The technique was common in 19th century guitar playing, where it was
often marked with a "^". It does have some advantages and there are
spots where it facilitates fewer chord shape changes. In that
repertoire, I haven't encountered any pieces that I absolutely couldn't
finger
Excellent topic! Not just rock, but highly accomplished virtuosi in
Ragtime (e.g., Dave van Ronk, who could get both 6 & 5), Country,
Bluegrass, Blues, and other genres. Don't know how widespread it is in
Jazz, though.
As a classical guitar trained lutenist, I still can't personally face
One obscure feature of plucking which has always fascinated but eluded
me is the technique of using also the thumb to play on the lower
strings. Supposedly mainly feasible on 6 course instruments and a
narrow neck, it has apparently been in vogue and an open "secret" for
the
Hey Chris, that's really interesting. So the 19th century repertoire is
replete with this technique? I'm surprized and feel there is much to
this matter, which hasn't been thoroughly analyzed yet. :) G.
On Thu, Oct 1, 2015 at 6:28 PM, Christopher Wilke
I think the terms 'common' and 'replete' are very exaggerated for 19th century
guitar repertoire. The LH thumb is used occasionally, but almost only in
Viennese/Austrian solo repertoire, not in French or Spanish music. For it to
work you need a guitar with a very thin neck, and it still messes
Mertz is a case in point. But having a 19th century guitar in hands
(think Gibson LP neck) it's no wonder.
16th century 6-course in hand with U-shaped neck, again, no wonder.
Makes sense. Comfortable, even.
David
***
David van Ooijen
The thumb-over technique was used in France. In his 1801 method,
Charles Doisy writes that, while he does not advocate the use of the
left hand thumb to fret notes, many other guitarists do (although he
calls them charlatans). Carulli often indicated the left hand thumb
with the
To clarify, you are speaking about the left hand, Im sure. I was thinking
about this and trying it last night. I could feel how if I got used to it,
there is a kind of support there where the neck rests in the crook of the hand.
Of course the lower you hold the instrument the more difficult it
I don't know if this supports the thumb-over idea - in Germanic countries or
otherwise - but my old Vandervogl lute/guitar had an exceptionally slender neck
which naturally facilitated the wrap-around thumb. It was more parabolic, too,
iirc. There wasn't any place to put my left thumb except
The chief "digital media" operative at Luteshop has just updated a
video:
[1]https://youtu.be/Fr65crLpyP8
Thanks to Francis for a nice reworking!
Martin
__
[2]Avast logo
This email has been
10 matches
Mail list logo
