Post by Bandura on Jan 16, 2006 0:59:47 GMT -5
17
Before beginning any regulation work on your bandura read this chapter all
the way through carefully at least twice, and make sure you understand it.
Procedures merely mentioned in the first part, or theory of regulation, will
be explained in more detail later, so read on.
It is almost impossible to regulate the bandura perfectly without some
electronic assistance. The most expensive but most useful are the Stroboconn
and Strobotuner which offered a method of regulating for perfect half-step.
No other method has been found as accurate. New chromatic tuners however are
gradually approaching that level of accuracy. The piano which has a full set
of twelve semitones and can be used to cross-checked as needed for
accuracy, but cannot be relied on for making adjustments to the regulation.
The best regulation is only achieved with the aid of electronic assistance.
In Ukraine, and to some extent here in the West, major regulation problems
are handled by capable veterans of the art. Minor regulation problems,
however, must be made quite often and a bandurist who can't take care of
these maintenance problems is at a serious disadvantage.
HOW FAR IS A HALF-STEP ?
A few words about the theory behind regulation may be in order, provided you
do not frighten the bandurist away. The length, the weight and the tension
of the vibrating string determines the pitch. Given any three of these four
factors (length, weight, tension and pitch) the other can be computed. On
the bandura, once a string is stretched in the open position, its weight and
length are constant; varying the tension by means of the tuning-pin will
change the pitch which is of course how the bandura is tuned. The lute
makers of the middle ages discovered in placing frets on the neck of the
lute that if they shortened the open string by 1/18th of its length, it
would raise the pitch precisely one half-tone. This even allows for the
slight change in tension caused by pressing down the string. This rule
applies to the bandura as well.
EACH HOOK MUST SHORTEN THE STRING BY 1/18th
Thus, if the open string is eighteen centimetres long, the hook must be
placed so that it is exactly one centimetre below where the string passes
over the nut, and so shorten the string by one centimetre or 1/18th of its
length. As the bandura ages, the soundboard may settle and the sides of the
instrument may move in under the force of the strings. This is due to the
nature of the wood, and although it happens faster in some banduras than
others, it appears to be an inevitable process. As the body of the bandura
changes shape, the bridge may move, the string length is shortened,
sometimes quite considerably. The eighteen centimetre length for the string
may be shortened by up to half a centimetre in an old bandura. Consider now
what has happened to our regulation.
The hooks now shorten the string too much. They shorten the length of the
string by one centimetre, or 1/18th of its old length, however the length is
now seventeen and one half centimetres long. The hook comes down one
centimetre form the nut which is somewhat more than 1/18th of the length of
the string. So the pitch is too sharp with the hook engaged. This is easily
accomplished on our bandura by simply lowering the nut 1/18th of a
centimetre. This would make the distance from the adjustable nut to the hook
17/18th of a centimetre, and again we are shortening the string by 1/18th of
its total length, and our intonation will be correct.
THE CONCERT CHERNIHIV BANDURA
Each particular type of Kiev concert bandura has a mechanism which adjusts
slightly differently. The most common bandura in use is the Concert bandura
manufactured by the Chernihiv factory. We shall look at it first.
The Chernihiv Concert bandura usually comes with a stainless steel
adjustment wrench with two square cut inserts at both ends of the metal
wrench. The larger is for the adjustment of the main row. It fits the brass
nuts which spin around the tuning nut. The smaller for the secondary row to
turn the metal post. This end of the wrench is often damaged as the steel is
not hardened. If you can get a tuning wrench from a souvenir bandura which
has a square hole which fits over the metal adjustment peg, it will work
much longer and better.
The wrench supplied by the factory is flat, and in this particular shape it
is difficult to adjust the nuts of the main strings. We personally bend this
wrench so that the lower end can be flat with the pegbox whilst the handle
is raised by an angle of 30%. This makes adjustment much easier and limits
the chances of scratching the wood and finish of the upper pegbox.
ADJUSTING THE MAIN ROW
Underneath each string in the main row on a Chernihiv factory bandura there
is an adjustment bolt over which the string passes. This is located between
the tuning pin and the mechanism hook. This steel bolt has a brass nut
around it which can turned with the wide end of the supplied wrench. This
action lowers or raises the bolt which in turn varies the length of the
string between the hook and the bolt.
Turning the nut clockwise raises the bolt, and thus lengthening the distance
between the bolt and the hook. This action lowers the overall tuning of the
string. It affects the action of the hook in such a way that it now raises
the pitch produced by the string slightly more. If this bolt is raise too
much, the string will be cut by hook at too great an angle, and may break.
