vihuela  

[VIHUELA] Re: Chord I

Monica Hall
Wed, 14 Oct 2009 06:16:03 -0700


  Monica, you are a gold mine of information even when you're asking a
  question :  D

It's nice of you to say so.

  I did run across that N alfabeto chord in Sanz recently. Ouch!

I realized this quite recently and then discovered a passage in Foscarini where it was necessary to use a 4th finger half barre too. It is possible!

  By the way, the chord shape we were talking about (I alfabeto, A
  sounding chord on 5 course and modern guitars, and D on the 4 course)
  is very easy to play as below on my little 4-course as:
  ____a___
  _2__c___
  _1__c___
  _1__c___
  And then I'm free to ornament and move on from there afterward. I think
  I might prefer the 1-2-3 on a modern classical guitar (which I rarely
  play anymore), though, because of the difference in size and the
  difference in the music.

I think the reason why I prefer 1-2-3- is because one of the commonest chord sequences is the Folia in D minor which is basically E I E B and stopping the 3rd course with the middle finger forms a pivot between I and E.

But all these different ways have advantages and it is interesting to here different views on the options.

Best

Monica
  Best,
  Jocelyn
    ___________________________________________________________________

  From: Monica Hall <[1]mjlh...@tiscali.co.uk>
  Date: Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:42:57 -0400
  To: "Nelson, Jocelyn" <[2]nels...@ecu.edu>
  Cc: Vihuelalist <[3]vihu...@cs.dartmouth.edu>
  Subject: Re: [VIHUELA] Re: Chord I
  Now we are getting even more abstruse!
  The equivalent of chord I in Castilian notation is represented by the
  letter
  P and known as Patilla!  Ribayaz calls it that and both Sanz and Guerau
  have a Passacalles por Patilla but I can't remember whether Murcia
  mentions
  the term.  It is called that because of the shape the notes/fingers
  make on
  the fingerboard.   I think it means "a little plate".
  In the "Arte de la guitarra" of Joseph Guerrero the equivalent of
  Alfabeto
  Chord A (G major) is called "dedillo".  Nobody is quite sure why but
  this is
  probably because the first course is stopped with the little finger.
   The
  4-part version of this chord found in Millioni for example has the
  second,
  third and fourth courses unstopped.
   In both Sanz and Murcia's tables there is a minor form of chord N
  which
  involves a 4th finger half barre...
  Montesardo certainly does say you should make a trill whenever the 4th
  finger is free - which is interesting in such an early alfabeto source.
  Regards
  Monica
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: "Nelson, Jocelyn" <[4]nels...@ecu.edu>
  To: "Martyn Hodgson" <[5]hodgsonmar...@yahoo.co.uk>; "Stewart McCoy"
  <[6]lu...@tiscali.co.uk>; "Monica Hall" <[7]mjlh...@tiscali.co.uk>
  Cc: "Vihuela List" <[8]vihu...@cs.dartmouth.edu>
  Sent: Monday, October 12, 2009 12:04 PM
  Subject: [VIHUELA] Re: Chord I
  >   Wasn't this the "pedilla" ("little foot") fingering mentioned in
  one of
  >   the books? Sorry I can't find it now.
  >   But just as Stewart says, below, Montesardo says something in
  general
  >   about leaving the left hand little finger free for trills or other
  >   ornaments (I'm going by Boye's translation).
  >   Jocelyn
  >
  ___________________________________________________________________
  >
  >   From: Martyn Hodgson <[1][9]hodgsonmar...@yahoo.co.uk>
  >   Date: Mon, 12 Oct 2009 03:34:56 -0400
  >   To: Vihuela List <[2][10]vihu...@cs.dartmouth.edu>, Stewart McCoy
  >   <[3][11]lu...@tiscali.co.uk>
  >   Subject: [VIHUELA] Re: Chord I
  >   All, of course, helped by these chords being in a lower position
  with
  >   the thicker frets.
  >   M
  >   --- On Sun, 11/10/09, Stewart McCoy <[4][12]lu...@tiscali.co.uk>
  wrote:
  >   > From: Stewart McCoy <[5][13]lu...@tiscali.co.uk>
  >   > Subject: [VIHUELA] Chord I
  >   > To: "Vihuela List" <[6][14]vihu...@cs.dartmouth.edu>
  >   > Date: Sunday, 11 October, 2009, 9:13 PM
  >   > Dear Monica,
  >   >
  >   > Thank you for confirming what I had thought was the case,
  >   > that this is
  >   > the standard fingering for the A major chord in
  >   > 17th-century guitar
  >   > books:
  >   >
  >   > ____a___
  >   > _2__c___
  >   > _1__c___
  >   > _1__c___
  >   > ____a___
  >   >
  >   > That is the fingering I try to use now. The great advantage
  >   > is that you
  >   > can trill on the 2nd course using your 4th finger at the
  >   > 3rd fret. You
  >   > get plenty of leverage trilling between the 2nd and 4th
  >   > fingers, more
  >   > than you would trilling with the 3rd and 4th fingers.
  >   >
  >   > There are many ways of fingering that A major chord. The
  >   > commonest seen
  >   > in modern guitar tutors is
  >   >
  >   > ____a___
  >   > _3__c___
  >   > _2__c___
  >   > _1__c___
  >   > ____a___
  >   > ________
  >   >
  >   > That's OK if you have thin fingers, but there is always the
  >   > danger that
  >   > the 1st finger won't get close enough to the 2nd fret, and
  >   > you'll get a
  >   > buzz. One way of avoiding that, is to use this fingering:
  >   >
  >   > ____a___
  >   > _3__c___
  >   > _1__c___
  >   > _2__c___
  >   > ____a___
  >   >
  >   > which I sometimes use, particularly if hopping back and
  >   > forth between
  >   > chords of A and D major, because the 1st and 3rd fingers
  >   > stay on the
