Edward wrote: > > In terms of sound production, you are correct, in that recently warmed > hands with hot water always sound better on the lute. I love to play after > I shower. But, I would not rely on only warm & moist hands to get a good > sound. The reason that this makes the instrument sound better is not the > stripping of oils, but merely the warm water softens the hands. The trick > is to get that kind of sound most of the time. Keep the distal (i.e. > furthest - away) joints on the fingers totally relaxed & flexible. This > will help.
Keeping relaxed and fexible is certainly good advice, but there is more here I think. When I was playing guitar regularly (steel strung acoustic) I developed a lot of calluses on the tips of my fingers. These became quite hard and were a good thing to have for steel strings. I have noticed since playing the lute that I'm developing calluses again, and I suspect that because we're using gut or nylon strings that a hard fingertip makes a poorer sound than a soft one. Thus the idea that to soak the fingers in warm water helps this sound. Oil of tartar may have similar properties to softening the skin since it was also used in soaps made in the Reaniassance and through the 19th century. Regards, Craig
