[NetBehaviour] long covid blues

Alan Sondheim sondheim at panix.com
Thu Feb 29 17:34:59 CET 2024



Hi Mark,

Now that you ask... Nylon is easier on the fingers than steel, and harder 
to 'twang' - it's subtle in a different way. And there's nylon and nylon - 
originally strings were gut and on some instruments I use Nylgut which 
imitates the acoustic properties of gut but is another composition 
altogether. It's easier to bend notes with steel strings, a displacement 
sideways of steel (or composition) raises the pitch to a greater extent 
thann the displacement of nylon (or composition). I have a very old gambus 
here from near Nepal with the original strings - they're very thin gut and 
I'm afraid if I play it, they'll break.

With the guqin or qin, it's other issues. They should be played with gut 
strings, relatively low tension. Under Mao, who was responsible for the 
dstruction of 300 antique qin, which went back centuries, the qin was 
'modernized' to take steel strings. My two qin have steel strings, even 
though one is centuries old; the gut strings tend to break and I don't 
have the physical strength to replace them (another story). I have a 
friend who plays and teaches a number of instruments; he has gut strings 
on his reproduction medieval instruments.

The blues always used metal - it was what was available, but the strings 
bent for the blues notes as well. And I don't want to say 'always' for 
that matter, not sure of that. Electric guitars of course need metal 
strings but you can electrify a classical guitar as well with contact/ 
vibration mics.

My sazs are all metal strings, as are my Albanian gifteli. The saz is very 
very easy on the fingers.

The oud uses nylon or gut strings but a related instrument, used in local 
Jewish musics, the cobza or kobza, uses very light gauge metal strings.

Old-timey banjos can go either way; mine has nylon or nylgut strings 
(forget which now, like the latter more), bluegrass banjos always use 
metal strings for their percussive quality.

The whole mandolin family, metal.

More than you asked for! :-)

Best, Alan

On Thu, 29 Feb 2024, Mark Hancock wrote:

> Date: Thu, 29 Feb 2024 10:39:58 +0000
> From: Mark Hancock <mark at memecortex.net>
> Reply-To: NetBehaviour for networked distributed creativity
>     <netbehaviour at lists.netbehaviour.org>
> To: NetBehaviour for networked distributed creativity
>     <netbehaviour at lists.netbehaviour.org>
> Subject: Re: [NetBehaviour] long covid blues
> 
> Hey Alan,
> That's really interesting. Any differences as a player between nylon and
> steel? Apart from the twang?
> 
> Bloody long covid, what a nightmare it all is. Hope you're finding some
> respite, or solace from it all.
> 
> Mark
> 
> On Wed, 28 Feb 2024 at 22:13, Alan Sondheim via NetBehaviour
> <netbehaviour at lists.netbehaviour.org> wrote:
>       Hi Mark,
> 
> The music is from a while ago, unfortunately my playing now is
> stranger, more angular.
> It was a steel string guitar, I still do blues on a nylon string
> banjo, mainly for myself, but it doesn't have the 'twang.'
> Years ago I remember finding a steel-body National guitar for Son
> House through Al Wilson.
> I got infected by free jazz.
> Spoke too soon about being over long covid; today was one of the worst
> days.
> 
> Best, Alan, exhausted and so glad you liked the music!
> 
> On Wed, Feb 28, 2024 at 4:15?AM Mark Hancock <mark at memecortex.net>
> wrote:
>       I love that guitar sound, Alan. I need more of that,
>       please!
> 
> Reminds me (in my limited cultural references) of the guitar on
> Psychic TV?s A Pagan Day album.
> 
> 
> Glad you?re on the mend, that was my favourite verse.
> 
> Mark
> 
> 
> On Wed, 28 Feb 2024 at 04:48, Alan Sondheim via NetBehaviour
> <netbehaviour at lists.netbehaviour.org> wrote:
> 
>
>       long covid blues
>
>       https://youtu.be/c8zWeSeZDvM video
>
>       i got the long covid blues
>       i got the long covid blues
>       any way you choose
>       i got those long long covid blues
>
>       wake up this morning in the middle of the night
>       wake up this morning in the middle of the night
>       looking for the sunlight sight long covid fright
>
>       wake up in midday nothing left to lose
>       wake up in midday nothing left to lose
>       got those long longer longest long covid blues
>
>       they say there's nowhere to go but down the covid
>       hall
>       doctor comes i said yesterday maybe had a fall
>       i said maybe something else can't remember at all
>       said maybe that was it maybe was a fall
>
>       i got the long covid blues
>       i got the long covid blues
>       any way you choose
>       i got those long covid blues
>
>       --- >>>> *
>
>       * although i seem to be getting well and pulling
>       through
>       * anyway you look the mood's a lot less blue
>
>       _
> 
>
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> 
> --
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> directory http://www.alansondheim.org tel 347-383-8552
> email sondheim ut panix.com, sondheim ut gmail.com
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