  >   > same string. Otherwise I go for the first fingering above.
  >   >
  >   > By the way, exactly the same thing applies to the chord of
  >   > G major on a
  >   > renaissance lute:
  >   >
  >   > ____a___
  >   > ____a___
  >   > _2__c___
  >   > _1__c___
  >   > _1__c___
  >   > ____a___
  >   >
  >   > is usually best, and as with the guitar, you can trill with
  >   > your 4th
  >   > finger, this time on the 3rd course.
  >   >
  >   > Best wishes,
  >   >
  >   > Stewart McCoy.
  >   >
  >   > -----Original Message-----
  >   > From: [7][15]lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu
  >   > [[8][16]mailto:lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu]
  >   > On
  >   > Behalf Of Monica Hall
  >   > Sent: 11 October 2009 15:22
  >   > To: Rob MacKillop
  >   > Cc: Vihuelalist
  >   > Subject: [VIHUELA] Re: Chord I
  >   >
  >   >    That's very helpful and interesting what
  >   > you say about the technique
  >   >    being standard for blues and jazz.
  >   > There's obviously a long
  >   > tradition
  >   >    there.
  >   >
  >   >
  >   >
  >   >    Monica
  >   >
  >   >    ----- Original Message -----
  >   >
  >   >    From: [1]Rob MacKillop
  >   >
  >   >    To: [2]Monica Hall
  >   >
  >   >    Cc: [3]Vihuelalist
  >   >
  >   >    Sent: Sunday, October 11, 2009 1:42 PM
  >   >
  >   >    Subject: Re: [VIHUELA] Chord I
  >   >
  >   >    I use the 2nd finger on the 2nd course,
  >   > and the first finger on the
  >   >    other two courses. I have no problem with
  >   > the open first string
  >   >    sounding. I show beginner-ish students
  >   > this technique and invariable
  >   >    they can't bend their first finger
  >   > inwards at the first joint, but
  >   > some
  >   >    who have played blues and or jazz guitar
  >   > before have no problem - it
  >   > is
  >   >    fairly standard technique for those
  >   > styles.
  >   >
  >   >
  >   >
  >   >    Rob
  >   >
  >   >    2009/10/11 Monica Hall <[4][9][17]mjlh...@tiscali.co.uk>
  >   >
  >   >        This is a rather abstruse
  >   > query.
  >   >        In most Italian guitar
  >   > tables of alfabeto chords which include
  >   > the
  >   >      left
  >   >        hand fingering the
  >   > indication is that Chord I is to be played
  >   >      using a
  >   >        half (or hinge) barre to
  >   > stop the 4th and 3rd courses and the 2nd
  >   >        finger to stop the 2nd
  >   > course at the 2nd fret.
  >   >
  >   >    0
  >   >
  >   >    2    1
  >   >
  >   >    2    1
  >   >
  >   >    2    2
  >   >
  >   >    0
  >   >        This doesn't seem to me the
  >   > most convenient way of doing it
  >   >      especially
  >   >        when combined with other
  >   > chords and I always use 1st, 2nd and 3rd
  >   >        fingers.
  >   >        Ruiz de Ribayaz does give
  >   > my preferred  fingering as an
  >   >      alternative to
  >   >        the Italian one.
  >   >        Both Sanz and Murcia seem
  >   > to think that the 4th course should be
  >   >        stopped with the 1st finger
  >   > and a 2nd finger half barre used to
  >   >      stop
  >   >        the 2nd and 3rd which seems
  >   > a bit odd to me!
  >   >        I wonder if Sanz is a
  >   > misprint which Murcia has copied.
  >   >        In the illustrations of the
  >   > fingers stopping the chords on the
  >   >        fingerboard in Sanz the
  >   > standard Italian fingering is shown.
  >   >        I just wonder how everyone
  >   > else on this list usually fingers
  >   > chord
  >   >      I
  >   >        and what the advantages are
  >   > of the different possibilities.
  >   >        Monica
  >   >        --
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  >   > References
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  >   >    1. [11][19]mailto:luteplay...@googlemail.com
  >   >    2. [12][20]mailto:mjlh...@tiscali.co.uk
  >   >    3. [13][21]mailto:vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
  >   >    4. [14][22]mailto:mjlh...@tiscali.co.uk
  >   >    5.
  [15][23]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
  >   >
  >   >
  >   >
  >   >
  >   >
  >
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  > References
  >
  >   1.
  [25]file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/hodgsonmar...@yahoo.co.uk
  >   2.
  [26]file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
  >   3. [27]file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/lu...@tiscali.co.uk
  >   4. [28]file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/lu...@tiscali.co.uk
  >   5. [29]file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/lu...@tiscali.co.uk
  >   6.
  [30]file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
  >   7.
  [31]file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu
  >   8. [32]mailto:lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu
  >   9. [33]file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/mjlh...@tiscali.co.uk
  >  10. [34]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
  >  11. [35]mailto:luteplay...@googlemail.com
  >  12. [36]mailto:mjlh...@tiscali.co.uk
  >  13. [37]mailto:vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
  >  14. [38]mailto:mjlh...@tiscali.co.uk
  >  15. [39]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
  >  16. [40]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
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References

