I don't really disagree with any of this. But just because lute method books are not adequate in and of themselves without some form of guided instruction from a teacher, does NOT mean that they would not be of benefit, even very great benefit, to people between their lessons 2 or 3 times a year.
In particular I have had in mind the sort of graded method book series that would *also* supply the lack of music at appropriate levels of difficulty. I've listened to plenty of well meaning folks play in seminar master classes, struggling with a piece of music that was too hard for their technical level, and therefore completely unable to make musical sense of it. This is the result of thinking that the available music, which is generally too hard for beginners and early intermediate players, is what must be played. Certainly it can and should be studied. But nobody starts off a beginning piano player with a Scarlatti sonata, much less a Beethoven sonata. I was thinking of a great pedagogue as one who was willing and able to produce materials, programs of study, whatever, that would spread the master's knowledge much more widely. For example, think how widely the methods of Suzuki have penetrated in the string world. And nobody can fault the level of musical playing if you hear a recital by young students using that method. Imagine what similarly informed lute instruction could produce in the way of heavenly music. Suzanne -------------- Original message from David Rastall <dlu...@verizon.net>: -------------- > On May 21, 2009, at 12:02 PM, angevin...@att.net wrote: > > > The lute world has great performers. The lute world has great > > teachers > > for those in the more advanced states of learning. What the lute > > world > > lacks is a great pedagogue. Some one with the depth of teaching > > experience and knowledge to put together the graded series of method > > books that would enable lute learning to become available to many, > > instead of the diehard dedicated few. > > There is no shortage of great lute teachers eminently capable of > teaching at any level of instruction. Similarly, the level of lute > pedagogy is not lacking in any way. The problem is that the United > States and Europe are both very large places, and one cannot always > have access to the great teachers. Two or three lessons a year at an > annual seminar with one of the "lute gods" might not be enough to > provide the basis for sound learning throughout the year. But what > else can one do!? If you play the lute, you have to be willing to > travel. > > Take piano pedagogy, a subject in which some people have Phd's. Yet > would any of them advise going out and buying the method books by > Alfred, Bastien, the Fabers etc., and simply telling people that that > is all they need to learn the basics of piano playing? Of course > not! They would all agree that pedagogy is useless without the more- > than-occasional presence of a teacher. So it is with the lute. > > There are great teachers in every area of music, and yes, they do > travel around a lot. But you have to be willing to travel also. > This is true of any instrument, and any type of musical study. The > teachers don't come to you; you have to go to them. The way to find > out about lute pedagogy is as follows: take a recording device to > the next seminar workshop you go to. Record every master class, > private lesson you take, house concert, if it's allowed, and any > other event, for example where question-and-answer sessions are going > on. Don't just go just with the attitude of taking a week off in > order to groove on the lute for a week. And most importantly, keep > in mind the operative word is workshop, not worship. Don't go in > order to worship! Worshipping the lute gods will avail you nothing. > To make the most of a seminar workshop week, go armed with specific > questions, based on clear ideas of YOUR OWN short-term and long-term > goals on the lute. Go armed with questions concerning technique, > performance practice, whatever else you need to know. I have the > impression that lute players do not advance as quickly as they could, > because they spend too much time being in awe of the lute gods. The > gods are not there to be adored; well, one or two of them are, but > the only ones who are worth anything as teachers are the ones who are > there for you to pick their brains. > > Also, as a supplemental benefit, the lute mailing list is a fantastic > source of pedagogical insight. > > David R > dlu...@verizon.net > > > > > -- > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
