10 string Celtic lyre

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Alexandr Skotnica
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2016 5:08 pm

10 string Celtic lyre

Post by Alexandr Skotnica »

Hello. I've recently bought myself a 10 string lyre ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Engraved-Ly ... Sw5cNYF0LP). Not knowing anything about string instruments (I'm a clarinet player) I tried to find a tuning that is suited for my instrument, since I was rather scared of breaking the strings. Well, eventually I've found a tuning from C4 D4 E4 .... E5 diatonic, and tried to "tune" it. I tune the 1st. thickest string to C4, then I tried to tune the second string. The problem was, That the string had to be stretched so much I was really scared of it breaking. Well and then, after I finally cied to tune it even through all the tension, the twisted bit that is around the tuning pin just somehow got out of the hole and the string was no longer inside and just kina laid there. At first I thought that I broke the string, but the thing is that I haven't found and bits of it where I was doing it And the string itself seems to be whole, not shorter. The same happened with the 3rd one, then I gave up. Plus I've noticed some tuning pins unscrewing back after tuning the string. It is a cheap lyre so I know that it might be just a manufacturing fault. Plus I have ordered some new strings, an they came packed in 5 pairs. Does this mean that 2 neighbouring strings are the same, just tuned to a different pitch? Some questions: Does anybody know how to properly tune those lyres? Are those strings that 1 tried to tune broken, or were they just badly mounted on the pegs? is there a way to fix those unscrewing pins? Thank you in advance for all tips and tricks, I was rather scared as I have no experience with these kinds of things.
Bob Francis
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Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2012 6:28 pm

Re: 10 string Celtic lyre

Post by Bob Francis »

http://www.wikihow.com/Tune-a-Lyre
Don't know if this helps but they were tuning to a G.
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Jim McConkey
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Location: Way north of Baltimore, MD

Re: 10 string Celtic lyre

Post by Jim McConkey »

The pins should not be unscrewing themselves from the tension. Either the tension is too high, or the wood is too soft (or the hole is worn). From Bob's link, it looks like you may have tuned yours a 4th too high. Try dropping the first note from C down to G and returning the rest to match, and see if that helps with the slippage problem. Too much tension will also cause the strings to slip out of the pins. You can double wrap through the holes, or bend the loose end around the taut string, but either will usually cause the string to break under too much tension instead of just slipping out of the hole.
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Alexandr Skotnica
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Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2016 5:08 pm

Re: 10 string Celtic lyre

Post by Alexandr Skotnica »

Well they státě that the tuning from g they are using is supposed to wprk for the anglo Saxon lyre.
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