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Regarding how people figured out the positions of the frets: Frets used to just be thick material (wire, strips of flexible wood or treated cord) tied around t
by dofm 1mo ago
Regarding how people figured out the positions of the frets:
Frets used to just be thick material (wire, strips of flexible wood or treated cord) tied around the neck of the instrument. They were added, moved and removed for different scales, and "tuning" might have involved choosing fret positions that sat well with other instruments that could not be tuned, etc.
They were inherently movable. Sitar frets still are tied to the neck this way.
You can do this yourself with cable ties which make tolerable frets for experimental purposes.
So this would have allowed the knowledge of precise tuning to evolve over time.
- brookst 1mo agoAnd the “right” answer is exponential, so it seems like it must be possible to do geometrically. Though I admit my geometry is weak enough that I don’t see how.
- analog31 1mo agoYou only have to get it right once, or copy another guitar. Today, people buy a pre-made gauge. A viola da gamba still has tied frets, made from the same material as the strings -- cattle or sheep intestines. Among other things, movable frets mean you can tweak things for intonation and temperament. I've seen instruments that had double frets, so you could play in more than one temperament.
- coldtea 1mo ago>Frets used to just be thick material (wire, strips of flexible wood or treated cord) tied around the neck of the instrument Movable frets (they kind that you describe) used to be guts. Just like strings used to be.