This is particularly common in the upper octave on the last 4-5 strings.
Turning the nut counter-clockwise should in fact lower the steel bolt and
thus shorten the distance between the bolt and the hook. Lowering the bolt
raises the overall pitch of the string because it is shortened. The distance
between the bolt and the hook are shortened and this affects the pitch
produced by engaging the hook by lowering it.
Despite being under the tension of the string, the steel bolt rarely slips
back down into its hole, and often has to be gently hammered back in. In
order to do this one should take the string off the steel bolt, as the
string may break.
The string should be carefully placed back on the steel bolt, making sure
that it is centred. If the string is not centred on the bolt it may touch
the side of the tuning hook producing unwanted sounds and also not allowing
the hook to work correctly.
ADJUSTING THE SECONDARY ROW
The strings of the secondary row are tuned in a diatonic scale a semitone
lower than that of the main row. It provides all the accidental notes so
that when both rows are used in combination a full chromatic scale is
produced.
Underneath each string in the secondary row there is an adjustable bolt
screwed into the wood of the pegbox directly. It is over this bolt which the
string passes. This is located between the tuning pin and the mechanism
hook. This steel bolt does not have a brass nut around it, but screws into
the pegbox directly. The sides of the bolt have been filed square which
allows it to be turned using the narrow end of the supplied wrench. Turning
the bolt screws it in or out further into the pegbox which in turn varies
the length of the string between the hook and the bolt.
As opposed to the method of adjusting the bolt for the main row, the string
must be loosened and taken off in order to adjust the mechanism effectively.
One should tune the string up to the correct pitch, switch on the relative
mechanism and note how far and in which direction the string is now out of
tune. An estimate of how many times you will need to turn the adjustment
bolt needs to be made. The string is then loosened and the adjustment bolt
is turned.
Turning the bolt anti-clockwise raises the bolt, and thus lengthening the
distance between the bolt and the hook. This action lowers the overall
tuning of the string. It affects the action of the hook in such a way that
it now raises the pitch produced by the string slightly more. If this bolt
is raise too much, the string will be cut by hook at too great an angle, and
just as in the string for the main row, may break.
Turning the nut clockwise should in fact lower the steel bolt and thus
shorten the distance between the bolt and the hook. Lowering the bolt raises
the overall pitch of the string because it is shortened. The distance
between the bolt and the hook are shortened and this affects the pitch
produced by engaging the hook by lowering it.
The string should be carefully placed back on the steel bolt, making sure
that the X shaped rut in the top is lined up correctly. The string should be
lying along one of these ruts and should be centred when it travels through
the tuning hook. As with strings of the main row, if the string is not
centred by the bolt, it may touch the side of the tuning hook and produce
unwanted sounds.
THE LVIV CONCERT BANDURA
The Concert Bandura manufactured by the Lviv factory has a slightly
different arrangement which is more elegant and simpler to use yet more
complicated to describe. There are two different types of mechanisms used in
the Lviv bandura, however both mechanisms are adjusted in the same manner.
The theory of adjustment is the same as for the Chernihiv instrument, only
in the case of the Lviv bandura the tuning is adjusted from the back of the
instrument.
After the cover is removed, one will notice brass nuts which can be adjusted
with a screwdriver. Each of these nuts is labelled with a number or by the
side of the bandura directly next to the brass nut, with the name of the
string it corresponds to. This letter-name is written with a marker on the
wood and if your instrument does not have these markings, then chances are
that your instrument was smuggled out of the factory and sold before the
final adjustments took place and you are in for a big job.
The adjustment and calibration for tuning should have been done in the
factory, however the hook needs to be constantly adjusted. By turning the
brass nut the hook is lowered or raised. One should turn the brass nut with
a screwdriver until the string is engaged by the hook and does not buzz. No
further adjustment is necessary. Any further turning will put the string out
of tune and possibly lead to it breaking.
If the instrument has not had its final adjustment at the factory and the
hook does not accurately produce a sound a semitone higher than when open,
further special adjustment will be required.
Unlike the Chernihiv manufacture instruments, the hook on the Lviv banduras
pulls the string down onto a tiny metal bridge in the upper pegbox. This
bridge needs to be adjusted by raising or lowering it. This job is usually
done in the factory and requires a special took or wrench to fit comfortably
over the bridge in which to spin it and not damage it. Turning it in a
counter-clockwise direction raises it and shortens the distance the string
travels from the nut. Turning this bridge clockwise lowers it by screwing it
further into the pegbox and thus lengthening the distance the string has to
travel before being stopped.
This last adjustment is not as simple as it seems and it may be advisable
to seek some sort of professional help.
