> I would agree with you regarding the stretches in > chords such as N and L, but, while they might have > been favourites of Corbetta, they are not necessary > for simple chordal accompaniments as one would presume > Santa Mariana might have played. I would be tempted to > imagine that the Saint would not have needed to > venture beyond some run-of-the-mill chords such as C, > I, A, B, +, etc. As a matter of fact, this is > precisely what most of the Mexican amateur > guitar-players do (surely you must know that all > Mexicans play the guitar ....)
Yes - indeed...! I don't want to quibble too much about this but actually chords A and B are not that simple to finger and involve stretches across the fingerboard, particularly chord B. With a sixth course all chords would need to be re-fingered. Of course we don't know how the instrument was tuned - if as Bermudo suggests in one place, it was simple tuned to a major common chord she could just have strummed the same chord on the open courses....... over and over again. But what I am really asking is - what proof is there, other than oral tradition, that the instrument really belonged to her, that it was built in the early 17th century, and has never been altered since? Holy relics can often be of dubious authenticity! Unfortunately I don't have a copy of the book you refer too. Only have various articles published earlier. Monica To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
