I rarely use a plectrum, and to get that sound I do the same as you. A thubnail 'dedillo' on bass strings. Surely there must be a name for it? It is just so very useful - I can make my lute sound a bit like an oud; on Guitar I can do the thunder sound in Vivaldi's Summer! It is good to know that there are many healthy pockets of unorthodoxy I have recently taken to experimenting with seagull feathers though (in the absence of eagles and ostriches etc in my locality . A swan feather might be possible too. The thin or thick end though? In Gulliver's Travels there was a war between those who opened the narrow end of their boiled egg first, and those who started on the thick end Tony C __________________________________________________________________
From: G. C. <kalei...@gmail.com> To: Lutelist <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> Sent: Saturday, 7 June 2014, 20:40 Subject: [LUTE] Re: 15th century duo (left-handers playing right-handedly) Hi, An alternative that works for me is to grow a healthy thumb-nail. Then pinch thumb and index together, like as if holding a plectrum and use the nail as a plectrum. You can file down the nail to suit your preference of sound, as well as strike the course (string) from different angles, and optionally press the little finger against the soundboard. Or not. This method allows for very rapid up-and-down playing and is a more accurate alternative to "dedillo" IMO. It also uses the mechanics of the hand in a "plectrum" way with a more direct contact with the string. Of course it goes against all that is "lute" correctness! :) (I have mainly used it on single strings). Any other players who have tried this way out? G. ----- Original Message ----- From: "WALSH STUART" <[1]s.wa...@ntlworld.com> To: "Braig, Eugene" <[2]brai...@osu.edu>; "lutelist Net" <[3]Lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> Sent: Saturday, June 07, 2014 11:06 AM Subject: [LUTE] Re: 15th century duo (left-handers playing right-handedly) > On 06/06/2014 23:06, Braig, Eugene wrote: >> >> Groovy! What plectrum did you use here? I use several incarnations of >> plectrum depending on era of music and instrument at hand. . . . And, in >> spite of my sinistral tendencies, my plectrum, punteado, and occasional >> rasgueado efforts are always executed with the right hand. > > Eugene I had forgotten that you are left-handed but play (in your > preferred usage) standard instruments. Is there also a Worshipful Company > of Left-Handed Standard Lute Players (i.e. playing right-handedly), I > wonder? > > For a plectrum I'm using a length of guitar string with a bit of masking > tape. I gleaned this from a discussion on this list some time. I've tried > many kinds of plectrum but me the main issue is plectrum playing itself, > rather than the plectrum. How do you get on with playing with a plectrum > in your right hand when you are left handed? You have noted that both > hands equally are involved in complex tasks in playing a plucked > instrument. But.... > > Usually in music, if I have realistic goals, I can fairly well come to be > able to play things (e.g. quite difficult passages) with careful, slow > practice. But this doesn't happen ever with plectrum issues. I can > practice a troublesome passage countless times over a period of time, pick > up the instrument and plectrum and I'll be just as likely to bungle it... > or get it right. It's fascinating in an annoying way, really. > > > > Stuart > > > >> >> While Jean-Paul certainly plays it faster, the effect is no more >> entertaining. Cheers! >> >> Best, >> Eugene To get on or off this list see list information at [4]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. mailto:s.wa...@ntlworld.com 2. mailto:brai...@osu.edu 3. mailto:Lute@cs.dartmouth.edu 4. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html