My recording experience is that on double strings the rest stroke strikes the strings in sucession, so that there is a very slight stagger (very slight, but audible and visible in the string interference pattern), whereas an elliptical stroke with the thumb resting on both strings and pushing inwards towards the soundboard can strike both strings simultaneously. However, the player may desire the slightly thicker articulation. Not to mention that there is a lot of music in which the next string must vibrate, which is not possible with a true resting stroke but is possible with a grazing stroke.
dt 06:53 AM 1/19/2010, you wrote: >Hi All, > >I have always regarded the rest stroke with the thumb as being a >kind of fundamental, a starting point. It doesn't have to be >agressive, it's just a way of making sure that both strings of a >course are struck fully and at the same time. I was taught (and >hence still teach) that the thumb is a long, heavy thing - it moves >only from where it joins the hand, way back at the wrist (all other >joints stay relaxed) - and "falls" towards to floor, which (with the >lute being slightly angled back) means towards the next >course. With multi-course lutes where the thumb only plays the bass >notes, this is all there is - rest strokes all the way, giving a >nice solid sound to those octaved basses and the psychological and >physical security of always knowing where the thumb is. With >earlier lutes and music, where the thumb is very active on the >treble strings, rest strokes are rare, but the movement is much the same. > >Best wishes, > >Martin > > > >To get on or off this list see list information at >http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
