Music History Re-Strung
I had written a series on some of the early Italian luthiers responsible for the modern violin and viola da gamba, along with some interesting stories about the history of a few famous early double basses. While writing, I became fascinated with the origins of the modern string. One challenge for lower pitches is the diameter and tension necessary, along with the overall strength of the string itself. A pivotal moment in the construction and tuning of the double bass came with the invention of wound strings. Steel strings created an even greater amount of flexibility for bass instruments, but prior to either of these innovations, string makers were limited in what they could produce. The importance of string construction, composition, and durability is massive in the world of music. It is an often overlooked and under-appreciated subject, and the impact of this underrated craft is the subject of today’s look at music history.
Rope and string making have been a part of human history for thousands of years. For example, early Mesoamericans are known to have invented string some 20,000 to 30,000 years ago as a tool for a variety of uses. (Evans, p218) Ancient humans twisted plant fibers together, and as time progressed cultures experimented with a variety of materials and uses. Kris Hirst, archeologist at Illinois State University writes,
“The oldest example of textiles yet identified by archaeologists is at the Dzudzuana Cave in the former Soviet state of Georgia. There, a handful of flax fibers was discovered that had been twisted, cut and even dyed a range of colors. The fibers were radiocarbon-dated to between 30,000-36,000 years ago.” (Kris Hirst, 2019)
The Inca civilization used a communication technique called Quipu, consisting of a top chord with a series of other strings attached. Using knots, differing fibers, and colors, the Inca were able to develop a surprisingly complex method of record keeping. Because this system is so unique, there remains a debate to its use as a semasiographic or glottographic from of communication. Semasiographic writing is the use of representative symbols, like those used in music notation or numerals, as opposed to glottographic, like letters, which represent phonetic pronunciations of words. Because of the tactile nature of Quipu, it is one of the few, if not the only, 3D forms of ‘written’ communication.
For all of the intricate uses and history with string from the Inca and other Mesoamerican cultures, the string family of instrumentation is notably absent. The early performance culture is dominated by drums and wind instruments, like the pomatinyas, (little drums made of puma skin), the guayllaquepas, (trumpets made of Strombus), the pinkullo, (wind instrument similar to a flute), and the antaras, (panpipes made of different materials) to name a few. Stringed instruments do not enter the society until the Spanish bring the guitar, lute, and viol to the area during the colonial period.
In the middle east, the ravanastron and rabab are two of the earliest excavated stringed instruments. These were made from a small sound box attached to a long neck, with two strings that stretched from the base to the top, where it attached to tuning pegs, allowing for varied intonations. These predecessors to the violin, lute, guitar, and lyre families most likely used gut strings, and are typically found in the Byzantium trade route artifacts, (https://study.com). These chordophones, (a term that comes from the Greek words khorde, meaning 'string,' and phonos, meaning 'sound' or 'voice.') have a long history, and the development of body construction was just as dependent on the strings that they used as they were on the acoustics they provided.
Gut strings are generally considered to be made of catgut. The etymology of the term ‘catgut’ is uncertain, as strings are not made from the intestines of felines- (although there is some evidence that Romans used the intestines of large cats from the gladiatorial games as a material for their strings). The usual source for gut strings is sheep or sometimes cattle intestine, and the shortening of the word ‘cattle’ is a proposed origin for ‘catgut’. Another possibility is the use of the term ‘kit gut’, referencing the strings use for someone’s ‘kit’, a slang term for a musician’s instrument. In any case, animal intestine became a popular use for early stringed instruments through a series of intricate processing, most likely developed further in the French boyaurdie where animal intestines were commonly prepared for a variety of consumption purposes (Woodward, p812.) This included sausage-casings, textile and silk-mill strings, whipcord, clock-weight cords, and one kind of condom, all of which have been replaced post-WWII by the advent of various plastics and polyurethanes. The use of catgut strings in the medical field as a suitable suture and ligature material is attributed to its high tensile strength and organic makeup. Doctors and surgeons were known to use it in surgical practices prior to superior, more modern alternatives.
This is also the case for the modern instrument string. The use of gut strings is certainly a personal preference. Modern jazz musicians often state their gratitude for the introduction of steel and nylon alternatives, as the physical stresses caused by playing the bass were greatly decreased by the advent of the more contemporary styles. Others, like Ben Wolfe and Mark Eagleton, comment that the sound and feel of gut strings is still what they adhere to for a variety of reasons, including tension, tone, and playability. A commonly stated reason for gut preferences is obtaining the pre-bop sound that lacks sustain and provides thump and pop. The legato ability of steel strings was a large part of the evolution to more melodic approaches in jazz in the later half of 20th century bass styles. Eagleton comments on his website,
“Despite the fact that they fulfill the same role and have the same number of strings tuned to the same notes, the double bass requires quite a bit more effort to play. Going from steel strings to gut strings on your double bass is a similar experience.” (Mark Eagleton, 2012)
Today, the field of string choice is broad. The composition, style, and materials used to make them are a huge component to the evolution of music, and it is fascinating to see how that translates into the modern world. The style of play, the use of electronics, and the construction of the instruments themselves are all affected by this often-overlooked important factor. Strings can often be seen as a nuisance; a chore to change, and intensely frustrating when they break- but their history is that of the oldest in human invention.
One of the more modern uses of technology for stringed instruments is the e-bow. The E-Bow is a battery-powered electronic device for playing a string instrument. It relies on electronics to induce string vibrations, reproducing the sound of a bowed instrument. There is a vast repertoire of songs from the modern era that use it, and its ability to reproduce pitches from harmonics above the fundamental tone with endless sustain create intriguing sonic options and unique performance opportunities. Its invention is the product of the string construction that makes it possible, and it is another example of how technology, creativity, and innovation often work in tandem with each other.
Enjoy the listening example, R.E.M. - E-Bow The Letter (Official Music Video) feat. Patti Smith from the 1996 album, “New Adventures in Hi-Fi”. It makes extensive use of this fascinating tool.
Sources for this article:
· https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-string-family-instruments-history-
· K. Kris Hirst, “History of Textiles: When Did People Learn to Make Cloth?” www.thought.com (Mar 2019)
· https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/untangling-the-ancient-inca-code-of-strings
· Adams, Mark (12 July 2011). "Questioning the Inca Paradox: Maybe the pre-Columbian civilization did have writing?". Slate Magazine.
· Arthur Woodward Booth, MD, “The Preparation of Surgical Catgut”, from the Therapeutic Gazette, 1894, p812.
· Stephen Smith, “Ben Wolfe: The Freedom To Create” Sept 1, 2018. www.allaboutjazz.com
· Susan Toby Evans, David L. Webster, Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America: An Encyclopedia (2013), p. 812.