Before beginning any regulation work on your bandura read this chapter all
the way through carefully at least twice, and make sure you understand it.
Procedures merely mentioned in the first part, or theory of regulation, will
be explained in more detail later, so read on.
It is almost impossible to regulate the bandura perfectly without some
electronic assistance. The most expensive but most useful are the Stroboconn
and Strobotuner which offered a method of regulating for perfect half-step.
No other method has been found as accurate. New chromatic tuners however are
gradually approaching that level of accuracy. The piano which has a full set
of twelve semitones and can be used to cross-checked as needed for
accuracy, but cannot be relied on for making adjustments to the regulation.
The best regulation is only achieved with the aid of electronic assistance.
In Ukraine, and to some extent here in the West, major regulation problems
are handled by capable veterans of the art. Minor regulation problems,
however, must be made quite often and a bandurist who can't take care of
these maintenance problems is at a serious disadvantage.
HOW FAR IS A HALF-STEP ?
A few words about the theory behind regulation may be in order, provided you
do not frighten the bandurist away. The length, the weight and the tension
of the vibrating string determines the pitch. Given any three of these four
factors (length, weight, tension and pitch) the other can be computed. On
the bandura, once a string is stretched in the open position, its weight and
length are constant; varying the tension by means of the tuning-pin will
change the pitch which is of course how the bandura is tuned. The lute
makers of the middle ages discovered in placing frets on the neck of the
lute that if they shortened the open string by 1/18th of its length, it
would raise the pitch precisely one half-tone. This even allows for the
slight change in tension caused by pressing down the string. This rule
applies to the bandura as well.
EACH HOOK MUST SHORTEN THE STRING BY 1/18th
Thus, if the open string is eighteen centimetres long, the hook must be
placed so that it is exactly one centimetre below where the string passes
over the nut, and so shorten the string by one centimetre or 1/18th of its
length. As the bandura ages, the soundboard may settle and the sides of the
instrument may move in under the force of the strings. This is due to the
nature of the wood, and although it happens faster in some banduras than
others, it appears to be an inevitable process. As the body of the bandura
changes shape, the bridge may move, the string length is shortened,
sometimes quite considerably. The eighteen centimetre length for the string
may be shortened by up to half a centimetre in an old bandura. Consider now
what has happened to our regulation.
The hooks now shorten the string too much. They shorten the length of the
string by one centimetre, or 1/18th of its old length, however the length is
now seventeen and one half centimetres long. The hook comes down one
centimetre form the nut which is somewhat more than 1/18th of the length of
the string. So the pitch is too sharp with the hook engaged. This is easily
accomplished on our bandura by simply lowering the nut 1/18th of a
centimetre. This would make the distance from the adjustable nut to the hook
17/18th of a centimetre, and again we are shortening the string by 1/18th of
its total length, and our intonation will be correct.
THE CONCERT CHERNIHIV BANDURA
Each particular type of Kiev concert bandura has a mechanism which adjusts
slightly differently. The most common bandura in use is the Concert bandura
manufactured by the Chernihiv factory. We shall look at it first.
The Chernihiv Concert bandura usually comes with a stainless steel
adjustment wrench with two square cut inserts at both ends of the metal
wrench. The larger is for the adjustment of the main row. It fits the brass
nuts which spin around the tuning nut. The smaller for the secondary row to
turn the metal post. This end of the wrench is often damaged as the steel is
not hardened. If you can get a tuning wrench from a souvenir bandura which
has a square hole which fits over the metal adjustment peg, it will work
much longer and better.
The wrench supplied by the factory is flat, and in this particular shape it
is difficult to adjust the nuts of the main strings. We personally bend this
wrench so that the lower end can be flat with the pegbox whilst the handle
is raised by an angle of 30%. This makes adjustment much easier and limits
the chances of scratching the wood and finish of the upper pegbox.
ADJUSTING THE MAIN ROW
Underneath each string in the main row on a Chernihiv factory bandura there
is an adjustment bolt over which the string passes. This is located between
the tuning pin and the mechanism hook. This steel bolt has a brass nut
around it which can turned with the wide end of the supplied wrench. This
action lowers or raises the bolt which in turn varies the length of the
string between the hook and the bolt.
Turning the nut clockwise raises the bolt, and thus lengthening the distance
between the bolt and the hook. This action lowers the overall tuning of the
string. It affects the action of the hook in such a way that it now raises
the pitch produced by the string slightly more. If this bolt is raise too
much, the string will be cut by hook at too great an angle, and may break.
This is particularly common in the upper octave on the last 4-5 strings.
