Vance, In my experience the best sound is not only when my finger tips have been soaked, as you describe, but when they are smooth as well.
It seems that the fingers develop an outer surface which is slightly rough and calloused. I wash my hands in warm water and "sandpaper" my fingertips under the running water with a bit of carborundum paper, 400 grade is good. This removes the rough surface and makes a great difference to the tone. Does that make sense? Miles Dempster > Stewart: > > I understand what you are saying, but the longer this thread continues > more > I realize that few understand what I am saying. When I get the best > sound > out of the Lute is after I have soaked my self in our Jacuzzi > (something we > installed because of a back injury) and my hands have become amply > pruned. > The tips of my fingers are not slick or oily, they are soft and slip > resistant like felt soled shoes on a mossy surface. It is my > understanding > of what is going on is that the fingers are not slipping across the > strings > but are actually hanging on to them for a mili second. Both courses > are then > sounding almost as one and because the strings are vibrating together > the > over tones are more clear and resonant. I don't know if I am making > myself > understood. I hope someone will try this and figure out what is going > on. > > Vance Wood. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Stewart McCoy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "Lute Net" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Sunday, October 26, 2003 1:04 PM > Subject: Re: Right Hand Questions > > >> Dear Charles, >> >> I have often seen Christopher Wilson run his fingers down the side >> of >> his nose in between pieces. I found it strange, until someone >> explained to me why he did it. >> >> Best wishes, >> >> Stewart McCoy. >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Charles Browne" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> To: "Vance Wood" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "lute list" >> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Serge-Andr� Comeau" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> Sent: Saturday, October 25, 2003 7:51 PM >> Subject: RE: Right Hand Questions >> >> >> two other tips that I have heard from a guitarist for the right hand >> finger -tips during a performance was to run the fingers down the >> side of >> the nose in between pieces. This transfers some of the sebum, >> secretions >> from the sebaceous glands, onto the finger-tips. Sebum is latin for >> 'grease'and will help smooth the tips,especially if you have an >> 'oily' skin. >> An alternative to this , for a guitarist, was to place a small blob >> of >> 'vaseline' on the upper bout of the guitar for occasional >> application during >> performance. >> regards >> Charles Browne >> >> >> > >