  1. file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/mjlh...@tiscali.co.uk
  2. file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/nels...@ecu.edu
  3. file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
  4. file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/nels...@ecu.edu
  5. file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/hodgsonmar...@yahoo.co.uk
  6. file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/lu...@tiscali.co.uk
  7. file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/mjlh...@tiscali.co.uk
  8. file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
  9. file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/hodgsonmar...@yahoo.co.uk
 10. file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
 11. file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/lu...@tiscali.co.uk
 12. file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/lu...@tiscali.co.uk
 13. file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/lu...@tiscali.co.uk
 14. file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
 15. file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu
 16. mailto:lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu
 17. file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/mjlh...@tiscali.co.uk
 18. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
 19. mailto:luteplay...@googlemail.com
 20. mailto:mjlh...@tiscali.co.uk
 21. mailto:vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
 22. mailto:mjlh...@tiscali.co.uk
 23. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
 24. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
 25. file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/hodgsonmar...@yahoo.co.uk
 26. file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
 27. file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/lu...@tiscali.co.uk
 28. file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/lu...@tiscali.co.uk
 29. file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/lu...@tiscali.co.uk
 30. file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
 31. file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu
 32. mailto:lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu
 33. file://localhost/net/people/lute-arc/mjlh...@tiscali.co.uk
 34. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
 35. mailto:luteplay...@googlemail.com
 36. mailto:mjlh...@tiscali.co.uk
 37. mailto:vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu
 38. mailto:mjlh...@tiscali.co.uk
 39. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
 40. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html