Turning the nut counter-clockwise should in fact lower the steel bolt and
thus shorten the distance between the bolt and the hook. Lowering the bolt
raises the overall pitch of the string because it is shortened. The distance
between the bolt and the hook are shortened and this affects the pitch
produced by engaging the hook by lowering it.
Despite being under the tension of the string, the steel bolt rarely slips
back down into its hole, and often has to be gently hammered back in. In
order to do this one should take the string off the steel bolt, as the
string may break.
The string should be carefully placed back on the steel bolt, making sure
that it is centred. If the string is not centred on the bolt it may touch
the side of the tuning hook producing unwanted sounds and also not allowing
the hook to work correctly.
ADJUSTING THE SECONDARY ROW
The strings of the secondary row are tuned in a diatonic scale a semitone
lower than that of the main row. It provides all the accidental notes so
that when both rows are used in combination a full chromatic scale is
produced.
Underneath each string in the secondary row there is an adjustable bolt
screwed into the wood of the pegbox directly. It is over this bolt which the
string passes. This is located between the tuning pin and the mechanism
hook. This steel bolt does not have a brass nut around it, but screws into
the pegbox directly. The sides of the bolt have been filed square which
allows it to be turned using the narrow end of the supplied wrench. Turning
the bolt screws it in or out further into the pegbox which in turn varies
the length of the string between the hook and the bolt.
As opposed to the method of adjusting the bolt for the main row, the string
must be loosened and taken off in order to adjust the mechanism effectively.
One should tune the string up to the correct pitch, switch on the relative
mechanism and note how far and in which direction the string is now out of
tune. An estimate of how many times you will need to turn the adjustment
bolt needs to be made. The string is then loosened and the adjustment bolt
is turned.
Turning the bolt anti-clockwise raises the bolt, and thus lengthening the
distance between the bolt and the hook. This action lowers the overall
tuning of the string. It affects the action of the hook in such a way that
it now raises the pitch produced by the string slightly more. If this bolt
is raise too much, the string will be cut by hook at too great an angle, and
just as in the string for the main row, may break.
Turning the nut clockwise should in fact lower the steel bolt and thus
shorten the distance between the bolt and the hook. Lowering the bolt raises
the overall pitch of the string because it is shortened. The distance
between the bolt and the hook are shortened and this affects the pitch
produced by engaging the hook by lowering it.
The string should be carefully placed back on the steel bolt, making sure
that the X shaped rut in the top is lined up correctly. The string should be
lying along one of these ruts and should be centred when it travels through
the tuning hook. As with strings of the main row, if the string is not
centred by the bolt, it may touch the side of the tuning hook and produce
unwanted sounds.
THE LVIV CONCERT BANDURA
The Concert Bandura manufactured by the Lviv factory has a slightly
different arrangement which is more elegant and simpler to use yet more
complicated to describe. There are two different types of mechanisms used in
the Lviv bandura, however both mechanisms are adjusted in the same manner.
The theory of adjustment is the same as for the Chernihiv instrument, only
in the case of the Lviv bandura the tuning is adjusted from the back of the
instrument.
After the cover is removed, one will notice brass nuts which can be adjusted
with a screwdriver. Each of these nuts is labelled with a number or by the
side of the bandura directly next to the brass nut, with the name of the
string it corresponds to. This letter-name is written with a marker on the
wood and if your instrument does not have these markings, then chances are
that your instrument was smuggled out of the factory and sold before the
final adjustments took place and you are in for a big job.
The adjustment and calibration for tuning should have been done in the
factory, however the hook needs to be constantly adjusted. By turning the
brass nut the hook is lowered or raised. One should turn the brass nut with
a screwdriver until the string is engaged by the hook and does not buzz. No
further adjustment is necessary. Any further turning will put the string out
of tune and possibly lead to it breaking.
If the instrument has not had its final adjustment at the factory and the
hook does not accurately produce a sound a semitone higher than when open,
further special adjustment will be required.
Unlike the Chernihiv manufacture instruments, the hook on the Lviv banduras
pulls the string down onto a tiny metal bridge in the upper pegbox. This
bridge needs to be adjusted by raising or lowering it. This job is usually
done in the factory and requires a special took or wrench to fit comfortably
over the bridge in which to spin it and not damage it. Turning it in a
counter-clockwise direction raises it and shortens the distance the string
travels from the nut. Turning this bridge clockwise lowers it by screwing it
further into the pegbox and thus lengthening the distance the string has to
travel before being stopped.
This last adjustment is not as simple as it seems and it may be advisable
to seek some sort of professional help.
