be changed, because they will not longer produce the tone they were designed
to produce. This corrosion can however be removed with steel wool or with
fine emery paper.
Age alone will bring on falseness as the strings may stretch somewhat
unevenly over a period of two or three years. A thicker string may
sometimes give good service for many years. One or two years is considered
the time for a restring.
Silver-plated strings are made with a winding of copper which has been
slightly plated with silver. The silver will tarnish and turn black, but
will not affect the tone quality. Trying to clean these strings only results
in the removal of the light silver plating and they will remain as dull as
ever.
THE END LOOP
One of the most important parts of the string is the end loop. As mentioned
before the end loop in in wound strings made by the Chernihiv factory tend
to slip in the upper octave and when placed on Kharkiv banduras in middle
range. This can be avoided by threading the string through the loop and
allowing this newly created loop to be fastened around the wrest pin.
Alternatively one can bend the winding with a pair of pliers in such a way
that the winding will not slip or unravel.
TIGHTENING THE STRING
Before one tightens up each particular string be careful that that the loop
is securely fastened around the wrest pin. Make sure you do not wind too
much of the string around the tuning pin when you bring the string up to
tension. It may wind around the tuning pin so many times that it presses
against the peg box of the bandura and begins to pull the tuning pin out.
Serious damage may result. If you have a tuning pin which is hard to turn,
check for this. Take up the extra windings by loosening the string and
pulling it farther through the pin.
NEED A TRIM?
It is not uncommon to see a bandura that looks ready for a trip to the
barber, with strings coiled or woven under and over the tuning pins. It is
believed that this is an economic measure and that if the string breaks at
the bottom, this extra length can be put to use. Indeed, sometimes it can,
but it is almost certainly be false from the kink and even from uneven
stretching. Besides all the practical aspects, the appearance of an
instrument is a clue to the players and their playing.
BASS STRINGS
Bass strings are a little more difficult to replace. They will go dead after
about two years and loose their rich upper partials which give them their
carrying power. They break only seldom and therefore usually must be changed
for tonal reasons. It will probably surprise you to hear how good your old
bandura sounds with just a change of bass strings. They act as sympathetic
vibrators to the rest of the bandura and add much to its richness. Never
underestimate the importance of having a good set of basses on all the time.
It is a good idea to remove no more than three basses at a time in order to
maintain the same amount of tension on the sound-board. Remove the upper
three, and replace them before moving your way down. Before trying to pull
the old string out through the bridge and the lower peg-box, straighten or
cut the old string off entirely the curled part of the old string so you
will not scratch your bandura. Wire cutters are obtainable from a hardware
store but don't expect them to last for a long time, as they quickly become
ruined.
Insert the new string through the hole in the lower peg-box. Thread it
through the bridge and tuning pin, but do not wind the string. If you do,
you may cut into the string. Pull the string taut, but then back it down
about three fingers thickness of slack to wind around the pin. Now make sure
that the string is sitting on the wrest pin, and slowly wind the tuning pin.
As you do, try to make the string wind neatly and evenly around the pin by
pulling the middle of the string, taking up the slack. Pull the string
immediately up to pitch even though it may continue to stretch and go flat
for an hour or so. Cut off the extra wire length about one-quarter inch from
the tuning pin. Extra wire can serve no useful purpose and may painfully
prick or stab your fingers and damage your cover.
STORING SPARE STRINGS
Most concert bandurists keep at least one full set of spare strings on hand.
If kept properly these strings should last for years. Keeping your strings
airtight in a metal biscuit container will help keep out moisture and the
strings will not rust or tarnish.
Bandura strings are set out in the past in groups according to various
gauges. It is worth while using some masking tape and separating and then
labeling the various gauges so that they can be easily selected.
STRINGING THE BANDURA
Full sets of strings for the bandura were made by the Chernihiv Musical
Instruments factory for its own internal use and for orders placed by
organizations. Bandurists in Ukraine often use strings designed for the
domra-bass, balalaika-bass and standard guitar strings. Currently a number
of people have begun to wind strings specifically for the bandura.
The bandura is strung from the note G in the first octave and this is
continued evenly in both directions. Initially the strings of the main row
are strung followed by those of the secondary row. After totally restringing
the instrument the instrument's tuning will take 2 weeks to become stable.
