Simon Martyn-Ellis and Karina Schmitz performing at Van Diemen’s Band lunch box series
Two musicians who are fascinated by historic instruments are enjoying the slower pace Tassie brings. Here’s why you’ll see them playing instruments with gut strings.
Tasmania
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Instruments have gone through many iterations before they became the ones we know today.
Musician Simon Martyn-Ellis plays the romantic guitar which is smaller, has fewer braces and is strung with gut, rather than nylon or steel like a modern guitar.
“Gut strings have been made from the intestines of lambs or cows, and they are very different and make a very different sound to the strings which are made through synthetic compounds.
“I love the tonal quality that you get out of these instruments, and also the way they meld with other instruments on top of that.
“It changes the way that you actually play the music,” Martyn-Ellis said, with one of the main differences between period and modern instruments is that period instruments are not as loud.
Martyn-Ellis has recently moved to Tasmania to undertake a mentoring residency with the Van Diemen’s Band with his partner, Karina Schmitz.
Schmitz plays a viola based on a museum instrument from the late 18th century.
Much like the guitar, the viola has gone through a lot of developmental changes to get to the one we know today.
Martyn-Ellis said Schmitz’ instrument is similar to one that would have been played in the early 19th century, with a bow slightly different to the modern one and again with gut strings.
Martyn-Ellis and Schmitz moved to Tasmania from Sydney in January and they are enjoying the slower pace of Hobart.
The are performing a program of duos by Schubert, Beethoven and Carulli at the Van Diemen’s Band’s wildly popular lunch box series on Tuesday May 13.
Curated by artistic director Julia Fredersdorff, the 2025 Lunchbox series presents outstanding musical talent spanning five concerts, in an intimate setting at Hobart’s town hall during lunchtime- for the price of a sandwich.
Originally published as Simon Martyn-Ellis and Karina Schmitz performing at Van Diemen’s Band lunch box series
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