bowing strings

[Richard Moody]

----- Original Message -----
From: Allen Wright <allen.wright@oberlin.edu>
To: <caut@ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, May 06, 2000 10:37 AM
Subject: Re: bowing strings


> Richard,
>
> Interestingly, when I went back to touch up before the concert I saw that
> the "bows" being used were fishing line (rather than violin bow hair),
which
> they  rosined up. Quite a mess. Since they were bowing in some cases right
> up close to the agraffes, there was resin dust down in the action as well
as
> on the strings and board.
> I suppose. I
> guess I'll have a talk with the student and the conductor and try to
educate
> them. Maybe I whip some common sense into them with fishing line!
>
> Allen

You can't imagine the images that crossed my mind while trying to figure out
what one would bow a piano with. ; )     Then I saw the post about bow
hairs, and now the fishing string comes as no surprise.   Technically It
might not be called a bow, but you can't call it "stringing".  I will leave
it up  the "Zappa school" to come up with a name.
BTW the interest of "bowing" strings of a keyed instrument has produced a
myriad of conceptions and manifestations of such instruments starting with
the hurdy gurdy.  This may have been the first keyed instrument, or keyed
string instrument for sure.  Ah, to have access to a large university
library.
        ---Richard Moody