After restringing the bandura tuning should be done daily.
STRING THICKNESSES
The following table is the standard table for stringing the Chernihiv
bandura which was put together by Ivan Skliar (the designer pof the
Chernihiv bandura) and can be applied to both the standard Chernihiv and
Concert banduras.
String Number Name Diameter Core Dia. Winding D.
1,2, C,D, 1.90 0.50 0.70
3,4, E,F 1.70 0.50 0.60
5,6, G,A 1.30 0.50 0.40
7,8 B,C 1.20 0.50 0.35
9-10 D-E 1.20 0.50 0.35
11,12 F,G 1.00 0.40 0.30
13,14 A,B 0.90 0.40 0.25
15,16 C,D 0.80 0.40 0.20
17,18 E,F 0.60
19-21 G-B 0.50
22-23 C,D 0.45
24-28 E-B 0.40
29 C 0.40
30-33 D-G 0.35
In the West odd string gauges are much easier to obtain than in Ukraine in
the times when Skliar designe the Chernihiv bandura. One can even order
strings from a professional string maker. The following table is one I
developed that I believe will allow a smoother playing action. Basically, it
means that the tension on each string will be as similar as possible from
one string to the next.
String Number Name Diameter Core Dia. Winding D.
1, C, 1.90 0.50 0.70
2 D 1.80 0.50 0.65
3, E, 1.70 0.50 0.60
4. F. 1.60 0.50 0.55
5 G 1.50 0.50 0.50
6. A 1.40 0.50 0.45
7 B 1.30 0.50 0.40
7,8 B,C 1.20 0.50 0.35
9, D 1.30 0.50 0.40
10 E 1.20 0.50 0.35
11, F 1.10 0.40 0.35
12 G 1.00 0.40 0.30
13, A 0.90 0.40 0.25
14 B 0.84 0.40 0.22
15, C 0.80 0.40 0.20
16 D 0.75 0.35 0.40
17, E 0.70
18 F 0.60
19 G 0.55
20 A 0.50
21 B 0.47
22 C 0.45
23 D 0.43
24 E 0.43
25 F 0.42
26 G 0.41
27 A 0.41
28 B 0,40
29 C 0.40
30 D 0.38
31 E 0.36
32 F 0.35
33 G 0.34
GUITAR STRINGS
Guitar strings are the most common and easily obtainable type of string that
can be used on the bandura. It is most cost effective to purchase guitar
string in sets rather than making up a set from single strings.
The exact gauges vary slightly from brand to brand. The table below gives
the gauges of a mythical "average" set.
Typical String Sets
In thousands of an inch
Set first second third fourth fifth sixth
Ultralight .009 .012 .016 .024 .032 .042
Compound .011 .014 .023 .028 .038 .047
Extra light .010 .014 .022 .030 .039 .048
Light .012 .016 .025 .032 .044 .053
Medium .013 .017 .026 .035 .046 .056
Heavy .014 .018 .027 .038 .048 .059
The tension of a lightly strung string on the bandura start from
approximately 48-90 kilograms (105 pounds to 200 pounds). In comparison
nylon strings have a tension of approximately 30 kilograms (75 pounds). A
bandura with 55 strings would have a total tension of between 2640 - 4950
kgs. while a concert bandura with 65 strings would have a total tension of
between 3120 and 5850 kgs.
WHEN TO REPLACE STRINGS
How often one has to change strings depends on how much you play, on how
hard you play, on how abusive your body chemistry is on the strings, on the
kind of strings you use, and on your personal taste. Some people can get
weeks or months out of a set of strings, others deposit a heavy layer of
sweat and dead skin tissue on a set of strings within minutes. Still others
have a knack for causing strings to tarnish without affecting their sound.
Generally speaking, change strings when any of these things happen:
* They won't stay in tune, or sound out of tune when you play.
* They sound obviously dull, or you find yourself playing harder and harder
in order to draw a lively sound from them.
* One of them breaks.
* They feel dirty. (Sometimes a quick wipe-down will get you through a few
more days or weeks. A rag moistened in rubbing alcohol, being careful not to
drip any onto the body of the instrument.)
* The windings fray or there is a perceptible buzz
