Lu-Mi Master Pardessus de Viole after Jaye

Pardessus de Viole

I really can't write a review, because I am playing it in an unorthodox fashion - at the shoulder, with on ordinary violin bow hold. Why? you ask. Because I have never learned the cello or viol, and an too old to start. What I acquired the instrument for is to play Lyra Viol music, with all its different tunings. I am quite used to alphabet printing (for lutes), so there is no problem with different tunings of the strings. Certainly, it is a different sounc from the deeper viol, but I'm never gong to play it in public - so who cares? With the small distance of the semitones on the pardessus one has to use different fingerings for the letters than the lute or guitar requires. I'm gradually getting used to that, despite my almost 91 years, and am enjoying playing different music on a different instrument. John Gault

It has a really sweet tone and the body makes the notes ring to a surprising degree for its size. I was so excited to be able to pick up violin music and play it straight off, with ledger lines being no obstacle, unlike on a treble. Slightly wolfy on the open C string, so I might need to look into a damper on the low string side of the bass bar, as the wolf goes when I rest a finger on the body there, and it's not coming from the strings on the tailpiece side of the bridge. I'd give 5* if not for this issue, as the sound and response are otherwise beautiful. The Kingham case I bought with it fits it perfectly and is a very worthwhile accessory to get. EMS went the extra mile to get this shipped and fitted during lockdown April/May 2020.