Hi Martyn, I believe I've found David's stuff on string spacings in the archive:
[1]http://www.mail-archive.com/lute@cs.dartmouth.edu/msg19722.html Best regards, Bill From: Martyn Hodgson <hodgsonmar...@yahoo.co.uk> To: BAROQUE-LUTE <baroque-lute@cs.dartmouth.edu>; Rob MacKillop <robmackil...@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, 4 October 2011, 10:25 Subject: [BAROQUE-LUTE] Re: L'Infidele Dear Rob, It is a stretch but I do think the low A (ie 13th) is meant: the BL MS is very clear and there are no signs of an a on the 6th course being altered to a 6 (as we sometimes find elsewhere). I think there are two factors here: 1. Clearly much depends on how one disposes the hand: to play such extensions I move the thumb closer to the bridge (ie behind the plucking position of the fingers) and I find this allows the first and 13th to be plucked simultaneously. 2. The other thing is that I'm not quite sure if a string band of 153mm isn't a bit too wide for a 13 course instrument. The JC Hoffmann (1730) string band is 140mm (both the Museum and Stephen Murphy's drawings) and my own instrument is 145mm (based on an average inter-course seperation of 12mm). As pointed out in a FoMRHI paper several years ago, there is some evidence that inter-course seperation reduced with the advent of the additional two bass courses (eg the earlier 11 course JC Hoffmann of 1716 has an average inter-course seperation of around 13mm) but I agree that some of the later large theorboed German lutes exhibit quite large inter-course seperation. However Weiss seems to have written for the 13th course instrument with a single pegbox (with treble and bass riders) as the 1730 Hoffmann as witnessed by stopping basses below course 8 and not the late 'galant' type of 13th course lute. Incidentally, Baron (1727) particularly singles out JC Hoffmann for making instruments which fit the hand: in DA Smith's translation 'He [JCH] also knows how to place the courses and strings at the proper distances so that his lutes can be manipulated very easily'. Finally, could you remind me of the paper /research source which analysis the sizes of 13th course bridges and suggests an average of 153mm? regards, Martyn From: Rob MacKillop <[2]robmackil...@gmail.com> Subject: [BAROQUE-LUTE] L'Infidele To: "BAROQUE-LUTE" <[3]baroque-lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> Date: Tuesday, 4 October, 2011, 9:05 Enjoying exploring my new 13c, and slowly getting the feel for right-hand string spacing and thumb placement. I'm determined not to look at my right hand, just feel my way. So, I've been slowly growing in confidence...until I read through Weiss' L'Infidele. It's years since I listened to anyone play this suite, and it was a great joy to start reading through the Entree: 'Hey, I can do this!'. I read the Courante slowly, but thinking it a possibility I will one day be able to play it up tempo. The Sarabande, like all Weiss Sarabandes, is sublimely beautiful. The minuet lies under the fingers. So, I was beginning to think this is a suite I can get my teeth into. Then I hit the Musette... Bar 4 demands the thumb on the 13th course, the index on the 5th and (presumably) the ring finger on the 1st. The string band on my lute is 153mm, and I have large hands. I should be able to do this, but is is very hard. I can manage it, but, clearly, at a stretch. 153mm does not seem excessive, and is pretty much bang in the middle of all surviving 13c bridges, in other words an average size. Will practise of this passage make my stretch longer? Anyone else have problems with this passage? I seem (in desperation, maybe) to recall someone arguing that originally the low A was up an octave at the 6th course, and the 13th course was written in later. Any info on that? Rob MacKillop www.robmackillop.net To get on or off this list see list information at [1][4]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. [5]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. http://www.mail-archive.com/lute@cs.dartmouth.edu/msg19722.html 2. mailto:robmackil...@gmail.com 3. mailto:baroque-lute@cs.dartmouth.edu 4. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html 5. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
