juju
Oud Junkie
Posts: 125
Registered: 11-13-2011
Location: Paris - France
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PVF for D strings (arabic oud 61,5cm)
Hi,
I'd like to know if someone has experimented carbon PVF for D strings.
What is your feedback ? Do you consider it as a good alternative ?
I'm about to try 0,78 or 0,80 for my 61,5cm oud (my whole set is around 3kg). Do you think carbon gives good results with low tension ?
best,
Juju.
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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
Posts: 2916
Registered: 1-30-2004
Location: Brooklyn, NY
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Mood: Stringish
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I think it might be a bit light . . . I've had good results from .87 Pyramid PVF strings and from .91 and .95 from Savarez. I find that when PVF gets
too light it sounds a bit "plastic"-ish
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juju
Oud Junkie
Posts: 125
Registered: 11-13-2011
Location: Paris - France
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Thank you Brian. As I'm not a great fan of PVF, I think I'll stay with my wound nylon.
At present I'm tryin' to experiment what are the limits of light strings ... In one hand I find that light strings give very good results on
traditionnal arabic oud, in the other hand playbility is not so easy with light strings ...
For my treble strings, at present I play :
0,46mm (ff)
0,60mm (cc)
0,76mm (gg)
Do you think is it interesting to try lighter strings ? for example :
0,44mm
0,58mm
0,74mm
I'm wondering if there is a limit for light strings ... under a certain tension the nylon strings don't sound good ? ...
best
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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
Posts: 2916
Registered: 1-30-2004
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Member Is Offline
Mood: Stringish
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For 61.5cm?
There is definitely a point where you are getting less sustain, poorer projection, smaller dynamic range and a poor tone.
So yes, there is a limit. What exactly that limit is depends on your own playing technique and needs. If you always play very lightly anyway, you
will have a lower limit. If you need a wider dynamic range or more projection, you will have a different limit.
Imagine taking your .46mm string you use for f' and try using it for the d course. This would produce very little sound, and the tone would be thin
and weak.
Your existing strings seem very light to me, except for the g course. At 61.5cm, the approximate ranges I would consider most usable:
f': .46mm to .55mm
c': .58mm to .675mm
g: .72mm to .825mm
Yours are at the low edge of these ranges, typically I would recommend approx:
f': .500
c': .625
g: .750
There is more to consider than tension. The thickness of the string contributes to or detracts from the tone independently of the tension. For this
reason, f' strings are often slightly heavier than the tension calculations would suggestion and g strings are slightly lighter (so that the f' isn't
too 'thin' sounding and the g isn't too dull sounding).
Some may disagree with this—personal preferences vary, and each oud and player is a different case, so what works for one person or oud might be
different for another. But this has been my experience.
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juju
Oud Junkie
Posts: 125
Registered: 11-13-2011
Location: Paris - France
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Thank you for sharing your experience, it's very useful.
My oud has a modern sound (more echoe and sustain than antique oud), so the light strings give interseting results, they give the oud a kind of
traditional sound that I like.
My main precoccupation is the equalization ... I'd like to find a good compromise in term of strings tension and string thickness that gives the oud
a correct equalization for future recordings project... not so easy !!
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